Woolmore Wigram (29 October 1831 – 19 January 1907) was a Church of England clergyman, a campanologist and a mountain-climber.

Life

Wigram was born in 1831 at Devonshire Place, London the fifth son of ten children of Money Wigram (1790–1873), director of the Bank of England, of Manor Place,

Much Hadham Much Hadham, formerly known as Great Hadham, is a village and civil parish in the district of East Hertfordshire, Hertfordshire, England. The parish of Much Hadham contains the hamlets of Perry Green and Green Tye, as well as the village of Muc ...

, Hertfordshire, and Mary, daughter of Charles Hampden Turner. His father was elder brother of Sir

James Wigram Sir James Wigram, FRS (1793–1866) was an English barrister, politician and judge. Life He was the third son of Lady Eleanor and Sir Robert Wigram, 1st Baronet, and younger brother name of Sir Robert Fitzwygram, 2nd Baronet in 1832; another ...

Joseph Wigram Joseph Cotton Wigram (26 December 1798 – 6 April 1867) was a British churchman, Archdeacon of Bournemouth, Archdeacon of Winchester and bishop of Rochester. Life Born at Walthamstow, Wigram was the child of Eleanor Wigram, Lady Eleanor and Sir ...

and

George Wigram George Vicesimus Wigram (28 March 1805 – 1 February 1879) was an English biblical scholar and theologian. Early life He was the 20th child (hence his middle name) of Sir Robert Wigram, 1st Baronet, a famous and wealthy merchant, and the 14th c ...

. Of his brothers, Charles Hampden (1826–1903) was knighted in 1902, and Clifford (1828–1898) was director of the Bank of England. Wigram entered

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. Up ...

in August 1844, and matriculated at

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 ...

, in 1850, graduating B.A. in 1854 and proceeding M.A. in 1858. Among his friends at Cambridge was John Gott, afterwards Bishop of Truro. Taking holy orders in 1855, he was curate of

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...

(1855–1864), vicar of

Brent Pelham Brent Pelham is a village and civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district, in the county of Hertfordshire, England, and situated approximately 5 miles (8 km) east of Buntingford. It is one of the three Pelhams, with Stocking Pelham and ...

with Furneaux Pelham, Hertfordshire (1864–1876), and rector of St. Andrew's with St. Nicholas and St. Mary's,

Hertford Hertford ( ) is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. The parish had a population of 26,783 at the 2011 census. The town grew around a ford on the River Lea, ne ...

(1876–1897). From 1877 to 1897 he was rural dean of Hertford, and in 1886 was made honorary canon of

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

, where he lived from 1898 till his death, and was an active member of the chapter. A high churchman, Wigram was for many years a member of the English Church Union. Wigram was an enthusiastic campanologist, and became an authority on the subject. A series of articles in ''Church Bells'' was published collectively in 1871 under the title ''Change-ringing Disentangled and Management of Towers'' (2nd edition 1880). In his earlier days Wigram was an enthusiastic Alpine climber. He was a member of the

Alpine Club The first alpine club, the Alpine Club, based in the United Kingdom, was founded in London in 1857 as a gentlemen's club. It was once described as: :"a club of English gentlemen devoted to mountaineering, first of all in the Alps, members of which ...

from 1858 to 1868. His most memorable feat was the first successful ascent of La

Dent Blanche The Dent Blanche is a mountain in the Pennine Alps, lying in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. At -high, it is one of the highest peaks in the Alps. Naming The original name was probably ''Dent d'Hérens'', the current name of the nearby D ...

on 18 July 1862, in the company of Thomas Stewart Kennedy, with and Josef Marie Krönig as guides (see his own account in ''Memoirs'', 1908, pp. 81–95; T. S. Kennedy in ''

Alpine Journal The ''Alpine Journal'' (''AJ'') is an annual publication by the Alpine Club of London. It is the oldest mountaineering journal in the world. History The magazine was first published on 2 March 1863 by the publishing house of Longman in London, ...

'', 1864, i. 33–39: cf. Whymper's ''Scrambles amongst the Alps'', chapter xiv.). Wigram died from the effects of influenza at his home in Watling Street, St Albans, on 19 January 1907, and was buried in St Stephen's churchyard there. His wife survived him. He married on 23 July 1863 Harriet Mary, daughter of the Reverend

Thomas Ainger Thomas Ainger (1 August 1799 – 15 November 1863) was an English clergyman. Biography He was born on 1 August 1799 at Whittlesey and educated at the Norwich grammar school Norwich School (formally King Edward VI Grammar School, Norwich) is ...

of Hampstead, and they had four sons, including

William Ainger Wigram William Ainger Wigram (16 May 1872 – 16 January 1953) was an English Church of England priest and author, notable for his work with and writings on the Assyrian Church of the East. Biography William Wigram, a younger son of Woolmore Wigram, wa ...

, and three daughters.

References

Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wigram, Woolmore 1831 births 1907 deaths People educated at Rugby School Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge 19th-century English Anglican priests Campanologists English mountain climbers 19th-century musicologists

Life

See also

References