Henry Head, 1861 - 1940

Abstract

Henry Head was born of Quaker stock at Stoke Newington on 4 August 1861. His father, an insurance broker at Lloyds, was a son o f a former Mayor of Ipswich, and his mother was a daughter of Richard Beck who was a partner in a wine business with his uncle, J. G. Lister, the father of Lord Lister. At that time Stoke Newington contained a large colony of the Society of Friends, and in this atmosphere Head spent his childhood though his parents joined the Church of England soon after he was bom. He was at first educated privately, but at the age of eleven was sent to Grove House School, Tottenham, a Quaker school for boys; among his fellow-pupils were several who later became well known in business and politics. His education here contributed largely to determine his future career, as in the words of a short autobiography he wrote, he ‘came under the influence of one of the best teachers of natural science I ever encountered', who insisted on accuracy of statement and emphasized the importance of precise measurement in dealing with natural phenomena. Two years later he was sent to Charterhouse School where his house-master, G. S. Davies, fostered his interest in biology and engaged his assistance in establishing a museum in the new premises of the school at Godaiming.