author
John Henry Overton
1835–1903
A Victorian church historian and Anglican clergyman, remembered for writing clear, influential books on the Church of England and figures such as William Law and John Wesley.
1 Audiobook
The English Church in the Eighteenth Century
by Charles J. (Charles John) Abbey, John Henry Overton
About the author
Born in Louth, Lincolnshire, in 1835, he became an English cleric and built a reputation as a careful church historian. He studied at Lincoln College, Oxford, was ordained in the late 1850s, and later served in several parish and academic roles.
His best-known work was in ecclesiastical history. He wrote books including The Anglican Revival, The Evangelical Revival, and studies of William Law and John Wesley, helping shape how later readers understood eighteenth-century English religion.
Overton was also active in church life beyond his writing, serving in convocation and receiving an honorary Doctor of Divinity from the University of Edinburgh. He died in 1903 at Gumley, Leicestershire.