Dunbar Isidore Heath
Dunbar Isidore Heath
| Revd. Dunbar Isidore Heath MA, FRSL, MRAS | |||||||||||||
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| Born | 1816 | ||||||||||||
| Died | 1888 | ||||||||||||
| Residence |
Esher, Surrey and 113A Strand, WC Esher, Surrey, & 68 Lower Kennington Lane, S. [A6:2] | ||||||||||||
| Occupation | church | ||||||||||||
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Contents
Notes
Office Notes
ASL Council 1866 Treasurer, Trustee
ASL Council 1867 Treasurer, Trustee
ASL Council 1869 Treasurer
AI Council 1871 Member
AI Council 1874 Treasurer
AI Council 1875 Treasurer
House Notes
late Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge
1871.02.14 Finance Committee
1875.11.23 The resignations of Revd Dunbar I. Heath and Dr H. Hudson were received and their consideration postponed
1875.12.14 The resignation of Revd Dunbar I. Heath M.A. from the Treasurership and from the Membership of the Institute, was accepted
Notes From Elsewhere
Dunbar Isidore Heath (3 March 1816, London – 27 May 1888) was an English clergyman prosecuted for heresy in 1861.
Dunbar Heath was the third son of George Heath, serjeant-at-law. He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was elected scholar in 1836, and graduated B.A. in 1838. From 1840 to 1847 he was a fellow of Trinity.[1] As a recognized authority on Egyptology, he was one of the early translators of the papyri in the British Museum. In 1852 Heath wrote The Future Human Kingdom of Christ, in which he distinguished the “saved nations from the glorified saints” by outlining an early concept of “the two salvations.” He was prosecuted for heresy in 1861 by the Bishop of Winchester and sentenced by the Court of Arches for publishing these ideas. He would not recant and tried to appeal his sentence by attempting to defend his character and doctrine from the Scriptures through the writing of several booklets. All of this failed and as a result of this prosecution he suffered not only the loss of his profession, but sustained heavy financial losses as well.
Heath edited the Journal of Anthropology.[1]
Dunbar lsidore, 3rd son, was born March 3rd, 1816, and named after M. Isidore, a French friend of his father. Being of a peculiarly shy and nervous, disposition, he was unable to face the trials of life at Westminster School, and leaving after a short stay there, completed his early studies for the most part at home. Proceeding to Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1834, he was elected Scholar in 1836, graduated in 1838 as 5th Wrangler, and obtained a Fellowship in 1840. He was ordained Deacon in 1842 and Priest in 1843. He held the curacies of Denham, Bucks., and Uxbridge Moor, Middlesex, where he won the esteem of many, alike by his public ministrations and his private character.
In 1846 he accepted the College living of Brading, Isle of Wight. Here one of his first acts was to erect, almost at his own expense, a new Vicarage; the old one being so unwholesome as to have earned the title of Kill Parson House. He married Feb. 22nd, 1848, Emily Mary Harrison, of Hill House, Brading, and had issue two sons, Douglas Leopold and James Dunbar, of whom presently. His ministerial labours at Brading were active and zealous according to the standard, of the day, and his many acts of personal charity and kindliness greatly endeared him to his people.
He was a recognised authority on Egyptology, being one of the first English scholars to decipher the Papyri in the British Museum, and his services as a pioneer in this branch, of learning are fully acknowledged in the Speaker's Commentary, Vol. I, pt. 1, p. 468. His chief works in this department were " The Exodus Papyri," 1855, and " The Proverbs of Aphobis, a record of the patriarchal age," 1858. His account of the " Scottish .and Italian Missions to the Anglo-Saxons " (1845), is quoted as an authority by Bp. Chr. Wordsworth in " Theophilus Anglicanus."
In 1852 his views became more rationalistic, and were embodied in his book " The future Human Kingdom of Christ," followed by a long series of tracts, and " Sermons on important subjects," 1859. The opinions thus set forth did not controvert any fundamental dogmas of the Christian faith, but were sufficiently advanced to alarm the ecclesiastical authorities of the day; and in 1861, the author was prosecuted for heresy by the Bishop of Winchester, and sentenced by the Court of Arches to deprivation of his benefice. He defended himself by several controversial pamphlets, and his book " Defence of my professional character," 1862, etc. An appeal was also carried to the Privy Council, but this failed, and the judgment was finally confirmed June 6th, 1862.
On leaving Brading, he resided for many years at Dunbar House, Esher, and by joining several Iearned societies, Biblical Archaeological, Anthropological, Palestine Exploration, etc, found an outlet for his literary energies in the journals and reports which year by year ware published. In 1873 he brought out Phoenician Inscriptions, pt. I., for which a special type was cast and the records and language of the Hittites also received his attention,
In 1816, as a result of heavy financial losses, he moved into Rochester house in Esher, where after a protracted illness, he died May 27th, 1888, and was buried in Esher church yard.
If I may be allowed to add a few lines to the above, I should like to record that although a student, he was anything but a bookworm.
He is one of my early recollections at Enfield Vicarage, where he always arrived, bag in hand, without any previous notice. He dearly loved a joke, and was always ready with droll stories and experiences to amuse and entertain our home circle. In short, he was certainly the most amusing member of the family.
The unhappy result of his prosecution always appeared to us as a great misfortune from every point of view; terminating as it did, his useful career as a parish priest, and preventing him from finding an adequate substitute, even in literary pursuits, for the loss of his profession. (George Heath, 1913).
Publications
External Publications
Phoenician inscriptions, 1873
The Future Human Kingdom of Christ, 1852
