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Reverend Professor William Robinson Clark
1829 - 1912
index page
This is the amazing story of William Robinson Clark.
 
William Robinson Clark
William Robinson Clark (1829-1912)
(photo kindly supplied by the
Royal Society of Canada)
The story starts in the early 1800s, when Rev. James Clark, his father, was the schoolmaster at Daviot, Aberdeenshire, and with his wife Catherine (nee Lyon) had several children including William Robinson Clark and David Clark.
 
The history of David Clark M.A., my paternal great grandfather, who became a schoolmaster in the Black Country of the UK in the 1850s and author of several educational books, was largely known to me.
That their father was a Reverend, as well as the schoolmaster, was not.
 
But of his elder brother, William Robinson Clark, I knew little other than as a schoolboy and early family member, aged 12, in the 1841 UK census.
 
All this changed the day the monumental (grave) inscriptions for Daviot arrived from the Aberdeen and North-East Scotland Family History Society (ANESFHS).
 
That was the day everything changed
The inscriptions, on the grave of his mother, Catherine Lyon, indicated that
William Robinson Clark, M.A., was the Dean of Taunton and prebendary of Wells
(not Wales as the copied inscriptions incorrectly indicated).
I established that he had been educated at the Grammar School in
Old Aberdeen, at King's College, Aberdeen
and later went to Hertford College, Oxford
 
Information about Kings College, University of Aberdeen
Kings College, Aberdeen

The University of Aberdeen was founded by William Elphinstone, Bishop of Aberdeen in 1495 as Kings College.

He was awarded his MA at Aberdeen in 1848.

In April 1593 a second institute, Marischal College, was founded and in 1858 the Universities of Scotland Act merged Kings College and Marischal College.

 
After graduating from King's College Aberdeen M.A. with honours,
he went to Hertford College, Oxford.
 
Hertford College, Oxford
Foster's 'Alumni Oxonienses' indicates that his B.A. was conferred by Oxford in 1864 and his MA in 1865.

Foster also notes that he was vicar of St Mary Magdalene, Taunton, in 1859.
(information kindly supplied by Hertford College, Oxford)
Hertford College, Oxford
Hertford College, Oxford
 
Dean of Taunton and prebendary of Wells
St Mary Magdalene, Taunton
Taunton - St Mary Magdalene
 
Wells Cathedral Wells Cathedral
Pictures of Wells Cathedral
 
William Robinson Clark became a clergyman.

He was the :-
Superintendent Minister, Independent Chapel, Lymington, Hampshire, 1855,
Ordained in 1857,
Curate of St Matthias, Birmingham, 1857-1858 (closed 1948),
Curate of Taunton St Mary Magdalen between 1858-1859,
Dean of Taunton St Mary Magdalen and prebendary of Wells Cathedral 1859-1880.
He was in London from 1880 on literary works.
 
Emigrated to Canada
In 1882, aged about 53, he emigrated to Canada and became the professor of mental and moral philosophy at Trinity College, Toronto, Ontario (from 1883 to 1908).
He was noted as a lecturer and preacher,
He is also referred to as the Professor of Theology at Toronto.
Trinity College, University of Toronto
 
trinity College, Toronto
Trinity College, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
 
He was described as one of the foremost theologians in North America, and
there are records of him delivering lectures in Michigan, USA.

He was awarded an Honoury LL.D by the Hobart College - now part of the
Hobart and William Smith University (HWS) - in the USA in 1888.
I am advised by Stella that there is a huge portrait of William Robinson Clark
hanging on the wall of one of the great halls at Trinity College, University of Toronto.
 

He was the author of many biographical and theological works (detailed below)
(both in the UK and in Canada).

Many of these books (about 20) are held in The British Library. (system number 004416350)
and also in the Lambeth Palace Library
 
Royal Society of Canada

Dr. Clark became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He was elected
in 1891 and later served as President of the Society from 1899 to 1900.
Read his obituary kindly supplied by the Royal Society of Canada.
 
Empire Club of Canada

Opening address by the Rev. Professor William Clark, D.D., D.C.L., LL.D.,
delivered at the Weekly Luncheon of the Club, on December 3rd, 1903.
It seems that he was involved in the formation of the Empire Club, as this address
pre-dates the official formation in 1905

“I can quite understand that to many persons the formation of a club of this kind will seem a very little thing,”
said the first luncheon speaker on December 3, 1903, a clergyman and professor, William Clark.

President of the Empire Club of Canada 1905-6
Address by the President, Rev. Professor Clark, D.D., D.C.L.,
at the opening meeting of the Empire Club of Canada, on Oct. 12th, 1905.
Empire Club of Canada site
See reference to Professor Clark in the history of the Empire Club and
in the book "The Best Talk in Town" by Scott Young and Margaret Hogan (1979).
 
Subsequent speakers at the Empire Club of Canada included
many Canadian Prime Ministers, British Prime Ministers (including Sir Winston Churchill, Harold McMillan and Margaret Thatcher), US Presidents (Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan), UK Royal family (including HM The Queen Mother and HRH Prince Philip), Russian President (Vladimir Putin)
and ...... Bill Gates (without whom you would probably not be reading this information !).
 
Close friend of the Prime Minister of Canada, and the Archives of Canada
William Lyon Mackenzie King In Canada, he also became a close friend of the longest serving Prime Minister and long-time political figure, William Lyon Mackenzie King (1874-1950), who was also of Scottish descent, and the Reverend William Robinson Clark is referred to in the Archives of Canada. Information on William Robinson Clark in the national Archives of Canada
William Lyon Mackenzie King (1874-1950)  
The family of William Robinson Clark

At the present time, I am having difficulty in locating much of his family genealogy.
His wife, Elizabeth Jane Higgins (the daughter of Charles Higgins, a brewer) was
born in Wiltshire, and they married at the Independent Chapel, Salisbury, Wiltshire in 1855.
I cannot trace the death of his wife.
 
Who was Who 1897-1915 (p.101) lists only wife, with 6 sons and 5 daughters (we have 7 and 5 !).
As this was written many years later it is likely it refers to living children.
One son, the twin Alred, died soon after birth.
I cannot trace any of his sons, except William Lyon Clark, post-1881 (but see below for latest info)
so they may have gone to Canada too.
The daughters, mainly older, stayed in England.
 
However there is reference to the subsequent marriages of some of his daughters
that are as colourful as his life.
 
As reported by an early Lyon family member

One of George Lyon's sisters had married the Rev. Mr. Clark of Deviot (two miles from Inverurie). Her son Rev. Wm. Clark refused two bishoprics including that of Ely. His two daughters had become Roman Catholics at a French School. One was Lady Cole* the other Lady Petre, the latter a very old barony which descends to daughters as well as male heirs it is "Petre of Furnwall". Rev. Wm. Clark was at Wells and later came to Trinity College Toronto. I remember, as a very small child hearing him lecture on, "The Water Babies". He was a very handsome man.

* Alan Summerly Cole, the son of Sir Henry Cole, was an emminent person in his own right but I can find no evidence he was a Sir or Lord [ed].
 
Somerset "black-hole"
But first a short explanation of my difficulties - most of you have heard of Wookey Hole, well there is another hole in Somerset, UK, and it is called the "genealogy black-hole". The IGI (genealogy records) records do not cover Somerset, the FeeBMD seems a bit thin (but improving), there is little info on the Somerset County Records Office web-site and little published Somerset information.
(if Aberdeen had been as backward, I would never have got this amazing story).
 
Second marriage
Another marriage has now been discovred on 30th July 1891, when he was aged 62,
to Emilie Mary Campbell (nee Hall, Ball or Aoall), aged 35, daughter of John and Ann,
in Toronto, Canada.
 
Third marriage
There is a Toronto record that widowed, William Robinson Clark,
again remarried in Toronto in 1906 at the age of 76 to a Helen Louise Patton, aged 49.
The marriage details are:-
#003946-06 (Toronto)
William Robinson CLARK, 76, Scotland, Toronto, widower, Clergyman,
son/of James CLARK & (blank) LYON,
married
Helen Louise PATTON, 49, Canada, Toronto, single,
daughter/of James PATTON & (blank) HOOKER,
witnesses: Henry J.F. DUCKWORTH, Alice MacKELLAR, both Toronto,
married 24 February 1906
Hon. James Patton Q.C.
The wife of James Patton has now been identified as Martha Marietta Hooker.
 
William Robinson Clark died on 12th November 1912 in Canada.
Now, you might think that is the end of the story !
- well of course you are wrong!
 
His daughters
He appeared to have (at least) five daughters:-
  • Katherine Elsie Clark, later Hon Mrs Petre and subsequently Lady Hawtrey
  • Margaret Elizabeth Clark, married Alan Summerley (Summerly) Cole, son of Sir Henry Cole, the first director of the (V&A) South Kensington Museum
  • Etheldreda Mary Clark (known as Audrey), later Lady Petre
  • Hylda or Hilda Frances E Clark, married the explorer Henry De Windt
  • Augusta M Clark has now been confirmed as the previously missing daughter.
Katherine Elsie Clark, daughter of William Robinson Clark,
Katherine Elsie Clark married Albert Henry Petre, the son of the 11th Baron Petre,
one of the largest land-owning families in Essex and East Anglia, UK.
However at the present time I have not confirmed the details of this marriage.
see Barons Petre
 
After the 11th Baron Petre died, in 1917, she married Sir Charles Hawtrey in 1919
(not to be confused with the unrelated Carry On ..... star who adopted the same name
after the death of Sir Charles).
Sir Charles Hawtrey was a victorian actor, comedian and theatre owner/producer and
was a mentor to the younger Noel Coward, who was "apprenticed" to him.
He appeared in some of the first silent movies.
He was knighted by the King of England on 1 January 1922, becoming Sir Charles Hawtrey,
and his wife, Lady Katherine Elsie Hawtrey.

Sir Charles Henry Hawtrey
Sir Charles Hawtrey

 Charles Henry Hawtrey, English actor (1858-1923), was born at Eton, where his father was master of the lower school, and educated at Eton, Rugby and Oxford. He took to the stage in 1881, and in 1883 adapted The Private Secretary, which had an enormous success. He then appeared in London in a number of modern plays. Among his later successes, "A Message from Mars" was particularly popular in London and in America. He appeared in some of the early slient films.

Wrong one - actor who changed his name
wrong one !
See Sir Charles Hawtrey page
Sir Charles was responsible for the naming of the "Hanky-Panky cocktail".
 
Katherine Elsie Hawtrey (nee Clark) died in 1930.
 
See link for :- Theatre Museum: Victoria & Albert Museum
Ekstrom Collection: Diaghilev and Stravinsky Foundation, 1902-1984
see also Telegram from Lady Katherine Elsie Hawtrey to Serge Diaghilev
1 page, ref: THM/7/2/1/4/113 1927 July 22
Etheldreda Mary (Audrey) Clark - daughter of William Robinson Clark
Etheldred Mary (or Audrey) Clark married into the same Petre family as her sister,
she married Bernard Henry Philip Petre, the 14th Baron Petre. She died in 1959.
They had a daughter Lady Mary Frances Katherine Petre, Baroness Furnivall.
There is a portrait of Bernard Henry Philip Petre in the V&A from 1902.

Audrey's first marriage was to Augustus Agar, VC (see VC details).
His telescope and Victoria Cross medal are in the Imperial War Museum, London.
Augustus (Gus ) Agar
 
She subsequently married Willam Herbert Shelley Dent.
Margaret (Margie) Elizabeth Clark - daughter of William Robinson Clark
She married Alan Summerly Cole, son of Sir Henry Cole, KCB.. in 1879

see Centre for Whistler Studies - Alan Summerly Cole
Alan Summerly Cole was a life long friend of the artist James Abbott McNeill Whistler
see link for pictures of Whistler

 

It was his father Sir Henry Cole, the first director of the Victoria and Albert Museum, who commissioned the First Christmas Card from John Calcott Horsley
The First Card - 1843
Sir Henry Cole and the First Christmas Card
 
Hylda or Hilda Frances Clark, daughter of William Robinson Clark
Just when you though this could not go on - there is more !
 

Hilda married Captain Harry Willes Darell de Windt (b. Paris 1856).

Harry de WindtHe was the ADC to the Rajah of Sarawak, an explorer and author of many books about his travels (Overland from Paris to New York via Siberia, Peking to Paris, Russia to India via Persia, Trough Savage Europe, to name a few), and much much more.

They married in Marylebone, London (his second marriage) in 1899 - not in Toronto as previously thought.

Hilda died in 1924.

His books were published under the name of Harry de Windt. He died in 1933.

He also must have been a truly amazing man.

Harry de Windt died in Bournemouth in 1933 and is buried there.

Two of the books that he published about his travels are shown here.
Books of Harry de Windt, FRGS
From Paris to New York by land
From Paris to New york by Land
 
Through Savage Europe
Through Savage Europe
See Harry de Windt page
The sons of William Robinson Clark
Although he had six sons (and probably two more that died at birth or an early age),
little trace can be found of them after the 1881 census.
Details of his eldest son (Major) William Lyon Clark and Charles L B Clark have recently emerged.
 
Is this the end of the story of William Robinson Clark and his family?
I doubt it - all this information has emerged in a short period - so I am sure there is more - especially when I can get to the bottom of the "Somerset genealogy black-hole".
Some further info and links (that need some sorting out!)
Authors Anniversaries - births and Author Anniversaries - deaths (entry for W R Clark)
Marriage - Toronto
Peerage (and daughters)
LL D - 1888 awarded to William Robinson Clark
LL.D. Letters indicating the degree Legumptionorum Doctor, one learned in laws, gifted with legal gumption (being checked out).
Origins

His father, James Clark, was a schoolmaster in Daviot, Aberdeenshire in 1841. James is recorded in the !841 Census as a schoolmaster, aged 40, living at the Schoolhouse, Daviot, with his family.

William Robinson Clark was the eldest son and was aged 12 in the 1841 census.
Of James's other children, David Clark also became a schoolmaster (in Brierley Hill and later Pensnett, Staffordshire) and his daughter, Elspet (Elsie) became a schoolmistress whilst still living in Daviot..
1841 Census of Daviot, Aberdeen
Living at the Schoolhouse, Daviot, Aberdeen.
Surname
Forename
Sex
 Age Occupation Born
Clark James M 40 Schoolmaster Aberdeenshire
  Elspet F 14   Aberdeenshire
  William M 12   Aberdeenshire
  David M 9   Aberdeenshire
  Anne F 7   Aberdeenshire
  George M 5   Aberdeenshire
Anderson Janet F 20 Female servant Aberdeenshire
Thomson Robert M 15 Agricultural labourer Aberdeenshire
 

His mother, Catherine Clark (nee Lyon), was not present in the 1841 Daviot census as she
had died on 17th April 1836, aged 29, and is buried at Daviot.
 
His father, James Clark died on 18th August 1849 and is also buried at Daviot, Aberdeen.
ANESFHS Monumental Index for James and Catherine at Daviot.
Full ANESFHS Monumental Inscriptions (gravestones) in Aberdeenshire.
 

William's youngest brother, George (d. 30th June 1866), died in India and is buried at Daviot, as is sister Elspet (Elsie), who married William Barclay, and died 19th April 1877.

 
William Barlay and his wife Elspet (Elsie) Barclay (nee Clark),
together with her younger brother George were still living at Pitblain, Daviot in 1851.
William Barclay was a tailor and Elsie was a schoolmistess. See 1851 Daviot census.
They are no longer there in the 1861 Daviot census
 
see Local History - Daviot
 
Present Daviot School web-site
Books of William Robinson Clark
(in The Britiah Library Public Catalogue)
 The anglican reformation
 
  • [1] Self-knowledge and the four temperaments. a series of sermons preached in Lent, 1865. by William Robinson Clark ... Clark. William Robinson 1865
  • [2] The Anglican Reformation. CLARK. William Robinson pp. viii. 482. T. & T. Clark: Edinburgh, 1897. 8o.
  • [3] Antichrist. The First Resurrection. Two Advent sermons. CLARK. William Robinson pp. 33. Rivingtons: London; F. May: Taunton, 1865. 8o.
  • [4] Beveridge, the Scriptural Preacher. CLARK. William Robinson
  • [5] Character and Work. Hints for younger men and women. CLARK. William Robinson pp. 163. W. W. Gardner: London, [1878.] 8o.
  • [6] Christmas. [A sermon.] CLARK. William Robinson 1874.
  • [7] The Church and Science. CLARK. William Robinson 1872.
  • [8] The Comforter. CLARK. William Robinson S.P.C.K.: London, [1875.] 16o.
  • [9] The Comforter: a series of sermons on certain aspects of the work of the Holy Ghost. CLARK. William Robinson pp. 160. Rivingtons: London & Oxford; F. R. Clarke: Taunton, 1864. 8o.
  • [10] Culture. [A sermon.] CLARK. William Robinson 1875.
  • [11] Four Advent Sermons. CLARK. William Robinson pp. 86. Longman & Co.: London, 1861. 12o.
  • [12] Four Sermons preached during Advent, 1860. Second edition, partially rewritten. CLARK. William Robinson pp. 86. Longman & Co.: London, 1861. 8o.
  • [13] The Four Temperaments; together with some occasional sermons ... Second edition. CLARK. William Robinson pp. 174. John Hodges: London, 1874. 8o.
  • [14] Hindrances to the Work of the Church in the World: a series of sermons. [Edited by W. R. Clark.] CLARK. William Robinson pp. 149. W. W. Gardner: London, [1872.] 8o.
  • [15] The Paraclete. A series of discourses on the person and work of the Holy Spirit ... The Slocum lectures, 1899; delivered at the University of Michigan. CLARK. William Robinson pp. 236. G. N. Morang & Co.: Toronto, 1900. 8o.
  • [16] Pascal and the Port Royalists. CLARK. William Robinson pp. vii. 235. T. & T. Clark: Edinburgh, 1902. 8o. [click to download the book in .pdf format]
  • [17] The Prodigal Son: a series of sermons. CLARK. William Robinson pp. 111. Bell & Daldy: London; F. R. Clarke: Taunton, 1860. 8o.
  • [18] The Redeemer: a series of sermons on certain aspects of the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ. CLARK. William Robinson pp. 215. Bell & Daldy: London, 1863. 8o.
  • [19] Righteousness exalteth a Nation. A sermon, etc. CLARK. William Robinson pp. 34. Rivingtons: London, 1876. 8o.
  • [20] Savonarola: his life and times. CLARK. William Robinson S.P.C.K.: London, [1880?] 8o.
British Library Public catalogue link (needs author search)
also A hand-book of Tamil for the use of coffee planters. By Rev. William Clark, ... 1876
 
Books in Lambeth Palace Library

The Anglican reformation. by CLARK, William Robinson.
Publisher Clark, 1897.
Class-mark: H5067.C5 Series: Eras of the Christian Church

The blessedness of obedience: a sermon ... by CLARK, William Robinson.
Publisher Paul, 1868.
Class-mark: H5133 407.08 Series: Preaching for the Million. The Preacher Series Vol No: 238
General synod of the Church of England in Canada, Montreal, Sept. 1902: report of the Committee on the diaconate, to which are appended the addresses of Charles Jenkins, Esq., Petrolia Ont. and Rev. Prof. Clark ... by CLARK, William Robinson
Publisher A. Talbot & Co., Printers, 1903. Class-mark: H5600 1.05
Classmark: D200.H3 Author: HEFELE, Carl Joseph von, ( bishop of Rottenburg ) Title: A history of the Christian Councils from the original documents ... by the Right Rev. Charles Joseph Hefele;
translated from the German and edited by William R. Clark ...
Place of publication: Edinburgh:
Publisher: Clark, Pub Date: 1894-6. Description: 5 v. Edition: Vol. I. is 2nd ed. Notes: To 787 A.D.
Additional author: CLARK, William Robinson, (editor) OXENHAM, Frank Nutcombe, (editor)
 
 
William R Clark books for download (and references)
[click this link]
 
 
Links and references by others to William Robinson Clark
History guide
Bonfire of the Vanities
University of Toronto Library - (needs name search)
National Library of Canada
History of Toronto
 
More Book details
The Anglican Reformation by William Clark
Publisher: New York : Scribner, 1900. ISBN: 0-52401-647-X
The Comforter The Comforter a series of sermons on
certain aspects of the work of the Holy Ghost by William Robinson Clark
Publisher: London : Rivingtons, 1864. ISBN: 0-79057-278-8
Pascal and the Port Royalists by William Clark
Publisher: Edinburgh : T. & T. Clark, 1902. ISBN: 0-79057-212-5
Savonarola, his life and times by William Clark
Publisher: Chicago : A.C. McClurg, 1890. ISBN: 0-52400-985-6
 
Etheldreda links
http://home.planetinternet.be/~jos81/link/philippides/phzw8.htm
Directory of Royal Geanealogical data
 
top of page
Bell inscription at Taunton St Mary Magdalene

Tenor bell - inscription band: ANNO DOMINI. 1861. DURING THE REBUILDING OF THE TOWER OF TAUNTON ST. MARY MAGDALENE. / GEORGE MEARS & CO OF LONDON MADE ME FROM METAL OF THE OLD BELL WHICH WAS CAST IN 1647 AND BORE THIS LEGEND
waist: COME WHEN I CALL TO SERVE GOD ALL / I SOUND TO BEID THE SICKE REPENT IN HOPE OF LIFE WHEN BREATH IS SPENT
/ W.R. CLARK VICAR / FREDERICK MAY / F.W. TODD / HENRY LIDDON / CHURCH WARDENS 1861

Bellhistorians: The Bells of St Mary, Taunton by David Bryant
Also see link

The Eng. transl. of Hefele by W. R. Clark includes only vols. i.-iii. of the German, down to 787 A. D., 5 vols., 1883-96. Of all these Hefele is the most accessible and now the oftenest cited.

History of the Councils of the Church, in 4 volumes, by Rev. Charles Hefele, D.D., translated from the German by William Clark M.A., Edinburgh, 1895.

 
Trinity College, Toronto
Extract - The older, narrower view of Trinity's origins was created by its chief founder, John Strachan, the bishop of Toronto. Speaking at the laying of the comei-stone of the first building in 1851, Strachan constructed a myth of origins for the college which, for decades afterwards, would be retold at its public events, in its official documents, and in its books of historical remembrance. he pictured Trinity as the heroic response of the Church of England in Canada to a radical and irreligious government which had jettisoned traditional values of education in favor of a secularising public university. Trinity would train the country's future civic leaders and professionals in the venerable moral and academic values of English Christianity. This founding myth, Westfall argues, was an exercise in "creative misdirection." Claiming to protect tradition from radicalism, Strachan prevented his audience from seeing how dramatically he himself was changing colonial Anglicanism. Formerly he had fashioned the Church of England as the common public religion of the province, administering higher education without denominational tests; now the church was seceding from public education, and requiring its teachers and students to subscribe to the Thirty-Nine Articles. And what did lie mean by claiming that Trinity was Anglican? Most Anglican lay leaders supported the public university, not Trinity. For its first thirty years, Trinity was largely a failure. Enrollments were dismally small. Financial deficits were chronic. The curriculum was modeled on the "clerical and unreformed" Cambridge which the first provost, George Whitaker, had attended in the 183Os. The governance and discipline reflected the aristocratic households of the previous century. A "strongly monastic air" hung about the fenced compound. The second provost, Charles Body, arrived in 1881, and soon rejected most of Strachan and Whitaker's vision for Trinity. he transformed the governance, curriculum, and community life of the college, and improved relations with lay Anglicans, the University of Toronto, and the government. His arrival was the real founding moment for the Trinity College which we know today, with a well-earned reputation for academic excellence, public service, and ideological diversity.
ALAN L. HAYES Wycliffe College Toronto School of Theology Toronto, Ontario
Copyright Anglican Theological Review, Inc. Summer 2004
 
William Robinson Clark was appointed in 1883 and served the trinity college for 25 years.
check-out
Author: Clark, William Title: A hand-book of Tamil for the use of coffee planters. By Rev. William Clark, ... Imprint: Gantz Brothers, Adelphi Press, 7 & 8, Mount Road. 1876 Place of Publication: Madras Date of Publication: 1876 Pagination: [2],vi,270p. 8o British Library Shelfmark: 12910.bb.28 Fiche Quantity: 3 fiches; 11x15 cm Fiche Number: 2.1.383
 
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