Alison Wilma Thomson Kennedy
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
ALISON WILMA THOMSON KENNEDY DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY JOHN KENRICK AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF UNITARIAN THOUGHT Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy UNIVERSITY OF STIRLING 2006. ABSTRACT This thesis is a study in the history of ideas which discusses the work and thought of the Unitarian biblical critic, classical historian and philologist John Kenrick (1788-1877). It examines evidence to suggest that during his productive life Kenrick made an intellectual transition from the ideas of the radical English Enlightenment to the more Romantic perspectives of the nineteenth century. The first part of the discussion as a whole is concerned largely with the nature of the context from which Kenrick emerged as a thinker while the second is related to Kenrick’s own changing ideas. Chapter two reveals the monist philosophical and theological tendencies which supported the Socinian beliefs of the polymath Joseph Priestley (1733-1804), who was the dominant influence on Unitarians in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. This discussion of Priestley’s thought, which is brought into relief by means of a comparison with that of the moral and political philosopher Richard Price (1723-1791), has two objectives, the first to reveal something of the context of Unitarianism of the time and the second to establish a foundation from which the nature and extent of later intellectual change may be measured. Chapter three concentrates on another aspect of the Unitarian context closely connected to Socinian beliefs, and that is the tradition of historical biblical criticism which contained the seeds of a new historical consciousness. The fourth i chapter is an analysis of the relationship between these radical Unitarian biblical critics and scholars in Germany and discusses some similarities and differences between the two sets of thinkers. Chapter five focuses upon John Kenrick himself and the integration of his Unitarian historical biblical ideas with elements of German thought on the interpretation of classical myth. It points out the implications for his own ideas in terms of the development of Romanticism and cultural relativism. Chapter six is concerned with Kenrick’s historical approach to language and shows how it may be compared with the ideas of the German philologists of the time. The seventh chapter is an account of Kenrick’s opinions on the truth of Genesis and the origins of man. It considers in what ways the uneasy relationship between theology and the science of the mid-nineteenth century helped to bring about changes in his thought which linked it to a transformed Unitarianism and also to the intellectual milieu of the later nineteenth century. Chapter eight concludes the thesis with an assessment of the nature and extent of the changes which had taken place since the domination of the ideas of Joseph Priestley. The thesis offers a study of the transition in thought of an eminent scholar whose work has never been examined before. It opens up some new perspectives with regard to the linkages between the radical English Enlightenment and the historical consciousness and Romanticism of the nineteenth century. ii PREFACE The proposal that I should embark on a thesis related to the history of ideas was made on the completion of my undergraduate degree as a mature student at the University of Stirling. I had written my final-year dissertation on the work of the late nineteenth-century idealist philosopher Thomas Hill Green (1836-1882) and decided that I should like to take on the challenge of another topic in the same field. It was suggested that the subject of Unitarianism in the late eighteen and early nineteenth centuries might prove a fruitful area in which to pin down a topic for research. The idea was to find a way to compare aspects of Unitarianism’s earlier dry rationalism to the more Romantic ideas of its later adherents. After many months of study in the fields of philosophy and theology and more than a few ‘dead ends’, I decided to look closely at the work of the Unitarian historian and philologist John Kenrick (1788-1877) in the hope that I might find evidence of an intellectual transition. The following thesis is the result of that research, the early period of which was assisted by a grant from the Carnegie Trust. Without the patience, encouragement and enthusiasm of my supervisor, Professor David Bebbington, this thesis would never have been completed. Professor Bebbington has been generous with his superior skills and profound insight into a complex topic and he must have despaired many times of my iii wandering thoughts and the various intellectual cul de sacs in which I found myself. He has also shown me great kindness during difficult times, when my husband’s illnesses threatened to make me despair of ever reaching a conclusion to my research and writing. The debt I owe to him is one which may be expressed in the simplest of ways. Quite frankly, I am absolutely certain beyond any doubt that without his kindness, understanding and encouragement, I would never have made it. His keen eye having scrutinised this text on many occasions it only remains for me to say that any errors it contains are entirely my own. I also owe a great deal to others in the academic world, most notably my good friend Dr Martin Fitzpatrick in Aberystwyth, whose unfailing support, advice, sense of humour and generous book-lending have contributed so much to the end result here. Dr Fitzpatrick’s former co-editor on the journal Enlightenment and Dissent, Dr D.O. Thomas, was also one of the ‘great and good’ in that wonderful Welsh town. Sadly, Dr Thomas, or ‘D.O.’ as he was fondly known, died last year. Despite her bereavement, his widow Beryl Thomas was kind enough to help me with her transcription of a portion of John Kenrick’s shorthand, which appears in the Appendix to the thesis. I should like to express my gratitude to Beryl for her willingness to help at such a difficult time and also for all her hard work. I am also indebted to Dr David Wykes, Director of Dr Williams’s Library in London, who has also been a valuable source of encouragement over the years. He has shown great interest in this thesis and single-handedly persuaded the library trustees to allow part of the Kenrick Papers collection to be transported to iv the care of Stirling University Library for a large part of the research period. This, I believe, was the very first time in the library’s history that permission had been given to allow manuscripts to leave the premises in Gordon Square. I am very grateful to Dr Wykes and the trustees for this privilege. Not only that, but at Dr Williams’s Library I was permitted to record a great deal of manuscript material relating to John Kenrick on digital camera. As I live far from London, this was of enormous assistance in the compilation of the thesis. I am aware that in this too I was greatly privileged, for I believe the use of new technology in this way was also a ‘first’ for Dr Williams’s. For much assistance and information on the foreign publications of works of Joseph Priestley I am indebted to John Stephens, of Waterfields antiquarian bookshop in Oxford. John, sadly, died earlier this year, but I am sure that his enthusiasm, generosity of spirit and encouraging ways live on in all who knew him. My thanks must go also to Andrew Hill of the Unitarian Historical Society, who was generous with his advice, bibliographies and his book lending. I am grateful also to Sue Killoran and Joyce Meakin at the library of Harris Manchester College in Oxford. These two wonderful ladies I shall remember with great fondness, for their amazing expertise in librarianship is matched only by their sense of humour! I should also like to mention the kindness of Ian Flett and his colleagues at Dundee Archives. They have the distinction of keeping the northernmost copies of the First Series of the Monthly Repository (1806-1826), to which I was allowed unlimited access, thus eliminating the need for many trips to Manchester. v To Mrs Anne Kenrick, of Edgbaston, Birmingham, I am grateful for a peek at the family papers, which revealed some interesting facts about the life of an older John Kenrick, circa 1850. Despite suffering a terminal illness, Mrs Kenrick’s husband, Hugh Kenrick, was insistent that I visit their home to see the papers. I shall always remember his brave demeanour, sense of humour and his interest in the thesis. My thanks must also go to my friends and neighbours who have been staunch and supportive throughout all the tribulations of the last few years. They are Alison Brown on our much-loved Isle of Tiree, Tom and Margaret Brown, Jennifer and Bud Cook, Michael and Betty Gent, Elma and Grant Lindsay, Marian Pallister, David and Sheila Rhodes, Heather and Bob Wallace and Pam, and in Germany, my young friend Dr Silke Strickrodt, who was correct to tell me on one memorable occasion that I should ‘get some order into my life’. Much gratitude goes to my friend Patricia Meldrum, a fellow mature student who graduated with her PhD in history last year. Pat and her husband John have also faced the efforts of research and the burdens of putting it all together in a coherent form. They were always well aware of all the pitfalls, and their advice, prayers and encouragement have been beyond price. Most of all, however, my thanks goes to my husband Alan. During his illnesses of the last three years he has never given me anything but support and encouragement to finish the thesis.