William Henry Gladstone

William Henry Gladstone (3 June 1840 – 4 July 1891) was a British Liberal Party Member of Parliament, and the eldest son of Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone and his wife Catherine née Glynne.

Gladstone was born in Hawarden, Flintshire. He at­tend­ed Eton College and read Greek and Latin at Christ Church, Oxford University. He was a Member of Parliament for a total of 20 years, representing Chester for three, Whitby for 12 and East Worcestershire for five.

A singer and organist, he was well versed in musical history, especially the development of Anglican church music. He wrote on musical topics, and one of the views he expressed was that choral church services were to be deplored be­cause “the choirs often discourage the congregations from singing.” He wrote the anthems “Gracious and Righteous” and “Withdraw Not Thou,” and chants, anthems, introits and organ voluntaries. He composed the hymn tune "Hammersmith" which can be used for the hymn Dear Lord and Father of Mankind.

William played for Scotland in the first England v Scotland Soccer International in 1872. He remains the only sitting Member of Parliament to play in an England-Scotland match, albeit in an unofficial international.Fact|date=September 2008

When his mother's brother Sir Stephen Glynne died without heirs in 1874, the Glynne baronetcy became extinct, but William inherited the Glynne estates, including Hawarden Castle, which had in any case been the Gladstone's family home since his grandfather Sir John Gladstone had used some of his substantial fortune to rescue the Glynne family from bankruptcy in the 1840s. [Dictionary of National Biography: Sir John Gladstone] .

He in died London on 4 July, 1891; his son William Glynne Charles Gladstone inherited Hawarden.Dictionary of National Biography: Gladstone, Henry Neville]

References

*Rayment

External links

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