William Cumming Henley
Famous Sons and Daughters No 13 - William Cumming Henley (1860-1919)
William Henley was an intellectual – a man with a voracious thirst for knowledge, who sought to understand the world around him by studying and painting its plants and creatures, a craftsman, a musician, a linguist, a draughtsman, an architect, a historian.
Henley was known for his lectures and papers. His remarkable life and work was documented after his death in the book William Cumming Henley: His Days and Ways; a tribute written by his sister, Nellie, and their friend Ida Walker.
Born in 1860, William Henley was the oldest of the six children of Manoah and Pamela Henley. Manoah Henley was an ironmonger, and the family lived above his shop in Foss Street.
Young William attended the boys’ school at Prince’s Slip, and later wrote about learning the three Rs and scripture “to the mixed perfume of salted fish and wet corduroy.”
He went to work in the family business and at the age of 12 spent his first wages, 9d, earned by making a kettle, on a book. It was the start of a passion for books which lasted all his life.
At the age of 18, William went to Torquay to work, and his diaries and letters recall happy times spent dancing, cycling on his penny farthing, painting, studying and playing the banjo in a minstrel band. But the fun was short lived. He was called home to help his father in his new business, on the corner of Foss Street below the clock. Within two years his father had died, and William became the sole provider for the family. He stayed in the shop to support his mother, two brothers and three sisters.
A diligent worker, he was popular with customers. His sister Nellie later wrote: “From his shop under the sign of a golden key, surrounded by the smells of oils and varnishes with pots, pans and kettles hanging from the ceiling, Henley served the town for 30 years.”
He pursued his solitary studies, painting, teaching himself languages, making slides for the home-made microscope he had built in the shop, immersing himself in books, and collecting fossils, eggs, shells, minerals and historical artefacts.
He was close to Nellie, both of them were extremely clever, and he encouraged her to become a teacher of music and languages. She went on to become a governess to a family in Berlin, but returned to Dartmouth at the outbreak of WWI to become an interpreter, and a companion for her brother. The German family stayed in contact with Nellie, and the children visited her in Dartmouth when they were adults.
Nellie befriended a lonely Dartmouth woman named Ida Walker, after hearing her play piano at the local picture house. The women shared a love of music, and Ida was fascinated by William’s microscope, his collections, his books and his intellectual discussions.
Much of William’s scientific equipment was made or adapted by him, and his collection included more than 2,000 slides. He would walk in the countryside around Dartmouth collecting specimens to scrutinise at close quarters, making closely observed drawings. He also used live specimens and recorded information as they hatched and developed, using his notes and documents to support his lectures.
At one point he wanted a human flea for his observations and asked a boy in the shop if he could buy one of his for 3d. News got out and soon there was a queue of small boys at the door, each with his flea and demanding his 3d!
William became friendly with E.W. Holdsworth, another microscopist, and through met to other scientists. With their encouragement he reached levels of competence which belied his humble life and origins. He wrote: “A man needs knowledge not only as a means of livelihood but as a means of life.”
But in 1919, at the age of 59, William Henley died suddenly. Nellie, heartbroken at the loss of her beloved brother, began to gather his work and collections into an exhibition. She wrote about his life, but then she died before her book was completed. The book was finished and published by Ida.
Nellie bequeathed her museum in Anzac Street, housing her brothers’ collections, to the town, along with £1,000 for upkeep. Today an entire room in Dartmouth Museum in the Butterwalk is devoted to Henley and his work. His collections, artefacts, pictures and equipment are all on show.
The easiest way to find out more about William Henley is to pay a visit to the museum. Further reading is also available at www.dartmouth-history.org.uk or read William Cumming Henley: His Days and Ways by Ellen Pamela Henley, published by R. Cranford.
First published July 2010 By the Dart
