author
W. E. (William Edward) Winks
1842–1926
A Baptist minister and hymn writer, he also had a gift for lively historical storytelling. His best-known book, Lives of Illustrious Shoemakers, turns an unusual subject into a warm and memorable read.
1 Audiobook
Lives of Illustrious Shoemakers
by W. E. (William Edward) Winks
About the author
Born in Leicester on January 28, 1842, William Edward Winks was an English Baptist minister who later worked in Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire, and Cardiff. Sources on hymnody note that he was educated at Chilwell College, Nottingham, entered the Baptist ministry in 1865, and wrote hymns mainly for special services.
Winks is remembered as a versatile religious writer whose work reached beyond sermons and hymns. His books include Thoughts on Prayer, History of Bethany Baptist Church, Cardiff, and the widely noted Lives of Illustrious Shoemakers, a book that reflects his interest in biography, history, and overlooked lives.
He died in Cardiff on December 21, 1926. Though not a household name today, his writing still has a distinct charm: practical, curious, and clearly shaped by a pastor's instinct for telling human stories.