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{{short description|British mathematician (1874–1953)}}
{{about||the British athlete|Ernest Barnes (athlete)|the African-American painter|Ernie Barnes}}
{{other people|Ernest Barnes}}
{{Infobox scientist
{{EngvarB|date=July 2017}}
| name = Ernest William Barnes
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}
| image =Ernest William Barnes.jpeg
{{Infobox Christian leader
| image_size = 200px
| type = bishop
| caption = Ernest W. Barnes
| honorific_prefix = [[The Right Reverend]]
| birth_date = {{birth date|1874|4|1|df=y}}
| name = Ernest Barnes
| birth_place = [[Birmingham]], [[England]]
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|FRS|size=100%}}
| residence = [[United Kingdom]]
| nationality = [[United Kingdom|British]]
| title = [[Bishop of Birmingham]]
| image = Ernest William Barnes.jpeg
| death_date = {{death date and age|1953|11|29|1874|4|1|df=y}}
| alt =
| death_place = [[Sussex]], [[England]]
| caption =
| field = [[Mathematician]] and [[bishop]]
| work_university = [[University of Cambridge]]
| church = [[Church of England]]
| alma_mater = [[University of Cambridge]]
| province = [[Province of Canterbury|Canterbury]]
| diocese = [[Anglican Diocese of Birmingham|Birmingham]]
| doctoral_advisor = [[W. W. Rouse Ball]]
| term = 1924–1953
| doctoral_students = [[John Edensor Littlewood|J. E. Littlewood]]
| predecessor = [[Henry Wakefield (bishop of Birmingham)|Henry Wakefield]]
| known_for = Work on the [[gamma function]]
| successor = [[Leonard Wilson]]
| prizes = [[Smith's Prize]] <small>(1898)</small><br>[[Fellow of the Royal Society]]<ref name="frs">{{cite doi|10.1098/rsbm.1954.0002}}</ref>
| other_post =
| religion = [[Anglican]]
<!---------- Orders ---------->
| footnotes =
| ordination = {{hlist | 1902 (deacon) | 1903 (priest)}}
| ordained_by =
| consecration = 1924
| consecrated_by =
<!---------- Personal details ---------->
| birth_name = Ernest William Barnes
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1874|4|1}}
| birth_place = [[Birmingham]], England, UK
| death_date = {{nowrap|{{death date and age|df=yes|1953|11|29|1874|4|1}}}}
| death_place = [[Sussex]], England, UK
| religion = [[Anglicanism]]
| residence =
| parents =
| spouse = <!-- or | partner = -->
| children =
| occupation =
| profession = <!-- or | previous_post = -->
| motto =
| signature =
| signature_alt =
| coat_of_arms =
| coat_of_arms_alt =
<!---------- Other ---------->
| module = {{Infobox academic |child=yes
| awards = [[Smith's Prize]] (1898)
| alma_mater = [[Trinity College, Cambridge]]
| thesis_title =
| thesis_year =
| school_tradition =
| doctoral_advisor = [[W.&nbsp;W. Rouse Ball]]
| academic_advisors =
| influences = <!--must be referenced from a third-party source-->
| era =
| discipline = Mathematics
| sub_discipline = <!--academic discipline specialist area – e.g. Sub-atomic research, 20th Century Danish specialist, Pauline research, Arcadian and Ugaritic specialist-->
| workplaces = [[Trinity College, Cambridge]]
| doctoral_students = [[John Edensor Littlewood|J.&nbsp;E. Littlewood]]
| notable_students = <!--only those with WP articles-->
| main_interests = [[Gamma function]]
| notable_works =
| notable_ideas = [[Barnes integral]]
| influenced = <!--must be referenced from a third-party source-->
}}
}}
}}
'''Ernest William Barnes''' [[Royal Society|FRS]]<ref name="frs"/> (1 April 1874 – 29 November 1953) was an [[England|English]] [[mathematician]] and [[scientist]] who later became a liberal [[theology|theologian]] and [[bishop]].<ref name="mactutor">{{MacTutor Biography|id=Barnes}}</ref><ref>{{ScienceWorldBiography | urlname=Barnes | title=Barnes, Ernest (1874–1953)}}</ref><ref>Obituary in ''The Times'', Monday, 30 November 1953; p.&nbsp;10; Issue 52792; col D: "Dr. E. W. Barnes The Christian Faith And Science"</ref>
'''Ernest William Barnes''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|FRS}}<ref name="frs">{{Cite journal | last1 = Whittaker | first1 = E. T. | authorlink = E. T. Whittaker| doi = 10.1098/rsbm.1954.0002 | title = Ernest William Barnes. 1874-1953 | journal = [[Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society]] | volume = 9 | pages = 14–25 | year = 1954 | issue = 1 | jstor = 769195| s2cid = 162229868 }}</ref> (1 April 1874 – 29 November 1953) was a British mathematician and scientist who later became a [[Liberal Christianity|liberal]] theologian and bishop.<ref name="mactutor">{{MacTutor Biography|id=Barnes}}</ref><ref>{{ScienceWorldBiography | urlname=Barnes | title=Barnes, Ernest (1874–1953)}}</ref><ref>Obituary in ''The Times'', Monday, 30 November 1953; p.&nbsp;10; Issue 52792; col D: "Dr. E. W. Barnes The Christian Faith And Science"</ref>


He was educated at [[King Edward's School, Birmingham]] and [[Trinity College, Cambridge]].<ref>{{acad|id=BNS892EW|name=Barnes, Ernest William}}</ref> He was [[Master of the Temple]] from 1915 to 1919. He was made [[Bishop of Birmingham]] in 1924, the only bishop appointed during [[Ramsay MacDonald]]'s first term in office. His modernist views, in particular objection to [[Reserved sacrament|Reservation]], led to conflict with the [[Anglo-Catholic]]s in his [[diocese]].<ref>''The Times'', Thursday, 18 December 1924; p. 15; Issue 43838; col F: "Dr. Barnes And His Critics. An Expression Of Confidence". Letter of support, to the Editor, signed by [[William Ralph Inge|W. R. INGE]] ; E. A. BURROUGHS; W. L. PAIGE COX; J. H. THORPE; R. H. CHARLES; H. LOWTHER CLARKE; V. F. STORR,; T. GUY ROGERS; R. H. KENNETT,; J. F. BETHUNE-BAKER,.
He was educated at [[King Edward's School, Birmingham]], and [[Trinity College, Cambridge]].<ref>{{acad|id=BNS892EW|name=Barnes, Ernest William}}</ref> He was [[Master of the Temple]] from 1915 to 1919. He was made [[Bishop of Birmingham]] in 1924, the only bishop appointed during [[Ramsay MacDonald]]'s first term in office. His modernist views, in particular objection to [[Reserved sacrament|Reservation]], led to conflict with the [[Anglo-Catholic]]s in his [[diocese]].<ref>''The Times'', Thursday, 18 December 1924; p. 15; Issue 43838; col F: "Dr. Barnes And His Critics. An Expression of Confidence". Letter of support, to the Editor, signed by [[William Ralph Inge|W. R. INGE]]; E. A. BURROUGHS; W. L. PAIGE COX; J. H. THORPE; R. H. CHARLES; H. LOWTHER CLARKE; V. F. STORR; T. GUY ROGERS; R. H. KENNETT; J. F. BETHUNE-BAKER,.</ref> A biography by his son, Sir John Barnes, ''Ahead of His Age: Bishop Barnes of Birmingham'', was published in 1979.
</ref>


==Birth and education==
==Birth and education==
Barnes was the eldest of four sons of John Starkie Barnes and Jane Elizabeth Kerry, both elementary school head-teachers. In 1883 Barnes' father was appointed Inspector of Schools in Birmingham, a position that he occupied throughout the rest of his working life. Barnes was educated at [[King Edward's School, Birmingham]] and in 1893 went up to Cambridge as a Scholar of Trinity College. He was bracketed [[Second Wrangler]] in 1896 and was placed in the first division of the first class in Part II of the Mathematical Tripos in 1897. In the following year he was awarded the first [[Smith's Prize]] and was duly elected to a Trinity Fellowship. During his time as a Fellow he served on the committee of [[Cambridge University Liberal Club]] from 1899 to 1901.<ref>[http://keynessociety.wordpress.com/about-the-keynes-society/ About us « Keynes Society]. Keynessociety.wordpress.com. Retrieved on 2011-07-18.</ref> He was appointed a lecturer in mathematics in 1902, junior dean in 1906–08 and a tutor in 1908. He graduated Sc.D. of the University of Cambridge in 1907 and was elected a [[Fellow of the Royal Society]] in 1909.<ref name="frs"/>
Barnes was the eldest of four sons of John Starkie Barnes and Jane Elizabeth Kerry, both elementary school head-teachers. In 1883 Barnes' father was appointed Inspector of Schools in Birmingham, a position that he occupied throughout the rest of his working life. Barnes was educated at [[King Edward's School, Birmingham]], and in 1893 went up to Cambridge as a Scholar of Trinity College. He was bracketed [[Second Wrangler]] in 1896 and was placed in the first division of the first class in Part II of the Mathematical Tripos in 1897. In the following year he was awarded the first [[Smith's Prize]] and was duly elected to a Trinity Fellowship. During his time as a Fellow he served on the committee of [[Cambridge University Liberal Club]] from 1899 to 1901.<ref>[http://keynessociety.wordpress.com/about-the-keynes-society/ About us « Keynes Society]. Keynessociety.wordpress.com. Retrieved 18 July 2011.</ref> He was appointed a lecturer in mathematics in 1902, junior dean in 1906–1908 and a tutor in 1908. He graduated ScD of the University of Cambridge in 1907 and was elected a [[Fellow of the Royal Society]] in 1909.<ref name="frs"/> In the years that followed, Barnes was assigned to be [[Ramanujan]]'s tutor and agreed with [[G.&nbsp;H. Hardy]]'s assessment of his brilliance.<ref>{{cite arXiv|eprint=math/0003184|title=Life and work of the mathemagician Srinivasa Ramanujan|author=K. Srinivasa Rao|date=28 March 2000}}</ref>
A major biography by his son, Sir John Barnes, Ahead of His Age : Bishop Barnes of Birmingham, was published in 1979.


==Ministry==
==Ministry==
In the same year he became a lecturer in mathematics, Barnes was made deacon by the [[Bishop of London]] and from 1906 to 1908 was Junior Dean of Trinity. In 1915, Barnes left Cambridge, and his career as a professional mathematician, upon his appointment as [[Master of the Temple]] in London. This was followed in 1918 by a canonry of [[Westminster Abbey]] and finally, in 1924, by consecration to the [[Bishop of Birmingham|Bishopric of Birmingham]], an office he held until April 1953, when he had to retire on account of ill-health. He died at his home in Sussex at the age of 79, survived by his wife and two sons. A bronze memorial tablet to him, as the third bishop of Birmingham, was erected in South aisle of [[St. Philip's Cathedral, Birmingham|Birmingham Cathedral]], near where his ashes, together with those of his wife, are placed under the pavement marked by a slab with the initials "EWB".
In the same year he became a lecturer in mathematics, Barnes was made deacon by the [[Bishop of London]] and from 1906 to 1908 was Junior Dean of Trinity. In 1915, Barnes left Cambridge, and his career as a professional mathematician, upon his appointment as [[Master of the Temple]] in London. This was followed in 1918 by a canonry of [[Westminster Abbey]] and finally, in 1924, by consecration to the [[Bishop of Birmingham|Bishopric of Birmingham]], an office he held until April 1953, when he had to retire on account of ill-health. He died at his home in Sussex at the age of 79, survived by his wife and two sons. A bronze memorial tablet to him, as the third bishop of Birmingham, was erected in the south aisle of [[St. Philip's Cathedral, Birmingham|Birmingham Cathedral]], near where his ashes, together with those of his wife, are placed under the pavement marked by a slab with the initials "EWB".


==Controversies==
==Controversies==
Barnes was perhaps the best known [[liberal Christianity|liberal]] bishop of his time, identified with the modernist or [[broad church]] movement. His episcopate was marked by continual controversy.<ref>''The Times'', 31 August 1925; p. 7; Issue 44054; col D: "Magical Views of the Eucharist. Dr Barnes at Oxford." (Conference of Modern Churchmen).</ref>


His book ''The Rise of Christianity'' (1947) attacked many Christian claims, including the [[Virgin birth of Jesus|Virgin Birth]] and the bodily [[resurrection of Christ]].<ref>David Hein, "Geoffrey Fisher: Archbishop of Canterbury", p.lxvii ff.</ref> This led to calls that he should resign as a bishop. This Barnes refused to do. Earlier he had written ''Should Such a Faith Offend?'' (1927) and ''Scientific Theory and Religion'' (1933), and he was a contributor to 18 other books. His attack on [[Francis of Assisi]] as "probably verminous" drew a rebuke in verse from [[G.&nbsp;K. Chesterton]].
Barnes was perhaps the best known liberal bishop of his time, identified with the modernist or broad church movement. His episcopate was marked by continual controversy.<ref>''The Times'', Monday, 31 August 1925; p. 7; Issue 44054; col D: "Magical Views Of The Eucharist. Dr Barnes At Oxford." (Conference of Modern Churchmen).</ref>


He was also politically active. In 1940, he lost a libel case in which he had attacked the Cement Makers' Federation for allegedly holding up the supply of cement, for their own profit at a time of great national need, in the construction of air-raid shelters.<ref>''The Times'', 10 May 1941; p. 2; Issue 48922; col F: "High Court of Justice King's Bench Division, Slander Action Against A Bishop: £1,600 Awarded, Alpha Cement, Limited, And Others v. Bishop Of Birmingham"</ref> Undaunted by this set-back, Barnes returned to his accusations on the cement ring in a speech he delivered in the House of Lords the following year.
His book ''The Rise of Christianity'' (1947) attacked many Christian claims, including the Virgin Birth and the bodily Resurrection of Christ.[ref]David Hein, "Geoffrey Fisher: Archbishop of Canterbury", p.lxvii ff.[/ref] This led to calls that he should resign as a bishop. This Barnes refused to do. Earlier he had written "Should Such a Faith Offend?" (1927) and "Scientific Theory and Religion" (1933), and he was a contributor to 18 other books. He was identified with the broad church movement. His attack on St Francis as "probably verminous" drew a rebuke in verse from G.K. Chesterton.


==Pacifism and eugenics==
He was also politically active. In 1940, he lost a libel case in which he had attacked the Cement Makers' Federation for allegedly holding up the supply of cement, for their own profit at a time of great national need, in the construction of air-raid shelters.<ref>''The Times'', Saturday, 10 May 1941; p. 2; Issue 48922; col F: "High Court Of Justice King's Bench Division, Slander Action Against A Bishop: £1,600 Awarded, Alpha Cement, Limited, And Others v. Bishop Of Birmingham"</ref> Undaunted by this set-back, Barnes returned to his accusations on the cement ring in a speech he delivered in the House of Lords the following year.
He was an uncompromising [[pacifist]],<ref>In 1936, his sermon ''Blessed are the peacemakers'' was published as a pamphlet by the Council of Christian Pacifist Groups, 1936 (Copy in British Library)</ref> and spoke out against British participation in the [[Second World War]]. He also expressed [[Eugenics|eugenic views]].<ref>''The Times'', Tuesday, 22 May 1951; p. 2; Issue 52007; col C: "Menace of Excessive Populations Dr. Barnes on Inferior Human Strains" – report of the Cavendish lecture, 1951, to the Medico-chirurical Society of West London.</ref> Though a member of the Eugenic Society from 1924 until his death in 1953, it was not until after the Second World War that he openly argued in favour of voluntary sterilisation as a means to overcome the apparent prevalence of "mental deficiency" in society. Several of these eugenic-themed lectures gained significant newspaper coverage in ''The Times'' and ''The Manchester Guardian'', sparking a fervent public debate in which inevitable&nbsp;– if not entirely justifiable&nbsp;– parallels were drawn between Barnes' arguments and Nazi ideology. In his latter years Barnes was thus a pacifist, religious leader and campaigner for the perceived declining cause of eugenics.<ref>P.&nbsp;T. Merricks, ''God and the Gene:' E.W. Barnes on Eugenics and Religion,' Politics, Religion and Ideology, 13, 3 (September 2012): 353–374.</ref>


==Personal life==
==Pacifism and Eugenics==
In 1916, Barnes married Adelaide Caroline Theresa Ward, daughter of Sir [[Adolphus Ward]].<ref name="WWW">{{cite web |title=Barnes, Rt Rev. Ernest William, (1 April 1874–29 Nov. 1953) |url=http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U234434 |website=[[Who Was Who]] |publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date=28 March 2021 |language=en |date=1 December 2007}}</ref> Together they had two sons: [[Ernest John Ward Barnes|John]] was a diplomat, who served as ambassador to Israel and the Netherlands; and [[William Peter Ward Barnes|William]], a public servant and philanthropist.<ref>{{Cite ODNB|last=Corley|first=T. A. B. |id=106489|title=Barnes, William Peter Ward (1919–2011)}}</ref>
He was an uncompromising [[pacifist]],<ref>In 1936, his sermon ''Blessed are the peacemakers'' was published as a pamphlet by the Council of Christian Pacifist Groups, 1936 (Copy in British Library)</ref> and spoke out against British participation in the [[Second World War]]. He also expressed [[Eugenics|eugenic views]].<ref>''The Times'', Tuesday, 22 May 1951; p. 2; Issue 52007; col C: "Menace Of Excessive Populations Dr. Barnes On Inferior Human Strains" – report of the Cavendish lecture, 1951, to the Medico-chirurical Society of West London.</ref> Though a member of the Eugenic Society from 1924 until his death in 1953, it was not until after the Second World War that he openly argued in favour of voluntary sterilisation as a means to overcome the apparent prevalence of 'mental deficiency' in society. Several of these eugenic-themed lectures gained significant newspaper coverage in the Times and the Manchester Guardian, sparking a fervent public debate in which inevitable - if not entirely justifiable - parallels were drawn between Barnes' arguments and Nazi ideology. In his latter years Barnes was thus a pacifist, religious leader and campaigner for the perceived declining cause of eugenics. <ref> P.T. Merricks, ''God and the Gene:' E.W. Barnes on Eugenics and Religion,' Politics, Religion and Ideology, 13, 3 (September 2012): 353-374.</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
{{wikiquote}}
{{Wikisource|wislink=Men-at-the-Bar/Florence, Ernest Badinius|title=Men-at-the-Bar/Florence, Ernest Badinius}}
*[[Barnes G-function]]
*[[Barnes integral]]
*[[Barnes integral]]
A major biography, written by his son, Sir John Barnes, "Ahead of His Age : Bishop Barnes of Birmingham", was published by Collins in 1979.


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


{{Masters of the Temple}}
{{Bishops of Birmingham}}
{{Bishops of Birmingham}}


{{Authority control|VIAF=27057540}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Persondata
|NAME= Barnes, Ernest William
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=E.W.Birmingham (in letters to the Editor of ''The Times'').
|SHORT DESCRIPTION= [[England|English]] [[mathematician]] and [[clergyman]]
|DATE OF BIRTH= 1 April 1874
|PLACE OF BIRTH= [[Birmingham]], [[England]]
|DATE OF DEATH= 29 November 1953
|PLACE OF DEATH= [[Sussex]], [[England]]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, Ernest William}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, Ernest William}}
[[Category:1874 births]]
[[Category:1874 births]]
[[Category:1953 deaths]]
[[Category:1953 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Birmingham, West Midlands]]
[[Category:People educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham]]
[[Category:People educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham]]
[[Category:Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:Fellows of King's College London]]
[[Category:Fellows of King's College London]]
[[Category:English mathematicians]]
[[Category:19th-century English mathematicians]]
[[Category:19th-century English mathematicians]]
[[Category:20th-century mathematicians]]
[[Category:20th-century English mathematicians]]
[[Category:20th-century Anglican bishops]]
[[Category:20th-century Church of England bishops]]
[[Category:20th-century English theologians]]
[[Category:20th-century English theologians]]
[[Category:English Anglican priests]]
[[Category:20th-century English Anglican priests]]
[[Category:Anglican pacifists]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society]]
[[Category:Bishops of Birmingham]]
[[Category:Bishops of Birmingham]]
[[Category:English pacifists]]
[[Category:English Christian pacifists]]
[[Category:Second Wranglers]]
[[Category:Second Wranglers]]
[[Category:People associated with Westminster Abbey]]
[[Category:People associated with Westminster Abbey]]
[[Category:Masters of the Temple]]

Latest revision as of 00:08, 28 March 2024

For other people named Ernest Barnes, see Ernest Barnes (disambiguation).

The Right Reverend

Ernest Barnes

FRS
Bishop of Birmingham
ChurchChurch of England
ProvinceCanterbury
DioceseBirmingham
In office1924–1953
PredecessorHenry Wakefield
SuccessorLeonard Wilson
Orders
Ordination
  • 1902 (deacon)
  • 1903 (priest)
Consecration1924
Personal details
Born
Ernest William Barnes

(1874-04-01)1 April 1874
Birmingham, England, UK
Died29 November 1953(1953-11-29) (aged 79)
Sussex, England, UK
DenominationAnglicanism
AwardsSmith's Prize (1898)
Academic background
Alma materTrinity College, Cambridge
Doctoral advisorW. W. Rouse Ball
Academic work
DisciplineMathematics
InstitutionsTrinity College, Cambridge
Doctoral studentsJ. E. Littlewood
Main interestsGamma function
Notable ideasBarnes integral

Ernest William Barnes FRS[1] (1 April 1874 – 29 November 1953) was a British mathematician and scientist who later became a liberal theologian and bishop.[2][3][4]

He was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham, and Trinity College, Cambridge.[5] He was Master of the Temple from 1915 to 1919. He was made Bishop of Birmingham in 1924, the only bishop appointed during Ramsay MacDonald's first term in office. His modernist views, in particular objection to Reservation, led to conflict with the Anglo-Catholics in his diocese.[6] A biography by his son, Sir John Barnes, Ahead of His Age: Bishop Barnes of Birmingham, was published in 1979.

Birth and education

[edit]

Barnes was the eldest of four sons of John Starkie Barnes and Jane Elizabeth Kerry, both elementary school head-teachers. In 1883 Barnes' father was appointed Inspector of Schools in Birmingham, a position that he occupied throughout the rest of his working life. Barnes was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham, and in 1893 went up to Cambridge as a Scholar of Trinity College. He was bracketed Second Wrangler in 1896 and was placed in the first division of the first class in Part II of the Mathematical Tripos in 1897. In the following year he was awarded the first Smith's Prize and was duly elected to a Trinity Fellowship. During his time as a Fellow he served on the committee of Cambridge University Liberal Club from 1899 to 1901.[7] He was appointed a lecturer in mathematics in 1902, junior dean in 1906–1908 and a tutor in 1908. He graduated ScD of the University of Cambridge in 1907 and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1909.[1] In the years that followed, Barnes was assigned to be Ramanujan's tutor and agreed with G. H. Hardy's assessment of his brilliance.[8]

Ministry

[edit]

In the same year he became a lecturer in mathematics, Barnes was made deacon by the Bishop of London and from 1906 to 1908 was Junior Dean of Trinity. In 1915, Barnes left Cambridge, and his career as a professional mathematician, upon his appointment as Master of the Temple in London. This was followed in 1918 by a canonry of Westminster Abbey and finally, in 1924, by consecration to the Bishopric of Birmingham, an office he held until April 1953, when he had to retire on account of ill-health. He died at his home in Sussex at the age of 79, survived by his wife and two sons. A bronze memorial tablet to him, as the third bishop of Birmingham, was erected in the south aisle of Birmingham Cathedral, near where his ashes, together with those of his wife, are placed under the pavement marked by a slab with the initials "EWB".

Controversies

[edit]

Barnes was perhaps the best known liberal bishop of his time, identified with the modernist or broad church movement. His episcopate was marked by continual controversy.[9]

His book The Rise of Christianity (1947) attacked many Christian claims, including the Virgin Birth and the bodily resurrection of Christ.[10] This led to calls that he should resign as a bishop. This Barnes refused to do. Earlier he had written Should Such a Faith Offend? (1927) and Scientific Theory and Religion (1933), and he was a contributor to 18 other books. His attack on Francis of Assisi as "probably verminous" drew a rebuke in verse from G. K. Chesterton.

He was also politically active. In 1940, he lost a libel case in which he had attacked the Cement Makers' Federation for allegedly holding up the supply of cement, for their own profit at a time of great national need, in the construction of air-raid shelters.[11] Undaunted by this set-back, Barnes returned to his accusations on the cement ring in a speech he delivered in the House of Lords the following year.

Pacifism and eugenics

[edit]

He was an uncompromising pacifist,[12] and spoke out against British participation in the Second World War. He also expressed eugenic views.[13] Though a member of the Eugenic Society from 1924 until his death in 1953, it was not until after the Second World War that he openly argued in favour of voluntary sterilisation as a means to overcome the apparent prevalence of "mental deficiency" in society. Several of these eugenic-themed lectures gained significant newspaper coverage in The Times and The Manchester Guardian, sparking a fervent public debate in which inevitable – if not entirely justifiable – parallels were drawn between Barnes' arguments and Nazi ideology. In his latter years Barnes was thus a pacifist, religious leader and campaigner for the perceived declining cause of eugenics.[14]

Personal life

[edit]

In 1916, Barnes married Adelaide Caroline Theresa Ward, daughter of Sir Adolphus Ward.[15] Together they had two sons: John was a diplomat, who served as ambassador to Israel and the Netherlands; and William, a public servant and philanthropist.[16]

See also

[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to Ernest Barnes.
Wikisource has original text related to this article:

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Whittaker, E. T. (1954). "Ernest William Barnes. 1874-1953". Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society. 9 (1): 14–25. doi:10.1098/rsbm.1954.0002. JSTOR 769195. S2CID 162229868.
  2. ^ O'Connor, John J.; Robertson, Edmund F., "Ernest Barnes", MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive, University of St Andrews
  3. ^ Weisstein, Eric Wolfgang (ed.). "Barnes, Ernest (1874–1953)". ScienceWorld.
  4. ^ Obituary in The Times, Monday, 30 November 1953; p. 10; Issue 52792; col D: "Dr. E. W. Barnes The Christian Faith And Science"
  5. ^ "Barnes, Ernest William (BNS892EW)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  6. ^ The Times, Thursday, 18 December 1924; p. 15; Issue 43838; col F: "Dr. Barnes And His Critics. An Expression of Confidence". Letter of support, to the Editor, signed by W. R. INGE; E. A. BURROUGHS; W. L. PAIGE COX; J. H. THORPE; R. H. CHARLES; H. LOWTHER CLARKE; V. F. STORR; T. GUY ROGERS; R. H. KENNETT; J. F. BETHUNE-BAKER,.
  7. ^ About us « Keynes Society. Keynessociety.wordpress.com. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
  8. ^ K. Srinivasa Rao (28 March 2000). "Life and work of the mathemagician Srinivasa Ramanujan". arXiv:math/0003184.
  9. ^ The Times, 31 August 1925; p. 7; Issue 44054; col D: "Magical Views of the Eucharist. Dr Barnes at Oxford." (Conference of Modern Churchmen).
  10. ^ David Hein, "Geoffrey Fisher: Archbishop of Canterbury", p.lxvii ff.
  11. ^ The Times, 10 May 1941; p. 2; Issue 48922; col F: "High Court of Justice King's Bench Division, Slander Action Against A Bishop: £1,600 Awarded, Alpha Cement, Limited, And Others v. Bishop Of Birmingham"
  12. ^ In 1936, his sermon Blessed are the peacemakers was published as a pamphlet by the Council of Christian Pacifist Groups, 1936 (Copy in British Library)
  13. ^ The Times, Tuesday, 22 May 1951; p. 2; Issue 52007; col C: "Menace of Excessive Populations Dr. Barnes on Inferior Human Strains" – report of the Cavendish lecture, 1951, to the Medico-chirurical Society of West London.
  14. ^ P. T. Merricks, God and the Gene:' E.W. Barnes on Eugenics and Religion,' Politics, Religion and Ideology, 13, 3 (September 2012): 353–374.
  15. ^ "Barnes, Rt Rev. Ernest William, (1 April 1874–29 Nov. 1953)". Who Was Who. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2007. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  16. ^ Corley, T. A. B. "Barnes, William Peter Ward (1919–2011)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/106489. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
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