Venn, Rev. Henry (1725–1797)

The son of Rev. Richard Venn, Henry received his BA from Jesus College, Cambridge in 1746, and MA from Queen's College in 1749. Mirroring these degrees, Venn was ordained deacon in 1747 and priest in 1749. After brief curacies in Cambridgeshire and Surrey, Venn accepted the curacy of Clapham in 1754. During his time there he was drawn into the evangelical wing of the Church of England and became close with JW, George Whitefield, and Lady Huntingdon. Venn became vicar of Huddersfield in 1759, and initially welcomed JW's traveling preachers in his parish. But Venn's theological inclination was shifting from Arminianism to an increasing Calvinism, and by 1761 he was limiting the role of JW's preachers in his parish. Venn's health broke after a decade at Huddersfield, leading him to transition to the quiet living of Yelling, Huntingdonshire in 1771, where he served (and mentored students at nearby Cambridge) until his death. See Alumni Catabrigienses; CCEd; DEB, 1137–38; ODNB; and Vickers, Dictionary,