Author: Heber, Reginald
Biography:
HEBER, Reginald (1783-1826: ODNB)
The son of Reginald Heber, rector of Hodnet in Shropshire, and his second wife Mary Allanson, he was born in Cheshire and educated at a private boarding school in London. At Brasenose, Oxford, he established a reputation as a poet and speaker; he recited his prize poem Palestine to acclaim in the Sheldonian Theatre. Upon graduation in 1804 he was elected a fellow of All Souls. From 1805 to 1806 he made the first of several unconventional journeys, travelling with a friend through Scandinavia and Russia to Crimea. After the death of his father, Heber became rector of Hodnet and later rose in the church ranks as a prebendary at St Asaph Cathedral and a preacher to Lincoln's Inn. In 1809 he married Amelia Shipley; two of their children survived him. A faithful parish priest, he was also active in the wider church as a member of the Church Missionary Society, a hymn writer, and a scholar. His edition of the works of Jeremy Taylor, in 15 vols., appeared in 1822; his hymns were not collected and published until after his death. In 1823 he was appointed Bishop of Calcutta, a position that involved responsibility not only for the whole of India but also for scattered congregations in Australia and southern Africa. A journal of his travels in India in 1824-5, edited by his wife and published posthumously (1828), was immediately popular and is still in print. He died suddenly at Trichinopoly and is buried there. (ODNB 4 Mar. 2019) HJ
Other Names:
- Heber
- the Right Rev. Reginald Heber