Howard Douglas Horsfall (1856-February 1936) was a stockbroker and benefactor based in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, England. He is remembered for building churches in Liverpool, and as a founding benefactor of St Chad's College, Durham.

Early life and education

He was the second son of Robert Horsfall, and nephew of Thomas Horsfall, MP for Liverpool. The

Horsfall family The Horsfall family was a family notable in Liverpool, UK, especially as traders at the heart of British trade with Africa after 1807, and as religious benefactors whose churches are among the most important religious buildings in the city. Cha ...

had a tradition of building churches: Douglas' grandfather,

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

, was a founder of

St George's Church, Everton St George's Church is in Everton, Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is the earliest of three churches in Liverpool built by John Cragg, who ...

, and Charles' sons built Christ Church, Everton in his memory.Brown & de Figueiredo, Sarah & Peter (2008). Religion and Place: Liverpool's Historic Places of Worship.

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

. , p20 Douglas' father Robert had firm

Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholic heritage and identity of the various Anglican churches. The term was coined in the early 19th century, although movements emphasising the Catholic nature of Anglican ...

convictions, and funded the building of the Church of St Margaret of Antioch, Liverpool, in 1868.Brown & de Figueiredo (2008), p21 He studied at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

(with

William Johnson Cory William Johnson Cory (9 January 1823 – 11 June 1892), born William Johnson, was an English educator and poet. He was dismissed from his post at Eton for encouraging a culture of intimacy, possibly non-sexual, between teachers and pupils. He is ...

as his tutor) in 1870-71, before entering his father's stockbroking firm.

Benefactions

Churches

Like his father, Horsfall was a firm supporter of the

movement, and his benefactions reflected this aim. In 1883, Horsfall, with his mother, funded the building of the

Church of St Agnes and St Pancras, Toxteth Park The Church of St Agnes and St Pancras is in Ullet Road, Toxteth Park, Liverpool, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is an active Anglican church in the diocese of ...

. It was designed by

John Loughborough Pearson John Loughborough Pearson (5 July 1817 – 11 December 1897) was a British Gothic Revival architect renowned for his work on churches and cathedrals. Pearson revived and practised largely the art of vaulting, and acquired in it a proficiency ...

and described by

Nikolaus Pevsner Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (1 ...

as "by far the most beautiful Victorian church of Liverpool...an epitome of Late Victorian nobility in church design". in 1975 it received the highest Grade I listing for historical significance. In 1900 he funded the building of St Faith's Church in

Great Crosby Great Crosby is an area of the town of Crosby, Merseyside, Crosby, in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England and is Historic counties of England, historically, part of Lancashire. Location In 1907, the Victoria County History d ...

. In 1913 he funded the building of the

Church of St Paul, Liverpool The Church of St Paul is in Derby Lane, Stoneycroft, Liverpool, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. It was designed by Giles Gilbert Scott, who also designed the Angli ...

, designed by

Giles Gilbert Scott Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (9 November 1880 – 8 February 1960) was a British architect known for his work on the New Bodleian Library, Cambridge University Library, Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, Battersea Power Station, Liverpool Cathedral, and d ...

.Brown & de Figueiredo (2008), p22 It is Europe's largest brick-built church, and was used by Scott as a test bed for many ideas later used in

Liverpool Cathedral Liverpool Cathedral is the Cathedral of the Anglican Diocese of Liverpool, built on St James's Mount in Liverpool, and the seat of the Bishop of Liverpool. It may be referred to as the Cathedral Church of Christ in Liverpool (as recorded in the ...

. Horsfall was also a member of the original committee for the building of Liverpool Cathedral; though he did not make any donation to its building.

St Chad's College

In 1904, he became the major benefactor involved in the founding of

St Chad's Hall , motto_English = Not what you have, but who you are , scarf = , established = 1904 , principal = Margaret Masson , senior_tutor = Eleanor Spencer-Regan , undergraduates = 409 , postgraduates = 150 , website = , coordinates = , location_map ...

Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_chan ...

, to train Anglo-Catholic priests to serve in the Church of England. He retained this link and continued to give to the hall throughout his life, and was celebrated as "Fundator Noster" (our founder) in the college magazine (although in recent years the college has shared that title with

Julia Warde-Aldam Sarah Julia Warde-Aldam (; 1857–1931) was a South Yorkshire estate owner, benefactor and hospital commandant. Early life and marriage Julia Warde was born at Carleton, near Pontefract, the younger daughter of Revd William Warde, previo ...

, benefactor of the predecessor institution

St Chad's Hostel St Chad's Hostel, in Hooton Pagnell near Doncaster, England, was a hostel to prepare candidates for theological college. It was opened in 1902 by Frederick Samuel Willoughby, vicar of Hooton Pagnell. In 1904 a sister institution, St Chad's Hal ...

). In 1907, the University awarded Horsfall an honorary degree of Master of Arts in recognition of this support. The hall survives as St Chad's College, Durham, and Horsfall's portrait hangs over the high table in the dining hall.

Personal life

In 1887 he married Mabel, daughter of Egerton Parks Smith, and had two sons and two daughters, including Olympic and Oxford rower Major

Ewart Horsfall Ewart Douglas Horsfall MC (24 May 1892 – 1 February 1974) was a British rower who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics and in the 1920 Summer Olympics. Personal life Horsfall's first marriage was with Myra Downing Fullerton, daughter ...

M.C.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Horsfall, Douglas 1856 births 1936 deaths St Chad's College, Durham Businesspeople from Liverpool People educated at Eton College English Anglicans