Henry Montagu Butler (2 July 1833 – 14 January 1918) was an English academic and clergyman, who served as headmaster of

Harrow School (The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God) , established = (Royal Charter) , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , religion = Church of E ...

(1860–85),

Dean of Gloucester The Dean of Gloucester is the head (''primus inter pares'': first among equals) and chair of the chapter of canons - the ruling body of Gloucester Cathedral - and senior priest of the Diocese of Gloucester. The dean and chapter are based at Glouce ...

(1885–86) and

Master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

(1886–1918).

Early life

Butler was the fourth son of

George Butler George Butler may refer to: Arts and entertainment * George Butler (filmmaker) (1944–2021), American filmmaker * George Butler (record producer) (1931–2008), American record producer * George Bernard Butler (1838–1907), American painter * Ge ...

, Headmaster of

Harrow School (The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God) , established = (Royal Charter) , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , religion = Church of E ...

and later

Dean of Peterborough The Dean of Peterborough is the head of the chapter at Peterborough Cathedral. On the Dissolution of Peterborough Abbey in 1539 and the abbey-church's refoundation as a cathedral for the new bishop and diocese of Peterborough, care for the abbey ...

, and his wife Sarah Maria . He was educated at Harrow and

, matriculating in 1851. At Cambridge he won the Browne Medal in 1853 and 1854, the Camden Medal, and the

Porson Prize The Porson Prize is an award for Greek verse composition at the University of Cambridge. It was founded in honor of classical scholar Richard Porson and was first awarded in 1817. Winners are known as "Porson prizemen". Winners of the Porson Priz ...

in 1854, and was

President of the Cambridge Union This is a list of presidents of Cambridge Union since its foundation in 1815. 1815–1916 It was resolved at a Private Business Meeting held on Monday, May 8, 1916, to hold no elections for terminal officers in the Easter Term, nor subsequentl ...

for Michaelmas term 1855. He graduated

B.A. 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 ...

as senior classic in 1855,

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

1858,

D.D. 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 ra ...

1865. Made a Fellow of Trinity in 1855, Butler was a tutor there 1855–1859. He was ordained deacon and priest in 1859.

Career

As his father had, Butler served as headmaster of Harrow School (1860 to 1885). As headmaster, he influenced many young people, including

Stanley Baldwin Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, (3 August 186714 December 1947) was a British Conservative Party politician who dominated the government of the United Kingdom between the world wars, serving as prime minister on three occasions, ...

(Prime Minister), Lord Davidson (Archbishop of Canterbury),

Galsworthy John Galsworthy (; 14 August 1867 – 31 January 1933) was an English novelist and playwright. Notable works include ''The Forsyte Saga'' (1906–1921) and its sequels, ''A Modern Comedy'' and ''End of the Chapter''. He won the Nobel Prize ...

of the

Forsyte Saga ''The Forsyte Saga'', first published under that title in 1922, is a series of three novels and two interludes published between 1906 and 1921 by the English author John Galsworthy, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature. They chronicle the vi ...

, 10 bishops including Bishop Gore, 17 judges, 4 viceroys, 12 governors, 12 ambassadors, 33 privy councillors, and 64 generals. He changed Harrow from a hide-bound and backward seventeenth century institution to a rebuilt and well-equipped contemporary school. He was then appointed

in 1885 and was also Master of Trinity College, Cambridge from 1886 to 1918, and Vice Chancellor of the University, 1889–1890. A talented and versatile Latinist, Butler achieved fame as one of the most adept British composers of Latin (and Greek) verse in the 19th and 20th centuries. He wrote one hymn, '' Lift up your hearts! We lift them, Lord, to thee'' in 1881. He died in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

on 14 January 1918. Image:Henry Montagu Butler by Hay.jpg, Caricature by Hay in Vanity Fair Image:Henry Montagu Butler, Vanity Fair, 1903-05-28.jpg, "Trinity". Caricature by

Spy Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...

published in Vanity Fair in 1903.

Trivia

Shane Leslie Sir John Randolph Leslie, 3rd Baronet (Irish: ''Sir Seaghán Leslaigh''; 24 September 1885 – 14 August 1971), commonly known as Sir Shane Leslie, was an Irish-born diplomat and writer. He was a first cousin of Sir Winston Churchill. In 1908 ...

described him as "the Master of Trinity, a bland Olympian in a black skull-cap with a white Jovine beard and an untiring flow of the lengthy anecdotes that are told in Heaven after the nectar has gone round twice.” Butler's desk was donated to Duke Hospital by Dr. William John Dann in March 1938. After it had been moved to storage, circumstances led the school to refinish it and hence to discover the plaque telling of its historical significance. Henry Montagu Butler was the first cousin once removed to Montagu Christie Butler, with whom he may easily be confused if either is referred to simply as "Montagu Butler". He was also the brother of schoolmaster

, whose wife was the social reformer

Josephine Butler Josephine Elizabeth Butler (' Grey; 13 April 1828 – 30 December 1906) was an English feminist and social reformer in the Victorian era. She campaigned for women's suffrage, the right of women to better education, the end of coverture ...

, and the great-uncle of Richard Austen 'Rab' Butler, who also became Master of Trinity.

A. C. Benson Arthur Christopher Benson, (24 April 1862 – 17 June 1925) was an English essayist, poet and academic, and the 28th Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge. He wrote the lyrics of Edward Elgar’s '' Coronation Ode'', including the words of th ...

recounted how Butler fell asleep during a College meeting and awoke with the emphatic observation, "A strong case, tellingly put".

Family

Butler married twice. Firstly, on 19 December 1861, to Georgina Isabella Elliot (1839–1883), with issue: *Agnes Isabel Butler (1865–1949), married Edmund Whytehead Howson *

Edward Montagu Butler Edward Montagu Butler (3 December 1866 – 11 February 1948) was an English first-class cricketer and schoolmaster. Life Butler was born in Harrow-on-the-Hill, Middlesex. He was educated at Harrow School (of which his father was then headmaste ...

(1866–1948), first-class cricketer and father of Olympic gold medallist Guy Montagu Butler *Edith Violet Butler (1869–1887) * Arthur Hugh Montagu Butler (1873–1943), House of Lords Librarian *Gertrude Maud Butler (1880–1933), married Bernard Morley-Fletcher Secondly, in August 1888 at

St George's, Hanover Square St George's, Hanover Square, is an Anglican church, the parish church of Mayfair in the City of Westminster, central London, built in the early eighteenth century as part of a project to build fifty new churches around London (the Queen Anne C ...

, aged 55, Butler married

Agnata Frances Ramsay Agnata Frances Butler (née Ramsay; 1867–1931) was a British classical scholar. She was among the first generation of women to take the Classical Tripos examinations at the University of Cambridge, and was the only person to be placed in the ...

(1867–1931), a 21-year-old classicist who in 1887 attained the highest marks in the Classical Tripos at Cambridge. They had issue: *Sir

James Ramsay Montagu Butler Sir James Ramsay Montagu Butler, (20 July 1889 – 1 March 1975) was a British politician and academic. He was a member of parliament for Cambridge University from 1922 to 1923. He was Regius Professor of Modern History (Cambridge), Regius Prof ...

(1889–1975), politician *Gordon Kerr Montagu Butler (1891–1916), killed in action in the First World War *Sir Nevile Montagu Butler (1893–1973), diplomat

Notes

References

* * *
The Master of Trinity
at

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Henry Montagu 1833 births 1918 deaths Head Masters of Harrow School People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Masters of Trinity College, Cambridge People from Gayton, Northamptonshire Vice-Chancellors of the University of Cambridge Deans of Gloucester Presidents of the Cambridge Union

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...