About the Collection
Thomas Haweis was born in Redruth, Cornwall, England on January 1, 1734. He studied at Truro’s Grammar School where he was introduced to the doctrines of evangelical revival by the school’s master, George Conon. In 1748 Haweis entered Christ’s College and was ordained for ministry in the Church of England in 1757.
During his first appointment as curate at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Oxford, Haweis attracted congregations with his fearless and uncompromising preaching. Serious opposition to evangelical doctrines eventually cost Haweis his curacy, and he applied for an open position at the parish of All-Saints, Aldwincle, in 1764. Haweis took this position and held it for the remainder of his life. There he met Selina Hastings, the Countess of Huntingdon, who held Haweis in high regard and ultimately purchased the sponsorship of Aldwincle in 1768. Lady Huntingdon appointed Haweis one of her private chaplains in 1774. When she died in 1791, Haweis was appointed executor of her estate and Principal Trustee of the Countess of Huntingdon’s Connexion.
Thomas Haweis’s son, John Oliver Willyams Haweis, arranged and bound the 198 pieces of correspondence and related documents in Bridwell Library’s collection. Topics of special interest include the early years of the Missionary Society (later known as The London Missionary Society) and Thomas Haweis’s position with Lady Huntingdon.