Edward Enfield (1811–1880) was an English philanthropist.

Life

Enfield was the third son of Henry Enfield, town clerk of

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

, and grandson of

William Enfield William Enfield (29 March 1741 – 3 November 1797) was a British Unitarian minister who published a bestselling book on elocution entitled ''The Speaker'' (1774). Life Enfield was born in Sudbury, Suffolk to William and Ann Enfield. In 1758, h ...

. He was born at Nottingham on 15 May 1811, where eldest brother, William, was a leader in philanthropic efforts. Edward entered

Manchester College, York Harris Manchester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It was founded in Warrington in 1757 as a college for Unitarian students and moved to Oxford in 1893. It became a full college of th ...

, as a literary student in 1826; he was contemporary with

Samuel Bache Samuel Bache (24 December 1804 – 7 January 1876) was an English Unitarian minister. Life He was born at Bridgnorth, Shropshire, where his father, Joshua Tilt Bache (d. 28 October 1837, aged 63), was a grocer. His mother was Margaret Silves ...

and Sir Thomas Baker of Manchester. Through the influence of

Henry Richard Vassall-Fox, 3rd Baron Holland Henry Richard Vassall-Fox, 3rd Baron Holland of Holland, and 3rd Baron Holland of Foxley PC (21 November 1773 – 22 October 1840), was an English politician and a major figure in Whig politics in the early 19th century. A grandson of Henry F ...

he was appointed one of the moneyers of the

Royal Mint The Royal Mint is the United Kingdom's oldest company and the official maker of British coins. Operating under the legal name The Royal Mint Limited, it is a limited company that is wholly owned by His Majesty's Treasury and is under an exclus ...

. He was one of the most active members of the corporation, until, on the reorganisation of the Mint in 1851, he retired with a pension. From then on he gave his time to works of education and philanthropy. He was a member of the council and committee of management of

University College, London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = � ...

(president of the senate from 1878), and of the council of University Hall, Gordon Square. From 1867 he acted as treasurer, and was the guiding spirit, of the

University College Hospital University College Hospital (UCH) is a teaching hospital in the Fitzrovia area of the London Borough of Camden, England. The hospital, which was founded as the North London Hospital in 1834, is closely associated with University College London ...

; most of the sanitary and structural improvements in the hospital were under his supervision. As a Unitarian dissenter he took a large share in the conduct of the non-sectarian efforts for the elevation of the poor in East London, carried on by the Unitarian domestic mission society. In 1857 he was elected a trustee of the nonconformist endowments embraced in Dr. Daniel Williams's trust, and became a member of the estates and audit committees. At the time of his death he was president of

Manchester New College, London Harris Manchester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It was founded in Warrington in 1757 as a college for Unitarian students and moved to Oxford in 1893. It became a full college of th ...

. He died at his residence, 19 Chester Terrace, Regent's Park, on 21 April 1880, and was buried at Woking cemetery on 26 April.

Family

He was twice married: first in October 1848, to Honora, daughter of John Taylor, F.R.S., by whom he had one son; and secondly, to Harriet, daughter of Henry Roscoe of Liverpool, who survived him. His descendants include the journalist

Edward Enfield Edward Richard Enfield (3 September 1929 – 21 February 2019) was an English television and radio presenter and newspaper journalist. He was also the father of comedian Harry Enfield and novelist Lizzie Enfield. Biography The son of Sir Ralph R ...

and his son, the comedian

Harry Enfield Henry Richard Enfield (born 30 May 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer and director. He is known in particular for his television work, including ''Harry Enfield's Television Programme'' and '' Harry & Paul'', and for the creation and ...

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Enfield, Edward 1811 births 1880 deaths English philanthropists English Unitarians People from Nottingham Alumni of Harris Manchester College, Oxford 19th-century British philanthropists