Comments
VENN
Adm. pens. (age 18) at ST JOHN'S, Jan. 28, 1808. S. of John, M.D. [Commissioner of Transports]. B. [Mar. 14, 1790], at Wickham, Hants. School, Harrow. ' Matric. Michs. 1808. Migrated to Christ's, Dec. 24, 1809; Scholar; B.A. 1812; M.A. 1816. Boyle Lecturer, 1822. Ord. deacon (Salisbury) 1813; priest (Ely, Litt. dim. from Winchester) 1814; C. of Kilmeston, Hants., 1813. C. of Dorking, Surrey, 1814. Preacher at Trinity Chapel, Conduit Street, London, and Minister of St Anne, Soho, 1816. C. of Hampstead, Middlesex, 1823-6. First P.C. of St Peter's, Regent Square, London, 1826-44. Clerical Registrar to Privy Council, 1841-69. Minister of Brompton Chapel, 1844-7. R. of Pilton, Northants., 1845-6. P.C. of Holy Trinity, Knightsbridge, London, 1846-8. First V. of All Saints', Knightsbridge, 1849-69 (built with money raised by himself, his own gift being 1000 guineas). Preb. of St Paul's, 1866-9. Friend of Byron at Harrow (both being lame through accident) and corresponded with him throughout life; Byron refrained from dedicating Childe Harold to him (1812) for fear of injuring his professional reputation. Editor of Shakespeare, Massinger and Ford, publishing the first edition of his Shakespeare, 1825. Author, Life of Shakespeare; Life of Mary Russell Mitford; Sermons. Restored Shake-speare's monument in Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-on-Avon, at his own expense. Intimate friend of Mrs Siddons, Fanny Kemble, Mr and Mrs Charles Kean, Southey, Words-worth, Dickens, Miss Mitford, Harriet Martineau, etc. Killed Nov. 11, 1869, by falling down a flight of steps at the Deanery, Battle, Sussex. Buried at Bath. The Harness prize for an Essay upon a subject connected with Shakes-pearean literature was founded in his memory by subscribers at Cambridge, 1871. (Harrow Sch. Reg.; D.N.B.; Boase, I. 1342; Peile, II. 365; Crockford; Rev. A. G. L'Estrange, The Literary Life of the Rev. W. Harness.)