J. N. (John Napper) Worsfold

John Napper Worsfold was a 19th-century English clergyman and author who published as J. N. Worsfold. The title page of The Vaudois of Piedmont identifies him as Rev. J. N. Worsfold, M.A., Vicar of Christ Church, Somers Town, London, and the book grew out of a journey he made in 1871 to the Waldensian valleys of Piedmont.

In that book, first published in 1873, he set out to give general readers a compact, readable account of the Vaudois (or Waldensian) people, combining on-the-ground travel writing with Protestant church history. In his own preface, he says his heavy parochial work limited the book from a literary point of view, which gives a nice sense of his practical, pastoral voice.

Worsfold also wrote local history. Another known work, History of Haddlesey, was published in 1894 and identifies him as Rev. J. N. Worsfold; later catalog records describe him as rector of Haddlesey. Reliable biographical details beyond his church posts and books are scarce, and I could not confirm a trustworthy portrait of him.