George Wigram
Encyclopedia
George Vicesimus Wigram was an English biblical scholar and theologian
.
, a famous and wealthy merchant, and the 14th child of Lady Eleanor Wigram, Robert's 2nd wife (an aunt to Charles Stewart Parnell
). His family were all capable and several of his siblings became illustrious in their own field. Sir James Wigram became a judge and Vice-Chancellor; Joseph Cotton Wigram
became Bishop of Rochester
, Loftus Wigram
was a barrister and politician, and Octavius Wigram
was prominent as an insurance underwriter in the City of London
.
As a young man George Wigram obtained a commission in the army. One of his postings was to Brussels
. He spent an evening exploring the Waterloo
battlefield and it was here he had a religious experience that changed his life. He wrote of it thus, "suddenly there came on my soul a something I had never known before. It was as if some One, Infinite and Almighty, knowing everything, full of the deepest, tenderest interest in myself, though utterly and entirely abhorring everything in, and connected with me, made known to me that He pitied and loved myself". This led to his resigning his commission in the army and in 1826 he entered Queens College, Oxford, with the intention of becoming an Anglican
clergy
man.
and Benjamin Wills Newton
. Dissatisfied with the established church, Wigram and his friends left the Anglican church and helped establish non-denominational assemblies which became known as the Plymouth Brethren
.
He had considered joining Anthony Norris Groves
and his mission to Baghdad
in June 1829, but changed his mind just prior to the faith mission set off.
After leaving Oxford University, Wigram, using his family wealth, in 1831 bought church premises in Plymouth and there established a Brethren assembly. During the 1830s Wigram also financed the establishment of assemblies in London.
Wigram had a keen interest in the original Hebrew and Greek texts of the Bible, which was of great interest to the emerging Brethren assemblies. In 1839, after years of work and financial investment, he published The Englishman's Greek and English Concordance to the New Testament, followed in 1843 by The Englishman's Hebrew and Chaldee Concordance to the Old Testament. He also edited the influential Brethren periodical Present Testimony and Original Christian Witness for many years (from 1849 to his death with posthumous issues running to 1881). This periodical superseded the Brethren's first magazine, The Christian Witness.
Besides his literary work his oral ministry was considered to be marked by an attractive freshness: a contemporary remarked that his "very face became radiant as he spoke". Many of his addresses have been preserved and published in the two volumes Memorials of the Ministry of G.V. Wigram and Gleanings from the Teaching of G.V. Wigram. These were collected by the erstwhile Lewisham Road Baptist
Church Minister, Edward Dennett.
With Wigram's help, Darby became the most influential personality within the Brethren movement. Wigram is often referred to as being Darby's lieutenant as he firmly supported Darby during moments of crisis. In 1845 he supported Darby in his doctrinal differences with Benjamin Wills Newton in the Brethren assembly at Plymouth. In Darby's 1848 dispute with George Müller
, Wigram again sided with Darby in relation to the reception of believers who had previously been in fellowship with Newton, and on Müller's reluctance to publicly denounce errors by Newton in regards to the sufferings of Christ (errors which Newton had already retracted). He also helped Darby fend off accusations of heresy, also in regards to the sufferings of Christ, in articles written in 1858 and 1866, which some considered were very similar to Newton's errors two decades earlier.
whom Wigram had known as a girl in Ireland; she died in 1834. His second marriage was to Catharine, the only daughter of William Parnell of Avondale. Their London home was 3 Howley Place, Harrow Road, London. In 1867, Wigram visited Canada. His wife Catherine joined him there two months later, but became ill and died after a short illness in Canada. The family physician was Limerick-born Dr Thomas Mackern. Wigram was 62 years old. Four years later his daughter Fanny Theodosia, child of his first wife, died.
in 1853 and again in Vaud
Canton in 1858. In later life he went abroad to minister to the many overseas assemblies of the Brethren, including Boston
and Canada
in 1867. Writing in November 1871, from Demerara
, British Guiana
, he said, "I came out in my old age, none save Himself with me", Jamaica 1872. This led to further travel, visiting Australia
&New Zealand
in 1873-75 and again in 1877-78.
Besides travel he maintained a wide correspondence with labourers in emerging Brethren assemblies. Among these were Louis Favez of Mauritius
.
of the Brethren assemblies in a number of ways. He edited the anthology Hymns for the Poor of the Flock (1838). This collection contained hymns by Isaac Watts
, Charles Wesley
, William Cowper
, Thomas Kelly and others; and an appendix was added, chiefly to include a number of hymns by Sir Edward Denny
that had just been written. The four earliest of John Nelson Darby
's were also inserted. 18 years later (1856) Wigram compiled A Few Hymns and some Spiritual Songs for the Little Flock
to replace the previous collection. This hymnbook was revised by Darby in 1881, William Kelly in 1894 and again by T.H. Reynolds in 1903.
Wigram also wrote a number of hymns and these include the following
. It has been said that the large concourse of people there sang a hymn in deference to his wish expressed in his lifetime, so that all might understand that he owed all to the sovereign mercy of God. The hymn sung was: "Nothing but mercy'll do for me, / Nothing but mercy – full and free, / Of sinners chief – what but the blood / Could calm my soul, before my God".
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
.
Early life
He was the 20th child (hence his middle name) of Sir Robert Wigram, 1st BaronetSir 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....
, a famous and wealthy merchant, and the 14th child of Lady Eleanor Wigram, Robert's 2nd wife (an aunt to Charles Stewart Parnell
Charles Stewart Parnell
Charles Stewart Parnell was an Irish landowner, nationalist political leader, land reform agitator, and the founder and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party...
). His family were all capable and several of his siblings became illustrious in their own field. Sir James Wigram became a judge and Vice-Chancellor; Joseph Cotton Wigram
Joseph Cotton Wigram
Joseph Cotton Wigram was a British churchman, archdeacon of Surrey, archdeacon of Winchester and bishop of Rochester.-Life:...
became Bishop of Rochester
Bishop of Rochester
The Bishop of Rochester is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Rochester in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers the west of the county of Kent and is centred in the city of Rochester where the bishop's seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin...
, Loftus Wigram
Loftus Wigram
Loftus Tottenham Wigram QC , was a British barrister, businessman and Conservative politician.Wigram was a younger son of Sir Robert Wigram, 1st Baronet, by his second wife Eleanor, daughter of John Watts...
was a barrister and politician, and Octavius Wigram
Octavius Wigram
Octavius Wigram was an English business man and ship owner in the City of London, a member of Lloyds and Governor of the Royal Exchange Assurance Corporation.-Life:...
was prominent as an insurance underwriter in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
.
As a young man George Wigram obtained a commission in the army. One of his postings was to Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. He spent an evening exploring the Waterloo
Waterloo, Belgium
Waterloo is a Walloon municipality located in the province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium. On December 31, 2009, Waterloo had a total population of 29,573. The total area is 21.03 km² which gives a population density of 1,407 inhabitants per km²...
battlefield and it was here he had a religious experience that changed his life. He wrote of it thus, "suddenly there came on my soul a something I had never known before. It was as if some One, Infinite and Almighty, knowing everything, full of the deepest, tenderest interest in myself, though utterly and entirely abhorring everything in, and connected with me, made known to me that He pitied and loved myself". This led to his resigning his commission in the army and in 1826 he entered Queens College, Oxford, with the intention of becoming an Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
clergy
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
man.
Christian career
At Oxford he met John Nelson DarbyJohn Nelson Darby
John Nelson Darby was an Anglo-Irish evangelist, and an influential figure among the original Plymouth Brethren. He is considered to be the father of modern Dispensationalism. He produced a translation of the Bible based on the Hebrew and Greek texts called The Holy Scriptures: A New Translation...
and Benjamin Wills Newton
Benjamin Wills Newton
Benjamin Wills Newton, was an evangelist and author of Christian books. He was influential in the Plymouth Brethren...
. Dissatisfied with the established church, Wigram and his friends left the Anglican church and helped establish non-denominational assemblies which became known as the Plymouth Brethren
Plymouth Brethren
The Plymouth Brethren is a conservative, Evangelical Christian movement, whose history can be traced to Dublin, Ireland, in the late 1820s. Although the group is notable for not taking any official "church name" to itself, and not having an official clergy or liturgy, the title "The Brethren," is...
.
He had considered joining Anthony Norris Groves
Anthony Norris Groves
Anthony Norris Groves has been described as the "father of faith missions". He launched the first Protestant mission to Arabic-speaking Muslims, and settled in Baghdad, now the capital of Iraq, and later in southern India. His ideas influenced a circle of friends who became leaders in the Plymouth...
and his mission to Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
in June 1829, but changed his mind just prior to the faith mission set off.
After leaving Oxford University, Wigram, using his family wealth, in 1831 bought church premises in Plymouth and there established a Brethren assembly. During the 1830s Wigram also financed the establishment of assemblies in London.
Wigram had a keen interest in the original Hebrew and Greek texts of the Bible, which was of great interest to the emerging Brethren assemblies. In 1839, after years of work and financial investment, he published The Englishman's Greek and English Concordance to the New Testament, followed in 1843 by The Englishman's Hebrew and Chaldee Concordance to the Old Testament. He also edited the influential Brethren periodical Present Testimony and Original Christian Witness for many years (from 1849 to his death with posthumous issues running to 1881). This periodical superseded the Brethren's first magazine, The Christian Witness.
Besides his literary work his oral ministry was considered to be marked by an attractive freshness: a contemporary remarked that his "very face became radiant as he spoke". Many of his addresses have been preserved and published in the two volumes Memorials of the Ministry of G.V. Wigram and Gleanings from the Teaching of G.V. Wigram. These were collected by the erstwhile Lewisham Road Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Church Minister, Edward Dennett.
With Wigram's help, Darby became the most influential personality within the Brethren movement. Wigram is often referred to as being Darby's lieutenant as he firmly supported Darby during moments of crisis. In 1845 he supported Darby in his doctrinal differences with Benjamin Wills Newton in the Brethren assembly at Plymouth. In Darby's 1848 dispute with George Müller
George Müller
George Müller , a Christian evangelist and Director of the Ashley Down orphanage in Bristol, England, cared for 10,024 orphans in his life...
, Wigram again sided with Darby in relation to the reception of believers who had previously been in fellowship with Newton, and on Müller's reluctance to publicly denounce errors by Newton in regards to the sufferings of Christ (errors which Newton had already retracted). He also helped Darby fend off accusations of heresy, also in regards to the sufferings of Christ, in articles written in 1858 and 1866, which some considered were very similar to Newton's errors two decades earlier.
Married Life
Wigram married Fanny Bligh in 1830, the daughter of Thomas BlighThomas Bligh
Thomas Bligh was a British soldier, best known for his service during the Seven Years' War when he led a series of amphibious raids, known as "descents" on the French coastline...
whom Wigram had known as a girl in Ireland; she died in 1834. His second marriage was to Catharine, the only daughter of William Parnell of Avondale. Their London home was 3 Howley Place, Harrow Road, London. In 1867, Wigram visited Canada. His wife Catherine joined him there two months later, but became ill and died after a short illness in Canada. The family physician was Limerick-born Dr Thomas Mackern. Wigram was 62 years old. Four years later his daughter Fanny Theodosia, child of his first wife, died.
Travels
Wigram travelled in the UK preaching and teaching in large Brethren assemblies. He visited SwitzerlandSwitzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
in 1853 and again in Vaud
Vaud
Vaud is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland and is located in Romandy, the French-speaking southwestern part of the country. The capital is Lausanne. The name of the Canton in Switzerland's other languages are Vaud in Italian , Waadt in German , and Vad in Romansh.-History:Along the lakes,...
Canton in 1858. In later life he went abroad to minister to the many overseas assemblies of the Brethren, including Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1867. Writing in November 1871, from Demerara
Demerara
Demerara was a region in South America in what is now Guyana that was colonised by the Dutch in 1611. The British invaded and captured the area in 1796...
, British Guiana
British Guiana
British Guiana was the name of the British colony on the northern coast of South America, now the independent nation of Guyana.The area was originally settled by the Dutch at the start of the 17th century as the colonies of Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice...
, he said, "I came out in my old age, none save Himself with me", Jamaica 1872. This led to further travel, visiting Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
&New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1873-75 and again in 1877-78.
Besides travel he maintained a wide correspondence with labourers in emerging Brethren assemblies. Among these were Louis Favez of Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
.
Hymnology
Wigram contributed to the hymnologyHymnology
Hymnology is the scholarly study of religious song, or the hymn, in its many aspects, with particular focus on choral and congregational song. It may be more or less clearly distinguished from hymnody, the creation and practice of such song...
of the Brethren assemblies in a number of ways. He edited the anthology Hymns for the Poor of the Flock (1838). This collection contained hymns by Isaac Watts
Isaac Watts
Isaac Watts was an English hymnwriter, theologian and logician. A prolific and popular hymnwriter, he was recognised as the "Father of English Hymnody", credited with some 750 hymns...
, Charles Wesley
Charles Wesley
Charles Wesley was an English leader of the Methodist movement, son of Anglican clergyman and poet Samuel Wesley, the younger brother of Anglican clergyman John Wesley and Anglican clergyman Samuel Wesley , and father of musician Samuel Wesley, and grandfather of musician Samuel Sebastian Wesley...
, William Cowper
William Cowper
William Cowper was an English poet and hymnodist. One of the most popular poets of his time, Cowper changed the direction of 18th century nature poetry by writing of everyday life and scenes of the English countryside. In many ways, he was one of the forerunners of Romantic poetry...
, Thomas Kelly and others; and an appendix was added, chiefly to include a number of hymns by Sir Edward Denny
Edward Denny
Edward Denny may refer to:*Sir Edward Denny, Knight Banneret of Bishops Stortford *Edward Denny, 1st Earl of Norwich *Sir Edward Denny, 4th Baronet...
that had just been written. The four earliest of John Nelson Darby
John Nelson Darby
John Nelson Darby was an Anglo-Irish evangelist, and an influential figure among the original Plymouth Brethren. He is considered to be the father of modern Dispensationalism. He produced a translation of the Bible based on the Hebrew and Greek texts called The Holy Scriptures: A New Translation...
's were also inserted. 18 years later (1856) Wigram compiled A Few Hymns and some Spiritual Songs for the Little Flock
Little Flock hymnbook
The Little Flock hymnbook is in common use amongst Exclusive Brethren in various editions which nevertheless derive from a common source. It exists in almost as many variations and editions as there are distinct groups of Exclusive Brethren.- Early history :...
to replace the previous collection. This hymnbook was revised by Darby in 1881, William Kelly in 1894 and again by T.H. Reynolds in 1903.
Wigram also wrote a number of hymns and these include the following
- Well may we sing, with triumph sing
- Oh, what a debt we owe
- The Person of the Christ
- What raised the wondrous thought
Death
Wigram died in 1879 at the age of 74 and was buried with his daughter in Paddington Cemetery by the side of Sir Edward DennyEdward Denny
Edward Denny may refer to:*Sir Edward Denny, Knight Banneret of Bishops Stortford *Edward Denny, 1st Earl of Norwich *Sir Edward Denny, 4th Baronet...
. It has been said that the large concourse of people there sang a hymn in deference to his wish expressed in his lifetime, so that all might understand that he owed all to the sovereign mercy of God. The hymn sung was: "Nothing but mercy'll do for me, / Nothing but mercy – full and free, / Of sinners chief – what but the blood / Could calm my soul, before my God".