Edward Backhouse

For the British Army officer, see Edward Backhouse (British Army officer).

Edward Backhouse (1808-1879) was a Quaker philanthropist and writer on church history. He was also one of the founding fathers of the Sunderland Echo newspaper. He was recognised as having the gift of vocal ministry in 1854.[1]

Early life

See also: Sunderland Echo

Edward Backhouse was born in Darlington on 8 May 1808, the son of Mary and Edward Backhouse of Darlington. When Edward senior moved to Sunderland in 1816, his family travelled with him. Edward junior remained in Sunderland until just before his death.[2][3]

Working life

Backhouse became a partner in the family banking firm of Backhouse & Co, but did not take an active part in the business. Instead, he engaged in many philanthropic activities and the concerns of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) from 1854. He travelled in the ministry to France and Norway.[4] In 1862 and 1863, he served as Clerk to the annual national gathering of Quakers known as London Yearly Meeting.

In Sunderland, he was active in establishing the Sunderland Indigent Sick Society, the British School in Borough Road, Sunderland, and the old Athenaeum and Reformatories.[5]

Political life

Backhouse, who held Liberal political views, was a leading supporter of Sunderland Infirmary, and of temperance work. At the time of his death in 1879, he was President of the Sunderland Temperance Society and treasurer of the Bible Society. He was also a prominent opponent of the Contagious Diseases Acts, serving as President of the Northern Counties Association for the Repeal of the Contagious Diseases Acts.[2][3]

The political views of Backhouse were shared by Samuel Storey and other leading local politicians of the day. His political opinions eventually led Backhouse to become one of the original seven founders of the Radical-run Sunderland Echo in 1873.[5]

Personal life

Backhouse married Katherine Mounsey in 1856.[6] The couple had no children. He died in Hastings, where he had gone for his health, on 22 May 1879. The work Backhouse carried out on church history was published posthumously.[2][3][7]

Publications

References

  1. ↑ ODNB article by Leslie Stephen, ‘Backhouse, Edward (1808–1879)’, rev. K. D. Reynolds, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 , accessed 21 Oct 2012
  2. 1 2 3 Sunderland Daily Echo: May 29, 1879
  3. 1 2 3  "Backhouse, Edward". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
  4. ↑ Annual monitor1880: Obituary
  5. 1 2 Sunderland Daily Echo: May 28, 1879
  6. ↑ ODNB article gives Date of Marriage as 1856.
  7. ↑ Sunderland Daily Echo: December 19, 1879 - will
  8. ↑ Early Church History is available online at the Internet Archive
  9. ↑ Witnesses to Christ is available online at the Internet Archive
  10. ↑ The religious Society of Friends is available online at the Internet Archive
  11. ↑ Biographical memoirs is available online at the Internet Archive


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