Author: Willis, William Augustus
Biography:
WILLIS, William Augustus (fl 1779)
The Sacrifice seems to be the only work published by this author. He dedicated the work to his deceased wife’s father, the Rev. Moses Browne (1704-87), vicar of Olney, Buckinghamshire, and chaplain to Morden College in Blackheath. Although this information helps to identify the author, few public records have been located for him. It is not known where and when he was born, and the names of his parents have not been found. Although the title page of The Sacrifice identifies him as MD, his name has not been found in any university records. It is known that he married Sarah Browne at St. George’s Chapel, Mayfair, London, on 2 May 1753. They had at least two sons, John Willis (b 27 Apr. 1762) and William Augustus Willis (1768-1846). His wife may have been the Sarah Willis who died in 1776 and was buried in the non-conformist cemetery in Southwark on 6 Aug. 1776. ECCO gives a death date of 1789 for Willis, but this has not been confirmed by public records. Willis left literary manuscripts which survive in two volumes from copies made by his son John in 1813; they include long dramatic pieces, operas, and poems mainly on religious topics. The manuscripts are now held by the Beinecke library, Yale University. (ancestry.co.uk 6 Jan. 2025; ODNB [Moses Browne] 6 Jan. 2025; findmypast.co.uk 6 Jan. 2025) SR