William Ainger Wigram
Encyclopedia
William Ainger Wigram was an English Church of England
priest and author, notable for his work with and writings on the Assyrian Church of the East
.
in the vicarage of his father, also a Church of England priest. He was the grandson of Money Wigram, a director of the Bank of England, and great-grandson of Eleanor, Lady Wigram, a notable nineteenth century philanthropist and Robert Wigram
, who was awarded a baronetcy in 1805 --an honour which eventually passed to William's brother Edgar, who became the 6th Baron Wigram
.
William Wigram was educated at King's School, Canterbury and Trinity Hall, Cambridge
, graduating in 1893. He became a pupil of Brooke Westcott, Bishop of Durham, was ordained in 1897, and was appointed a curate in the diocese.
In 1902 he joined the Archbishop of Canterbury
's Mission to the Assyrian Christians on the invitation of O. H. Parry - later an author of a 1907 History of the Church, written in Assyrian. The mission concentrated on the supporting the Patriarch, and the education of Assyrian clerics and laity, including the founding of a college for priests, and 45 schools in Mesopotamia
. Wigram served as a teacher at a school in Van
, eventually rising to lead the mission for the last five years of his service, ending in 1912. Wigram was awarded a Lambeth degree
in 1910 by Archbishop Randall Davidson and in the same year published The Assyrian Church, 100–640 AD. His work with the church is reputed to have, to some extent, healed the divide between the Assyrian Church and the wider Anglican communion, in part as a result of his diplomatic exertions, and in part through his argument that the Nestorian
tendency of the church was no more than nominal. In 1914, based on his mission-related travels, he published (with his brother Edgar) The Cradle of Mankind; Life in Eastern Kurdistan, an anecdotal progression through the region.
Wigram moved to Constantinople
in 1912 to take up a chaplaincy position, and at the outbreak of World War I
was interned
; Turkey having allied itself with Germany. He was co-opted to advise on the resettlement of Assyrians after the war; following which he was appointed chaplain to the British Legation in Greece from 1922-26, and as a canon in St. Paul's Church from 1928-36. He continued to lend support to the Assyrian Church, and in particular its new, 5 year old Patriarch. However his views on Assyrian questions and those of Cosmo Gordon Lang, enthroned as Archbishop of Canterbury in December 1928, differed leading, by 1938, to Wigram's withdrawal from Assyrian affairs. Throughout this period, he continued to write, publishing a number of books on the Assyrian Church.
In about 1929 he returned to the UK, living in Wells
, Somerset
. He died on 16 January 1953 in Salisbury
, Wiltshire
.
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...
priest and author, notable for his work with and writings on the Assyrian Church of the East
Assyrian Church of the East
The Assyrian Church of the East, officially the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East ʻIttā Qaddishtā w-Shlikhāitā Qattoliqi d-Madnĕkhā d-Āturāyē), is a Syriac Church historically centered in Mesopotamia. It is one of the churches that claim continuity with the historical...
.
Biography
William Wigram, a younger son of Woodmore Wigram, was born at Furneaux Pelham, HertfordshireHertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
in the vicarage of his father, also a Church of England priest. He was the grandson of Money Wigram, a director of the Bank of England, and great-grandson of Eleanor, Lady Wigram, a notable nineteenth century philanthropist and Robert Wigram
Sir Robert Wigram, 1st Baronet
Sir Robert Wigram, 1st Baronet was a British merchant shipbuilder and Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons of Great Britain and of the United Kingdom between 1802 and 1807....
, who was awarded a baronetcy in 1805 --an honour which eventually passed to William's brother Edgar, who became the 6th Baron Wigram
Wigram Baronets
The Wigram Baronetcy, of Walthamstow House in the County of Essex, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 30 October 1805 for Robert Wigram. He was a successful merchant and also represented Fowey and Wexford Borough in the House of Commons. The second Baronet also...
.
William Wigram was educated at King's School, Canterbury and Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Trinity Hall is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is the fifth-oldest college of the university, having been founded in 1350 by William Bateman, Bishop of Norwich.- Foundation :...
, graduating in 1893. He became a pupil of Brooke Westcott, Bishop of Durham, was ordained in 1897, and was appointed a curate in the diocese.
In 1902 he joined the Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
's Mission to the Assyrian Christians on the invitation of O. H. Parry - later an author of a 1907 History of the Church, written in Assyrian. The mission concentrated on the supporting the Patriarch, and the education of Assyrian clerics and laity, including the founding of a college for priests, and 45 schools in Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
. Wigram served as a teacher at a school in Van
Van, Turkey
Van is a city in southeastern Turkey and the seat of the Kurdish-majority Van Province, and is located on the eastern shore of Lake Van. The city's official population in 2010 was 367,419, but many estimates put this as much higher with a 1996 estimate stating 500,000 and former Mayor Burhan...
, eventually rising to lead the mission for the last five years of his service, ending in 1912. Wigram was awarded a Lambeth degree
Lambeth degree
A Lambeth degree is an academic degree conferred by the Archbishop of Canterbury under the authority of the Ecclesiastical Licences Act 1533 as successor of the papal legate in England...
in 1910 by Archbishop Randall Davidson and in the same year published The Assyrian Church, 100–640 AD. His work with the church is reputed to have, to some extent, healed the divide between the Assyrian Church and the wider Anglican communion, in part as a result of his diplomatic exertions, and in part through his argument that the Nestorian
Nestorian
Nestorian or Nestorians can refer to:*Nestorianism, a Christological doctrine developed by Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople, condemned as heresy by the Council of Ephesus in 431...
tendency of the church was no more than nominal. In 1914, based on his mission-related travels, he published (with his brother Edgar) The Cradle of Mankind; Life in Eastern Kurdistan, an anecdotal progression through the region.
Wigram moved to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
in 1912 to take up a chaplaincy position, and at the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
was interned
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
; Turkey having allied itself with Germany. He was co-opted to advise on the resettlement of Assyrians after the war; following which he was appointed chaplain to the British Legation in Greece from 1922-26, and as a canon in St. Paul's Church from 1928-36. He continued to lend support to the Assyrian Church, and in particular its new, 5 year old Patriarch. However his views on Assyrian questions and those of Cosmo Gordon Lang, enthroned as Archbishop of Canterbury in December 1928, differed leading, by 1938, to Wigram's withdrawal from Assyrian affairs. Throughout this period, he continued to write, publishing a number of books on the Assyrian Church.
In about 1929 he returned to the UK, living in Wells
Wells
Wells is a cathedral city and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England, on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills. Although the population recorded in the 2001 census is 10,406, it has had city status since 1205...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
. He died on 16 January 1953 in Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
.
Publications
- The doctrinal position of the Assyrian or East Syrian church, 1908
- An Introduction to the History of the Assyrian Church: Or the Church of the Sassanid Persian Empire, 100-640, 1910
- The Cradle of Mankind; Life in Eastern Kurdistan, 1914
- Our smallest ally, 1920
- The Assyrian settlement, 1922
- The Separation of the Monophysites and more, 1923
- The Assyrians and Their Neighbours, 1929
- Hellenic travel, 1947
External links
- Wigram publications on Google Books
- The cradle of mankind; life in eastern Kurdistan from the Internet Archive