Henry Hunter(25 August 1741 – 27 October 1802) was a Scottish minister who translated the works of noted scholars including
Leonard Euler
Leonhard Euler ( , ; 15 April 170718 September 1783) was a Swiss mathematician, physicist, astronomer, geographer, logician and engineer who founded the studies of graph theory and topology and made pioneering and influential discoveries in ma ...
and
Johann Kaspar Lavater
Johann Kaspar (or Caspar) Lavater (; 15 November 1741 – 2 January 1801) was a Swiss poet, writer, philosopher, physiognomist and theologian.
Early life
Lavater was born in Zürich, and was educated at the '' Gymnasium'' there, where J. J. ...
.
[
]
Life
Henry Hunter was born at Culross
Culross (/ˈkurəs/) (Scottish Gaelic: ''Cuileann Ros'', 'holly point or promontory') is a village and former royal burgh, and parish, in Fife, Scotland.
According to the 2006 estimate, the village has a population of 395. Originally, Culross ...
on the Firth of Forth
The Firth of Forth () is the estuary, or firth, of several Scottish rivers including the River Forth. It meets the North Sea with Fife on the north coast and Lothian on the south.
Name
''Firth'' is a cognate of ''fjord'', a Norse word meani ...
, on 25 August 1741. He was the fifth child of David and Agnes Hunter. In 1754 he was sent to the University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
at the age of 13. He became tutor to Claud Irvine Boswell, Lord Balmuto whom he befriended at university.
Hunter then became the family tutor to Alexander, Earl of Dundonald
Earl of Dundonald is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1669 for the Scottish soldier and politician William Cochrane, 1st Lord Cochrane of Dundonald, along with the subsidiary title of Lord Cochrane of Paisley and Ochiltre ...
at Culross Abbey
Culross Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey in Culross, Scotland, headed by the Abbot or Commendator of Culross. Part of it is still used as the local parish church by the Church of Scotland.
History
The abbey was founded in 1217 by Malcolm I, M ...
. In 1764 he received licence to preach from the presbytery of Dunfermline
Dunfermline (; sco, Dunfaurlin, gd, Dùn Phàrlain) is a city, parish and former Royal Burgh, in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. The city currently has an estimated population of 58,508. Accord ...
and he became the "second charge" minister of the important South Leith Parish Church
South Leith Parish Church, originally the Kirk of Our Lady, St Mary, is a congregation of the Church of Scotland. It is the principal church and congregation in Leith, in Edinburgh. Its kirkyard is the burial place for John Home (author of ''D ...
near Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
in January 1766, with his predecessor Rev Thomas Scott rising to "first charge".
In 1769 he preached in London and although invited to lead a Scottish congregation in Piccadilly
Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road that connects central London to Hammersmith, Earl's Court, ...
he finally accepted an invitation from the Scots Church at London Wall in August 1771. Soon after this move, Edinburgh University
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 1582 ...
awarded hom an honorary Doctor of Divinity
A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity.
In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...
.
Hunter visited Johann Kaspar Lavater
Johann Kaspar (or Caspar) Lavater (; 15 November 1741 – 2 January 1801) was a Swiss poet, writer, philosopher, physiognomist and theologian.
Early life
Lavater was born in Zürich, and was educated at the '' Gymnasium'' there, where J. J. ...
in Zurich in August 1787 and secure Lavater's agreement to the publication of an English version of his ''Essays on Physiognomy.''[ Lavater 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.]
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 later published the lectures as a book.]
He died in Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
on 27 October 1802 and was buried in the non-conformist cemetery at Bunhill Fields
Bunhill Fields is a former burial ground in central London, in the London Borough of Islington, just north of the City of London. What remains is about in extent and the bulk of the site is a public garden maintained by the City of London Cor ...
in London.[Fasti Ecclesiastae Scoticana by Hew Scott][ The grave lies just to the side of the main path and is of distinctive form.
]
Family
In May 1766 he married Margaret Charters, the daughter of Rev Thomas Charters, the minister of Inverkeithing
Inverkeithing ( ; gd, Inbhir Chèitinn) is a port town and parish, in Fife, Scotland, on the Firth of Forth. A town of ancient origin, Inverkeithing was given royal burgh status during the reign of Malcolm IV in the 12th century. It was an impo ...
. They had only two sons and a daughter who survived them, as Hunter's final years saw the deaths of four of his children.
Works
# ''Hunter's Sacred Biography,'' A Course of Lectures on the Principal Characters Mentioned in the Old Testament; and On the Principal Events in the Life of Christ. First Publication 1791 in multiple volumes. There have been numerous editions and edits to the current day.
# ''Sermons'' 1795, 2 vols.
# ''Sermons and other Miscellaneous Pieces,'' 1804
# ''A Brief History of the Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge'' 2 vols. 1795
# ''A History of London and its Environs'' 1796
# ''Sacred Biography'' 6 vols. 1783 to 1792
Translations include
# 'Lavater's Essays on Physiognomy,' 1789–98, illustrated with more than eight hundred engravings managed by Thomas Holloway
:
Thomas Holloway (22 September 180026 December 1883) was an English patent medicine vendor and philanthropist.
Early life
Holloway was born in Devonport, Plymouth, Devon, the eldest son of Thomas and Mary Holloway (née Chellew), who at the ...
. (The original cost price of each copy was 30 pounds.)
# Euler's "Letters to a German Princess
''Letters to a German Princess, On Different Subjects in Physics and Philosophy'' (French: ''Lettres à une princesse d'Allemagne sur divers sujets de physique et de philosophie'') were a series of 234 letters written by the mathematician Leonhar ...
on different subjects in Physics and Philosophy," 1795, with notes by Sir David Brewster
Sir David Brewster KH PRSE FRS FSA Scot FSSA MICE (11 December 178110 February 1868) was a British scientist, inventor, author, and academic administrator. In science he is principally remembered for his experimental work in physical optics, ...
.
# Bernardin de St. Pierre's ''Studies of Nature'' and ''Botanical Harmony,'' 1796-7.
# Sonnini de Manoncourt
Charles-Nicolas-Sigisbert Sonnini de Manoncourt (1 February 1751 – 9 May 1812) was a French naturalist.
Career
Between 1799 and 1808, Sonnini de Manoncourt wrote 127 volumes of the ''Histoire naturelle''. Noteworthy among these, especiall ...
's ''Travels to Upper and Lower Egypt,'' 1799
# Rev. James Saurin
James Saurin (c.1760–1842) was an Ireland, Irish Anglican bishop in the 19th century. He was the last Bishop of Dromore before it was merged with the Diocese of Down and Connor.
He was born in Belfast, the third of the four sons of Jam ...
's ''Sermons,'' 1800-6, 7 vols. 8vo.
# J.H.Castéra's ''History of Catharine II,'' 1800.
References
;Attribution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Henry
1802 deaths
1741 births
Translators from French
Translators from German
Scottish translators
Burials at Bunhill Fields
18th-century British translators