Leodis - Dr Walter Hook

Dr. Walter Farquhar Hook

Dr Walter Farquhar Hook was born in London on 13th March 1798.
Young Walter was sent to Winchester School where he studied Latin and French although he much preferred English literature and loved to read Milton, Shakespeare and the other classics. He developed a fine speaking voice, which was to stand him in good stead, when he became a parson.

Walter went from Winchester to Christ Church, Oxford having been nominated by the Prince regent at the request of Walter's grandfather Sir Walter Farquhar. Sir Walter, a Scot, had been a naval surgeon and became the personal physician to the Prince Regent.

After taking his degree his grandfather wished Walter to become a barrister but his father, James Hook, siding with Walter's wishes, urged his son to take Holy Orders.
Walter was examined by his father, a Canon of Winchester, ordained by the Bishop of Hereford, who was also Warden of Winchester, and began his duties at his father's church at Whippingham on the Isle of Wight.

The quiet life on the island gave Walter plenty of time to read his beloved Milton and Shakespeare.

After five years at Whippingham he accepted a curacy at Moseley, a small village four miles from the centre of Birmingham.

In 1828 his father died. Walter returned to be with his mother and sister at Leamington. It was during that summer that he met Bishop Jebb from Limerick. The Bishop was described at the time as a 'high churchman' in the seventeenth century sense of the phrase: damnation and sulphur and the like. The meeting was to set the standard of churchmanship that Walter would follow for the rest of his life. It was during his stay at Leamington that the post for vicar at Holy Trinity Church, Coventry became vacant. It was suggested that Walter should apply to the Lord Chancellor for the post. The stipend was three hundred and sixty pounds per year and no house.
Walter became vicar in December 1828 and six months later he married Delecia Johnson, the seventeen-year-old daughter of a physician.

After five years at Whippingham he accepted a curacy at Moseley, a small village four miles from the centre of Birmingham.

Walter, with his endless energy and drive soon taught the people of Coventry to demand something lively and spiritual from the church. He set himself the task of bringing ordinary people back to the worship of God. He associated himself with the poor and knew their grievances. He promoted Sunday Schools as a means of teaching illiterate children to read. At the end of eight years he had ten times as many children attending the Sunday school as when he had started there.
He started a dispensary so that the ailments of the poor could be treated and conceived the idea of a penny subscription a week per person. After forty years the scheme had thirteen thousand members and employed three full-time doctors. He also started a savings bank that was also a great success.

In 1831 he had a bad collapse due to overwork. His father-in-law made him rest by taking him into the countryside for the greater part of the summer months. His recovery was slow but he did regain his full vigour and continued preaching at Coventry until 1837.

In 1837 he was invited to become Vicar of Leeds. Although Leeds was a stronghold of Dissenters and Walter was known as a 'high churchman' the voting of the trustees of Leeds Parish Church was 16-7 in his favour. Those who did not vote for him soon gave him their full support.

From medieval times every parish had been responsible for the upkeep of its parish church. Following the Reformation regular rates began to be levied. The church rate was a source of constant friction throughout the country as those who supported the Non-Conformist places of worship quite reasonably objected to paying for the upkeep of a church they did not attend.
Churchwardens at a meeting of the Vestry set the church rate. At the first meeting Walter and the churchwardens got off to a good start. On his arrival he saw that they had placed their hats and coats on the altar. Some were even sat on it. Walter told them that they had done it for the last time. In future the church would be locked and he would keep the keys.

Within a year of his arrival at Leeds the church was doomed to demolition and a new church decided upon. In 1841 the new structure was finished and ready for consecration.
On 2nd September 1841 large congregations gathered to see Bishop Longley of Ripon, in the presence of Archbishop Vernon Harcourt of York, consecrate the new church. The poor of the town had made their contribution by subscribing a penny each for a stained-glass window. The window became known as the 'Penny Window'.
In the same year the Archbishop of York made Walter a Canon of York but he continued to be known as Dr Hook or in the local dialect, 'T'owd Doctor' when he was getting older.

In 1811 the inhabitants of Leeds numbered 62,534 but the industrial growth of the town brought more and more people to work in the mills and factories. By 1840 the population had rocketed to over 150,000. For one man to be the sole ecclesiastical administer for such a large number was too great a task. Dr Hook sought to give the ancient chapelries the right to administer their own affairs. He promoted the Leeds Vicarage Act that received Royal Assent on 9th August 1844. This Act divided the parish into twenty-one parishes. This did mean that each parish received fees for baptisms, weddings and funerals whereas previously the fees had been payable to the Vicar of Leeds. The division also meant that Dr Hook relinquished four hundred pounds of his twelve hundred stipend. By the sale of some properties his stipend was increased which was fortunate as Dr Hook had no idea of the financial implications when he sought to divide the parish.

Following his ideas in Coventry Dr Hook soon began to apply his energies to the education of the poor in Leeds. The Church of England was ready to help build schools but the Dissenters feared that they would be run on denominational lines with a stress on church doctrine. Dr Hook was keen for all children to receive a basic education and asserted that it was the duty of the church to see that children were educated. He estimated that there were two million children in England and Wales who should have been at school and that it would cost twenty-five shillings per child to educate them. The money should be forthcoming from small fees and from local rates. The idea that all townspeople should contribute to the education of the children caused much conflict between the vicar and many people. At the same time attempts were being made to introduce the 'Ten Hour Bill' in Parliament, to reduce the number of hours children could work in mills and factories. As some of the factory and mill owners attended the Parish Church Dr Hook did not flinch from reminding them, from the pulpit, of their duties to help those who could not help themselves. Mr Popular he was not!

Societies were being formed for the alleviation of the sick and poor so that, by a weekly contribution, in the case of sickness they would receive a sum to assist them through the difficult times or in the case of death to pay for a decent funeral. Dr Hook was very sympathetic to such schemes and attended fund-raising meetings when invited to do so.

Hook was an indefatigable worker. Every morning he was at his desk at five-thirty, or before, he lit his own fire, and then did 3-4 hours serious writing. He had daily services, marriages, baptisms and funerals. He had many committee meetings, interviews, and callers to the church, and kept the clergy of the parish on their toes. He often thought that a life in the country, where he could devote more time to writing, would be preferable. He knew that all members of society had appreciated his influence in Leeds and besides, he would miss life's battles if he moved away from the town.

In 1858 Leeds Town Hall was opened by Queen Victoria. It was Dr Hook who led the procession. Twenty thousand members of friendly societies lined the route of the procession and it was Dr Hook whom they asked to present their address.

In February 1859 Dr Hook was offered the Deanery of Chichester and so on June 29th he preached his last sermon as Vicar of Leeds.
Before he left the town a banquet was arranged for him and Mrs Hook. Gifts were showered upon them. The parish presented him with a casket on the front of which was a view of the parish church. The casket was made of rare wood and richly ornamented with gold. Inside were two thousand guineas. A casket of silver gilt containing two-hundred and seventy pounds was given to Mrs Hook by the ladies of Leeds.
A gift of a pair of boots from a poor shoemaker delighted Dr Hook.

Before leaving Leeds Dr Hook made grants of cash to various causes totalling eight-hundred pounds.

During the twenty two years of his vicariate Dr Hook had caused to be built 21 churches, at least 30 schools and 23 parsonages.

Mrs Hook died in May 1871 and on 20th October 1875 Dr Hook died at the age of sixty-seven. He lies buried within the cathedral at Chichester.

Dr Hook, to this day, still looks over the city of Leeds. In 1903 statues were erected in City Square and Colonel T.W. Harding, a prime mover in the design of the square, elected to give the city a statue of Dr Hook. Give him a visit

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