Henry Melvill
Encyclopedia
The Revd. Henry Melvill was a priest in the Church of England
and principal of the East India Company College
from 1844-1858. Afterwards, he served as Canon of St Paul's Cathedral
.
(1762–1811), an officer in the army, who was lieutenant-governor of Pendennis Castle
from 1797 till 1811, by his wife Elizabeth Carey (1770–1844), daughter of Peter Dobree of Beauregard, Guernsey
. He was born in Pendennis Castle, Cornwall
, on 14 September 1798 and became a sizar of St. John's College, Cambridge, in October 1817. After migrating to Peterhouse
, he passed as second wrangler and won the Smith's Prize
in 1821, and was a fellow and tutor of his college from 1822 to 1832. He graduated B.A. 1821, M.A. 1824, and B.D. 1836.
chaplain to the Tower of London
in 1840. He was principal of the East India College, Haileybury, from 1843 till the college was closed on 7 December 1857 Golden lecturer at St. Margaret's, Lothbury, 1850–1856; one of the chaplains to Queen Victoria, 13 June 1853; canon residentiary of St. Paul's, 21 April 1856; and rector of Barnes, Surrey, 1863–71. Melvill for many years had the reputation of being "the most popular preacher in London", and one of the greatest rhetoricians of his time. First at Camden Chapel, then at St. Margaret's, and later on at St. Paul's, large crowds of people attended his ministrations. His sermon generally occupied three-quarters of an hour, but such was the rapidity of his utterance that he spoke as much in that time as an ordinary preacher would have done in an hour. His delivery was earnest and animated without distinctive gesticulation; his voice was clear and flexible; while his emphatic pronunciation and his hurried manner of speaking impressed the hearers with a conviction of his sincerity. But his sermons lacked simplicity and directness of style, and his ornate phraseology, his happy analogies, smoothly balanced sentence
s, appealed more directly to the literary than to the spiritual sense. His views were evangelical
.
He died at the residentiary house, Amen Corner, London, 9 February 1871, and was buried in St. Paul's Cathedral on 15 February. He had married Margaret Alice, daughter of Peter Dobree of Beauregard, Guernsey. She died 18 April 1878, aged 73, leaving a daughter Edith, who married Clement Alexander Midleton.
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
and principal of the East India Company College
East India Company College
The East India College was a college in Hertford Heath, Hertfordshire, England. It was founded in February 1806 as the training establishment for the British East India Company . At that time, the BEIC provided general and vocational education for young gentlemen of sixteen to eighteen years old,...
from 1844-1858. Afterwards, he served as Canon of St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
.
Early years
Melvill was the fifth son of Philip MelvillPhilip Melvill
Philip Melvill was a nineteenth century philanthropist of Falmouth, Cornwall .He was born in 1762 in Dunbar, in East Lothian on the southeast coast of Scotland.-Military service:...
(1762–1811), an officer in the army, who was lieutenant-governor of Pendennis Castle
Pendennis Castle
Pendennis Castle is a Henrician castle, also known as one of Henry VIII's Device Forts, in the English county of Cornwall. It was built in 1539 for King Henry VIII to guard the entrance to the River Fal on its west bank, near Falmouth. St Mawes Castle is its opposite number on the east bank and...
from 1797 till 1811, by his wife Elizabeth Carey (1770–1844), daughter of Peter Dobree of Beauregard, Guernsey
Guernsey
Guernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
. He was born in Pendennis Castle, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, on 14 September 1798 and became a sizar of St. John's College, Cambridge, in October 1817. After migrating to Peterhouse
Peterhouse, Cambridge
Peterhouse is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is the oldest college of the University, having been founded in 1284 by Hugo de Balsham, Bishop of Ely...
, he passed as second wrangler and won the Smith's Prize
Smith's Prize
The Smith's Prize was the name of each of two prizes awarded annually to two research students in theoretical Physics, mathematics and applied mathematics at the University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England.- History :...
in 1821, and was a fellow and tutor of his college from 1822 to 1832. He graduated B.A. 1821, M.A. 1824, and B.D. 1836.
Life as a priest
From 1829 to 1843 he served as incumbent of Camden Chapel, Camberwell, London; was appointed by the Duke of WellingtonArthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
chaplain to the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
in 1840. He was principal of the East India College, Haileybury, from 1843 till the college was closed on 7 December 1857 Golden lecturer at St. Margaret's, Lothbury, 1850–1856; one of the chaplains to Queen Victoria, 13 June 1853; canon residentiary of St. Paul's, 21 April 1856; and rector of Barnes, Surrey, 1863–71. Melvill for many years had the reputation of being "the most popular preacher in London", and one of the greatest rhetoricians of his time. First at Camden Chapel, then at St. Margaret's, and later on at St. Paul's, large crowds of people attended his ministrations. His sermon generally occupied three-quarters of an hour, but such was the rapidity of his utterance that he spoke as much in that time as an ordinary preacher would have done in an hour. His delivery was earnest and animated without distinctive gesticulation; his voice was clear and flexible; while his emphatic pronunciation and his hurried manner of speaking impressed the hearers with a conviction of his sincerity. But his sermons lacked simplicity and directness of style, and his ornate phraseology, his happy analogies, smoothly balanced sentence
Balanced sentence
A balanced sentence is a sentence that employs parallel structure of approximately the same length and importance.-Examples:#"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."...
s, appealed more directly to the literary than to the spiritual sense. His views were evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
.
He died at the residentiary house, Amen Corner, London, 9 February 1871, and was buried in St. Paul's Cathedral on 15 February. He had married Margaret Alice, daughter of Peter Dobree of Beauregard, Guernsey. She died 18 April 1878, aged 73, leaving a daughter Edith, who married Clement Alexander Midleton.
Selected works
- Sermons, 1833–8 2 vols., 6th edit. 1870.
- Sermons preached before the University of Cambridge to which are added two sermons preached in Great St. Mary's, 1836, five editions.
- Four Sermons preached before the University of Cambridge, 1837, five editions.
- Four Sermons preached before the University of Cambridge 1839, three editions.
- Sermons preached at Cambridge 1840.
- Sermons on certain of the less prominent Facts and References in Sacred Story 1843–5, 2 vols., new edit. 1872.
- Sermons preached on Public Occasions 1846.
- The Preacher in Print, The Golden Lectures, Forty-eight Sermons delivered at St. Margaret's Church, Lothbury 1850 (published without Melvill's sanction).
- Thoughts appropriate to the Season and the Days: Lectures delivered at St. Margaret's, Lothbury 1851.
- A Selection from the Lectures delivered at St. Margaret's, Lothbury 1853.
- The Golden Lectures for the Years 1850 to 1855 inclusive 1856, 6 vols.
- Selections from the Sermons preached in the Parish Church of Barnes, and in the Cathedral of St. Paul's 1872, 2 vols.