Basil Joseph Mathews (28 August 1879 – 29 March 1951) was an English historian, biographer, and writer on the

ecumenical movement Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

. In his early life, Mathews was a librarian, a journalist, and Editorial Secretary of the

London Missionary Society The London Missionary Society was an interdenominational evangelical missionary society formed in England in 1795 at the instigation of Welsh Congregationalist minister Edward Williams. It was largely Reformed in outlook, with Congregational miss ...

. During the First World War he worked for the Ministry of Information.

Early life

Mathews was born at

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

in 1879, the eldest son of Angelo Alfred Hankins Mathews, an insurance broker, and his wife, Emma Colegrove.Norman Goodall, "Mathews, Basil Joseph (1879–1951)" in ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'', https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/34933 accessed 10 February 2021 After leaving the

City of Oxford High School for Boys The City of Oxford High School for Boys (a.k.a. Oxford High School for Boys and City of Oxford School) was founded in 1881 by Thomas Hill Green to provide Oxford boys with an education which would enable them to prepare for University. History ...

, he worked at the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...

and the Oxford City Library, then was employed by A. M. Fairbairn, Principal of

Mansfield College, Oxford Mansfield College, Oxford is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. The college was founded in Birmingham in 1838 as a college for Nonconformist (Protestantism), Non ...

, as a secretary. He then matriculated at the University and in 1904 graduated

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in modern history.

Career

After the university, Mathews was a journalist for the ''Christian World''. Soon after reporting from the

World Missionary Conference The 1910 World Missionary Conference, or the Edinburgh Missionary Conference, was held on 14 to 23 June 1910. Some have seen it as both the culmination of nineteenth-century Protestant Christian missions and the formal beginning of the modern Prot ...

of 1910, he became Editorial Secretary of the

. In 1913, he published his first book, an illustrated biography of

David Livingstone David Livingstone (; 19 March 1813 – 1 May 1873) was a Scottish physician, Congregationalist, and pioneer Christian missionary with the London Missionary Society, an explorer in Africa, and one of the most popular British heroes of t ...

, the Victorian missionary. From 1917 to 1918, during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he worked for the Ministry of Information. As well as works on the history of religion, including a life of

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

, Mathews published biographies of

Booker T. Washington Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to several presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African-American c ...

and

John Mott John Raleigh Mott (May 25, 1865 – January 31, 1955) was an evangelist and long-serving leader of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) and the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF). He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1946 for hi ...

. He also wrote the hymn '' Far round the world thy children sing their song''.

Private life

In 1911, Mathews was living in

Reigate Reigate ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town in Surrey, England, around south of central London. The settlement is recorded in Domesday Book in 1086 as ''Cherchefelle'' and first appears with its modern name in the 1190s. The earlie ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, with his first wife, Harriett Anne Passmore, a farmer’s daughter, and his mother-in-law. Mathews’s father died at

Boars Hill Boars Hill is a Hamlet (place), hamlet southwest of Oxford, straddling the boundary between the Civil parishes in England, civil parishes of Sunningwell and Wootton, Vale of White Horse, Wootton. Historically, part of Berkshire until the Local ...

, near Oxford, in 1928, leaving his mother widowed. She lived until 1948, when she was aged ninety. Mathews’s first wife died in 1939."Mathews, Basil Joseph, (28 Aug. 1879–29 March 1951)" in ''Who Was Who'' (London: A & C Black) In the spring of 1940, in

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

, he married secondly Winifred Grace Wilson. He spent his final years at Triangle Cottage, Boars Hill, and died at the

Warneford Hospital The Warneford Hospital is a hospital providing mental health services at Headington in east Oxford, England. It is managed by the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust. History The hospital opened as the ''Oxford Lunatic Asylum'' in July 1826. It ...

, Oxford, in 1951, leaving a widow, Winifred, and an estate valued for probate at £3,706."MATHEWS Basil Joseph of the Triangle Cottage Boars Hill" in ''Probate Index for England and Wales'' (1951), p. 786

Honours

Doctor of Law A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL ...

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

Major publications

* ''Livingstone, the Pathfinder'', illustrated by Ernest Prater (Oxford and London: Henry Frowde Oxford University Press, 1913) *''John Williams, the shipbuilder'', illustrated by Ernest Prater (London and Oxford: Humphrey Milford Oxford University Press, 1915; new edition by Ulan Press, 2012) *''The Ships of Peace'' (London and Oxford: Humphrey Milford Oxford University Press, 1919; new edition by Wentworth Press, 2016, ) *''The Argonauts of Faith; the adventures of the "Mayflower" Pilgrims'' (Washington DC: Library of Congress, 1920) *''The Clash of Colour: a study in the problem of race'' (Doran, 1924; reprinted Port Washington, NY: Kennikat Press, 1973) *''Young Islam on Trek: A Study in the Clash of Civilizations'' (1926) *''The Clash of World Forces: a Study in Nationalism, Bolshevism and Christianity'' (London: Edinburgh House Press, 1931) * ''A Life of Jesus'' (New York: R. R. Smith Inc., 1931) *''The Jew and the World Ferment'' (London: Edinburgh House Press, 1934) *''John R. Mott, world citizen'' (New York and London: Harper & Brothers, 1934) *''Shaping the future : a study in world revolution'' (London: Student Christian Movement Press, 1936) *''East and West: conflict or cooperation?'' (1936) *''Booker T. Washington, educator and interracial interpreter'' (Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 1948) *''Crisis of the West Indian family; a sample study'' (1952) *''Disciples of All Nations'' (1952) *''The Riddle of Nearer Asia'' (New edition by Nabu Press, 2010, ) *''Essays on Vocation'' (New edition by Wentworth Press, 2016, ) *''Yarns on African Pioneers to Be Told to Boys'' (New edition by Wentworth Press, 2016) *''Kerala: the Land of Palms'' (New edition by Wentworth Press, 2016) * ''Paul the Dauntless, the Course of a Great Adventure'' (New edition by Wentworth Press, 2016, ) * ''Fellowship in Thought and Prayer'' (New edition by Wentworth Press, 2016, ) * ''The Book of Missionary Heroes'' (New edition by Wentworth Press, 2016, ) *''Three Years' War for Peace'' (New edition by Palala Press, 2016, )

Notes

External links

* *
Basil Mathews
hymnsam.co.uk {{DEFAULTSORT:Mathews, Basil Joseph 1879 births 1951 deaths 20th-century English historians English biographers People educated at the City of Oxford High School for Boys University of British Columbia people