Samuel Augustus Barnett
Encyclopedia
Samuel Augustus Barnett (8 February 1844 – 17 June 1913) was an Anglican
clergyman and social reformer particularly associated with the establishment of the first university settlement, Toynbee Hall
in east London
in 1884.
He was born in Bristol
, the son of Francis Augustus Barnett, an iron
manufacturer. After leaving Wadham College, Oxford
, in 1866, he visited the United States. In the following year he was ordained to the curacy of St Mary's
, Bryanston Square
, and took priest's orders in 1868.
In 1873, he married Henrietta Octavia Weston (1851–1936), social reformer and author, who had been a co-worker of Octavia Hill
and was also a philanthropist
like her husband. Later that year, the Barnetts came to the impoverished Whitechapel
parish
of St. Jude’s intent on improving social conditions.
The area was notorious for its squalid and overcrowded housing conditions; the Barnetts worked hard for the poor of their parish, opening evening schools for adults, providing them with music and entertainment, and serving on the board of guardians and on the managing committees of schools. Barnett discouraged outdoor relief
, because it fostered the pauperisation of the neighbourhood. At the same time, the conditions of indoor relief were improved, and the various charities were co-ordinated, by co-operation with the Charity Organization Society
and the parish board of guardians.
In 1875 Balliol
historian
Arnold Toynbee
paid the first of many visits to Whitechapel
, and in 1877, Barnett, who kept in constant touch with Oxford
, formed a small committee, over which he presided, to consider the organisation of university extension in London
. His chief assistants were Leonard Montefiore, a young Oxford man, and Frederick Rogers, a member of the vellum binders' trade union
.
The committee received influential support, and in October four courses of lectures, one by Dr.Samuel Rawson Gardiner
on English history, were given in Whitechapel. The Barnetts were also associated with the foundation of the East End Dwellings Company
, which built many model dwellings
in the East End from 1888, with the establishment of the Children's Country Holiday Fund (1884) and the annual loan exhibitions of fine art at the Whitechapel gallery.
In 1884 an article by Barnett in Nineteenth Century discussed the question of university settlements - places where richer students could live alongside, learn about and contribute to the welfare of much poorer people - in Barnett’s words: 'to learn as much as to teach; to receive as much to give'.
This resulted in the formation of the University Settlements Association, and when Toynbee Hall was built shortly afterwards, Barnett became its first Warden. The settlement was visited in 1888 by American reformer Jane Addams
who returned to the USA inspired to create similar facilities there, the first Hull House
opening in Chicago
a year later.
Barnett was a select preacher at Oxford
in 1895-1897, and at Cambridge
in 1900; he received a canonry in Bristol Cathedral
in 1893, but retained his wardenship of Toynbee Hall, while relinquishing the living of St. Jude's. In June 1906 he was given a canonry at Westminster
, and when in December he resigned the wardenship of Toynbee Hall the position of president was created so that he might retain his connection.
He died in 1913 and is buried with his wife in the churchyard at St Helen's Church, Hangleton
, East Sussex. As a memorial, his friend Sir Alfred Yarrow
dedicated a charitable building in Hampstead Garden Suburb
in his name in 1916: the Barnett Homestead
.
Among Canon Barnett's works is Practicable Socialism (1888, 2nd ed. 1894), written in conjunction with his wife.
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...
clergyman and social reformer particularly associated with the establishment of the first university settlement, Toynbee Hall
Toynbee Hall
Toynbee Hall is a building in Tower Hamlets, East London which is the home of a charity working to bridge the gap between people of all social and financial backgrounds, with a focus on eradicating poverty and promoting social inclusion....
in east London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1884.
He was born in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, the son of Francis Augustus Barnett, an iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
manufacturer. After leaving Wadham College, Oxford
Wadham College, Oxford
Wadham College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, located at the southern end of Parks Road in central Oxford. It was founded by Nicholas and Dorothy Wadham, wealthy Somerset landowners, during the reign of King James I...
, in 1866, he visited the United States. In the following year he was ordained to the curacy of St Mary's
St Mary's, Bryanston Square
St Mary's, Bryanston Square, is a Church of England church dedicated to the Virgin Mary in Bryanston Square, London, just a five minute walk from any of Marylebone, Baker Street or Edgware Road tube stations...
, Bryanston Square
Bryanston Square
Bryanston Square is a square in Marylebone, Westminster, London, England. Named after its owner Henry William Portman's home village of Bryanston in Dorset, it was built as part of the Portman Estate between 1810 and 1815, along with Montagu Square a little to the east and Wyndham Place to its...
, and took priest's orders in 1868.
In 1873, he married Henrietta Octavia Weston (1851–1936), social reformer and author, who had been a co-worker of Octavia Hill
Octavia Hill
Octavia Hill was an English social reformer, whose main concern was the welfare of the inhabitants of cities, especially London, in the second half of the nineteenth century. Born into a family with a strong commitment to alleviating poverty, she herself grew up in straitened circumstances owing...
and was also a philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
like her husband. Later that year, the Barnetts came to the impoverished Whitechapel
Whitechapel
Whitechapel is a built-up inner city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London, England. It is located east of Charing Cross and roughly bounded by the Bishopsgate thoroughfare on the west, Fashion Street on the north, Brady Street and Cavell Street on the east and The Highway on the...
parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of St. Jude’s intent on improving social conditions.
The area was notorious for its squalid and overcrowded housing conditions; the Barnetts worked hard for the poor of their parish, opening evening schools for adults, providing them with music and entertainment, and serving on the board of guardians and on the managing committees of schools. Barnett discouraged outdoor relief
Outdoor relief
This article refers to Britain's welfare provision after the 1601 Poor Law. For welfare programmes see Social securityAfter the passing of the Elizabethan Poor Law , outdoor relief was that kind of poor relief where assistance was in the form of money, food, clothing or goods, given to alleviate...
, because it fostered the pauperisation of the neighbourhood. At the same time, the conditions of indoor relief were improved, and the various charities were co-ordinated, by co-operation with the Charity Organization Society
Charity Organization Society
The Charity Organization Societies also called the Associated Charities was a private charity that existed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a clearing house for information on the poor. The society was mainly concerned with distinction between the deserving poor and undeserving poor...
and the parish board of guardians.
In 1875 Balliol
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
Arnold Toynbee
Arnold Toynbee
Arnold Toynbee was a British economic historian also noted for his social commitment and desire to improve the living conditions of the working classes.-Biography:...
paid the first of many visits to Whitechapel
Whitechapel
Whitechapel is a built-up inner city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London, England. It is located east of Charing Cross and roughly bounded by the Bishopsgate thoroughfare on the west, Fashion Street on the north, Brady Street and Cavell Street on the east and The Highway on the...
, and in 1877, Barnett, who kept in constant touch with Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, formed a small committee, over which he presided, to consider the organisation of university extension in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. His chief assistants were Leonard Montefiore, a young Oxford man, and Frederick Rogers, a member of the vellum binders' trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
.
The committee received influential support, and in October four courses of lectures, one by Dr.Samuel Rawson Gardiner
Samuel Rawson Gardiner
Samuel Rawson Gardiner was an English historian.The son of Rawson Boddam Gardiner, he was born near Alresford, Hampshire. He was educated at Winchester College and Christ Church, Oxford, where he obtained a first class in literae humaniores. He was subsequently elected to fellowships at All Souls ...
on English history, were given in Whitechapel. The Barnetts were also associated with the foundation of the East End Dwellings Company
East End Dwellings Company
The East End Dwellings Company was a Victorian philanthropic model dwellings company, operating in the East End of London in the latter part of the nineteenth century...
, which built many model dwellings
Model dwellings company
Model Dwellings Companies were a group of private companies in Victorian Britain that sought to improve the housing conditions of the working classes by building new homes for them, at the same time receiving a competitive rate of return on any investment...
in the East End from 1888, with the establishment of the Children's Country Holiday Fund (1884) and the annual loan exhibitions of fine art at the Whitechapel gallery.
In 1884 an article by Barnett in Nineteenth Century discussed the question of university settlements - places where richer students could live alongside, learn about and contribute to the welfare of much poorer people - in Barnett’s words: 'to learn as much as to teach; to receive as much to give'.
This resulted in the formation of the University Settlements Association, and when Toynbee Hall was built shortly afterwards, Barnett became its first Warden. The settlement was visited in 1888 by American reformer Jane Addams
Jane Addams
Jane Addams was a pioneer settlement worker, founder of Hull House in Chicago, public philosopher, sociologist, author, and leader in woman suffrage and world peace...
who returned to the USA inspired to create similar facilities there, the first Hull House
Hull House
Hull House is a settlement house in the United States that was co-founded in 1889 by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr. Located in the Near West Side of , Hull House opened its doors to the recently arrived European immigrants. By 1911, Hull House had grown to 13 buildings. In 1912 the Hull...
opening in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
a year later.
Barnett was a select preacher at Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
in 1895-1897, and at Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
in 1900; he received a canonry in Bristol Cathedral
Bristol Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity is the Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England, and is commonly known as Bristol Cathedral...
in 1893, but retained his wardenship of Toynbee Hall, while relinquishing the living of St. Jude's. In June 1906 he was given a canonry at Westminster
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
, and when in December he resigned the wardenship of Toynbee Hall the position of president was created so that he might retain his connection.
He died in 1913 and is buried with his wife in the churchyard at St Helen's Church, Hangleton
St Helen's Church, Hangleton
St Helen's Church, an Anglican church in the Hangleton area of Hove, is the oldest surviving building in the English city of Brighton and Hove. It is the ancient parish church of Hangleton—an isolated downland village which was abandoned by the Middle Ages and consisted of open farmland until the...
, East Sussex. As a memorial, his friend Sir Alfred Yarrow
Alfred Yarrow
Sir Alfred Fernandez Yarrow, 1st Baronet, of Homestead was a British shipbuilder who started a shipbuilding dynasty, Yarrow Shipbuilders.-Life and career:...
dedicated a charitable building in Hampstead Garden Suburb
Hampstead Garden Suburb
-Notable Residents :*Theo Adams*Martin Bell*Sir Victor Blank*Katie Boyle*Constantine, the last King of Greece*Greg Davies*Richard & Judy Finnigan*David Matthews*Michael Ridpath*Claudia Roden*Jonathan Ross*Sir Donald Sinden*Marc Sinden...
in his name in 1916: the Barnett Homestead
Barnett Homestead
The Barnett Homestead is a grade II listed building in Erskine Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb, in north London. Designed by architect John Soutar, the building comprises 12 apartments intended for soldiers' widows and their children, and its construction was funded by ship-builder and philanthropist...
.
Among Canon Barnett's works is Practicable Socialism (1888, 2nd ed. 1894), written in conjunction with his wife.