Henry Hunnings (25 July 1842 – 4 May 1886) was a
British clergyman and inventor.
Born in
Tottenham
Tottenham () is a town in North London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, bordering Edmonton to the north, Waltham ...
on 25 July 1842, Henry Hunnings worked as a printer and photographer at the family business on High Road, Tottenham. In 1864 Hunnings took the photo of Hare Pomare (Ref: PA2-0924 Portrait of Hare Pomare, c/o Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand) whilst the Māori party were staying with
Elizabeth Fairburn Colenso
Elizabeth Colenso (; 29 August 1821 – 2 September 1904) was a missionary, teacher and Bible translator in New Zealand.
Early life
Elizabeth Fairburn was born at the New Zealand Church Missionary Society, Church Missionary Society (CMS) statio ...
.
In January 1868, aged 25, Hunnings left the family business and became a student at St Edmund Hall, Oxford. In 1870 he obtained a BA and joined the clergy (in 1874 he obtained an MA) and between 1874 and 1880 he was a curate at
All Saints' Church, Bolton Percy
All Saints' Church is the parish church of Bolton Percy, in North Yorkshire in England.
There was a church in Bolton Percy at the time of the Domesday Book. The current church was built while Thomas Percy was rector, and it was consecrated on 8 ...
, near
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
.
During this time Henry created his own telephone transmitter device, which he patented in the UK on 16 September 1878 and in the US on 30 August 1881.
The Hunnings transmitter was a great success, the secret being the use of carbon granules behind the diaphragm and this produced a clearer, stronger voice signal than any other at that time. It would be used around the world for generations and was only phased out by the British GPO in the 1980s.
It was also at Bolton Percy where Henry met Margaret Ann Ridley. Margaret lived with her family in one of the cottages adjacent to the Church and in 1880 at the ages of 37 and 19 respectively Henry and Margaret were married. They subsequently had two children together; William Butters and Katherine Mary.
Henry left Bolton Percy with his family in 1880 taking other Curate’s positions in Rothwell (Leeds), Ryde (Isle of Wight) and Eling (Hampshire) before securing his final role in November 1885 as Chaplain of Royal South Hants Infirmary. However, by this time he was in poor health and in fear of losing his job he killed himself on 4 May 1886.
The post mortem held later that month gave a verdict of "Suicide in an unsound state of mind". On his death Henry left an estate valued at £1222, 12s, 6d.
References
* Article by Alan Swain can be found at http://www.allsaintsboltonpercy.co.uk/henry-hunnings.php
* Biography of Henry Hunnings written by Alan Swain https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rev-Henry-Hunnings-Alan-Swain/dp/1904446914/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1518527118&sr=1-1&keywords=henry+hunnings
* Article by Prof Jim Matthew can be found at http://www.ypsyork.org/resources/yorkshire-scientists-and-innovators/henry-hunnings/
External links
* http://www.allsaintsboltonpercy.co.uk/henry-hunnings.php
* http://natlib.govt.nz/records/23196594
English inventors
1842 births
1886 deaths
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