Villiers, Henry Montague, Dd

Villiers, Henry Montague, D.D.

a prelate of the Church of England, was born in London, Jan. 4, 1813. His father was the Hon. George Villiers, son of the earl of Clarendon. After tuition in a private school, he went to Christ Church, Oxford, and graduated in 1834; was ordained deacon in 1836, and priest in the next year, when he received from the Lord Chancellor the vicarage of Kenilworth. Previous to this he had been curate of Deane, Lancashire. In 1841 he was appointed rector of St. George's, Bloomsbury; in 1847 can- on of St. Paul's Cathedralin. 1856 bishop of Carlisle, and in 1860 he was transferred to the see of Durham. He died Aug. 9,1861. Bishop Villiers had a very commanding presence, and his well-modulated voice, his dignified manner, and his evident sincerity greatly contributed to his success. As specimens of composition there was little in his sermons, and when read they seem tame productions, as, indeed, is frequently the case with the lectures of mere pulpit orators. As a London clergyman he was most exemplary. Affable, genial, and kind, he was universally liked, and his devotion to the poor of his flock was earnest and real. He published two volumes of sermons of average literary merit, and several little books of family prayers, tracts, etc., on which his fame will not rest. In his religious views he was an ardent Evangelical, and a determined foe to anything savoring of High-Churchism.