Henry Hunter (divine)
Encyclopedia
Henry Hunter was a Scottish minister who translated the works of noted scholars including Leonard Euler and Johann Kaspar Lavater
.
in Perthshire, on 25 August 1741. He was the fifth child of David and Agnes Hunter. In 1754 he was sent to the University of Edinburgh
at the age of 12. He became tutor to Alexander Boswell (later a judge and Lord Balmuto).
Hunter became the Earl of Dundonald
's family tutor at Culross Abbey
. In 1764 he received license to preach from the presbytery of Dunfermline
and he became the minister of the important South Leith Parish Church
near Edinburgh
in 1766.
In 1769 he preached in London and although invited to lead a Scottish congregation in Piccadilly
he finally accepted an invitation from the London Wall church in 1771. Hunter was chaplain to the Scots Corporation in London, and in August 1790 he was elected correspondence secretary to the Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.
In 1797, the Rev. John Fell had been tasked with delivering twelve lectures of the evidence for Christianity. When Fell died after delivering only four of the lectures, the job was given to Hunter who completed the task and published the result as a book.
Hunter visited Johann Kaspar Lavater
in Zurich in August 1787 and secure Lavater's agreement to the publication of an English version of his Essays on Physiognomy. Lavatar was initially cool to the idea, but was persuaded by Hunter's skill in his language. The book was well received in England and Hunter was then tempted to try a translation from German of a work on electricity by Leonard Euler.
. They had only two sons and a daughter who survived them, as Hunter's final years saw the deaths of four of his children. He died at Bristol
on 27 October 1802 and he was buried in Bunhill Fields
in Islington.
Johann Kaspar Lavater
Johann Kaspar Lavater was a Swiss poet and physiognomist.-Early life:Lavater was born at Zürich, and educated at the Gymnasium there, where J. J. Bodmer and J. J...
.
Biography
Henry Hunter was born at CulrossCulross
The town of Culross, pronounced "Coo-ros", is a former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland.According to the 2006 estimate, the village has a population of 395...
in Perthshire, on 25 August 1741. He was the fifth child of David and Agnes Hunter. In 1754 he was sent to the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
at the age of 12. He became tutor to Alexander Boswell (later a judge and Lord Balmuto).
Hunter became the Earl of Dundonald
Earl of Dundonald
Earl of Dundonald is a title in the Peerage of Scotland.The Earldom was created in 1669 for the Scottish soldier and politician William Cochrane, 1st Earl of Dundonald, along with the subsidiary title of Lord Cochrane of Paisley and Ochiltree, with remainder to his heirs male, failing which to his...
's family tutor at Culross Abbey
Culross Abbey
Culross Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey in Culross, Scotland, headed by the Abbot or Commendator of Culross. It is still used as the local parish church by the Church of Scotland.-History:...
. In 1764 he received license to preach from the presbytery of Dunfermline
Dunfermline
Dunfermline is a town and former Royal Burgh in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. According to a 2008 estimate, Dunfermline has a population of 46,430, making it the second-biggest settlement in Fife. Part of the town's name comes from the Gaelic word...
and he became the minister of the important South Leith Parish Church
South Leith Parish Church
South Leith Parish Church or Kirk is a congregation of the Church of Scotland. It is the principal church and congregation in Leith, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Its kirkyard is the burial place for John Home, author of Douglas, and John Pew, the man from whom the author Robert Louis Stevenson reputedly...
near Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
in 1766.
In 1769 he preached in London and although invited to lead a Scottish congregation in Piccadilly
Piccadilly
Piccadilly is a major street in central London, running from Hyde Park Corner in the west to Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is completely within the city of Westminster. The street is part of the A4 road, London's second most important western artery. St...
he finally accepted an invitation from the London Wall church in 1771. Hunter was chaplain to the Scots Corporation in London, and in August 1790 he was elected correspondence secretary to the Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.
In 1797, the Rev. John Fell had been tasked with delivering twelve lectures of the evidence for Christianity. When Fell died after delivering only four of the lectures, the job was given to Hunter who completed the task and published the result as a book.
Scholar
In 1771, Hunter was made a Doctor of Divinity by the Edinburgh University.Hunter visited Johann Kaspar Lavater
Johann Kaspar Lavater
Johann Kaspar Lavater was a Swiss poet and physiognomist.-Early life:Lavater was born at Zürich, and educated at the Gymnasium there, where J. J. Bodmer and J. J...
in Zurich in August 1787 and secure Lavater's agreement to the publication of an English version of his Essays on Physiognomy. Lavatar was initially cool to the idea, but was persuaded by Hunter's skill in his language. The book was well received in England and Hunter was then tempted to try a translation from German of a work on electricity by Leonard Euler.
Family
In May 1766 he married Margaret Charters, the daughter of the minister of InverkeithingInverkeithing
Inverkeithing is a town and a royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, located on the Firth of Forth. According to population estimates , the town has a population of 5,265. The port town was given burgh status by King David I of Scotland in the 12th century and is situated about 9 miles north from...
. They had only two sons and a daughter who survived them, as Hunter's final years saw the deaths of four of his children. He died at 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...
on 27 October 1802 and he was buried in Bunhill Fields
Bunhill Fields
Bunhill Fields is a cemetery in the London Borough of Islington, north of the City of London, and managed by the City of London Corporation. It is about 4 hectares in extent, although historically was much larger....
in Islington.
Works
- Sacred Biography, ( lives of Bible characters)
- Sermons 1795, 2 vols.
- Sermons and other Miscellaneous Pieces, 1804
Translations include
- 'Lavater's Essays on Physiognomy,' 1789-98, illustrated with more than eight hundred engravings managed by Thomas HollowayThomas Holloway (painter)Thomas Holloway was an English portrait painter and engraver.Holloway was apprenticed to a seal engraver named Stent at a young age...
. (The original cost price of each copy was 30 pounds.) - Euler'sLeonhard EulerLeonhard Euler was a pioneering Swiss mathematician and physicist. He made important discoveries in fields as diverse as infinitesimal calculus and graph theory. He also introduced much of the modern mathematical terminology and notation, particularly for mathematical analysis, such as the notion...
'Letters to a German Princess on different subjects in Physics and Philosophy,' 1795, with notes by Sir David BrewsterDavid BrewsterSir David Brewster KH PRSE FRS FSA FSSA MICE was a Scottish physicist, mathematician, astronomer, inventor, writer and university principal.-Early life:...
. - Bernardin de St. PierreJacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-PierreJacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre was a French writer and botanist...
's Studies of Nature and Botanical Harmony, 1796-7. - Sonnini de ManoncourtCharles-Nicolas-Sigisbert Sonnini de ManoncourtCharles-Nicolas-Sigisbert Sonnini de Manoncourt was a French naturalist. Between 1799 to 1808 he wrote 127 volumes of the Histoire naturelle. Noteworthy among these, especially for herpetologists, is Histoire naturelle des Reptiles, avec figures desinées d'après nature, in four volumes, which he...
's Travels to Upper and Lower Egypt, 1799 - Rev. James SaurinJames SaurinJames Saurin was an Irish Anglican bishop in the 18th century.A former Dean of Derry, he was the Bishop of Dromore from 1819 to 1842. He died in post at Kingstown, Ireland on 9 April 1842.-References:...
's Sermons, 1800-6, 7 vols. 8vo. - J.H.Castéra's History of Catharine II, 1800.