author
Henry Woodcock
b. 1830
A Primitive Methodist minister from Yorkshire, he wrote in a plain, heartfelt way about religious life and ordinary people. His best-known surviving work, The Hero of the Humber, tells the story of the rescuer John Ellerthorpe.
1 Audiobook
The Hero of the Humber; Or, The History of the Late Mr. John Ellerthorpe
by Henry Woodcock
About the author
Born in Bridlington in 1829 and baptized on January 1, 1830, Henry Woodcock became a Primitive Methodist minister and served in Yorkshire circuits. Later accounts of his life describe him as an active preacher and writer whose ministry lasted many decades.
His name is most often remembered today through The Hero of the Humber, a biographical work about John Ellerthorpe of Hull. The book presents a lively Victorian portrait of courage, conversion, and everyday heroism, and it shows Woodcock's interest in telling uplifting stories drawn from working life.
Some sources also credit him with other religious works, including Popery Unmasked, Wonders of Grace, and Piety among the Peasantry. A clear portrait image could not be confirmed from the sources reviewed here, so no profile image is included.