Dictionary of National Biography, 1912 supplement/Hoare, Joseph Charles

1527089Dictionary of National Biography, 1912 supplement, Volume 2 — Hoare, Joseph Charles1912Augustus Robert Buckland

HOARE, JOSEPH CHARLES (1851–1906), bishop of Victoria, Hong-kong, born at Ramsgate on 15 Nov. 1851, was fourth son of Edward Hoare, vicar of Holy Trinity, Tunbridge Wells, and hon. canon of Canterbury. His mother was Maria Eliza (d. 1863), daughter cf Sir Benjamin Collins Brodie [q. v.], surgeon. Educated first at Brighton, then (1863-1870) at Tonbridge school, he passed with a scholarship to Trinity College, Cambridge, graduating B.A. in 1874 with a second class in the classical tripos, and proceeding M.A. in 1878 and D.D. in 1898. In December 1874 he was ordained deacon by the Bishop of London for missionary work, and, after acting for some months as his father's curate, sailed in October 1875 to join the Church Missionary Society's Mid-China mission at Ningpo. He was ordained priest by the Bishop of North China in 1876. His chief work at Ningpo was the founding and successful conduct of a training college for Chinese evangelists. Hoare rapidly acquired a knowledge of the Ningpo colloquial language, and in it produced versions of 'Pearson on the] Creed,' 'Trench on the Parables,' and 'Ryle on St. Matthew.' By 1891 he had sent out 164 students, of whom 61 were then either evangelists or school teachers.

In 1898 Frederick Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury, invited Hoare to succeed John Shaw Burdon [q. v. Suppl. II] as Bishop of Victoria, Hong-kong, and he was consecrated at St. Paul's cathedral on 11 June 1898. The change from mid-China to south China entailed the learning of two new dialects, and, as a bishop, Hoare had the oversight of a colony, as well as of missionary work in several provinces. He won the respect of all classes in the colony, worked amongst the sailors of the port, and continued his policy of fostering a spirit of self-reliance amongst the Chinese Christians. Unswervingly loyal to the Church Missionary Society, he was not always at one with the home authorities. On 14 Sept, 1906 he set out from Hong-kong in his house-boat on a preaching tour along the coast. Caught in the typhoon of 16 Sept., he headed back to Hong-kong, but the boat capsized in Castle Peak bay, 12 miles from Hong-kong, and two Chinese sailors alone escaped. Hoare's body was not recovered.

Both at Ningpo and at Hong-kong Hoare left a permanent mark on the work of his mission by the influence of a fine personality and by his contributions to vernacular literature. Hoare was twice married: (1) in 1882 to Alice Juliana (d. 1883), daughter of Canon John Patteson, of Norwich; and (2) to Ellen, daughter of the Rev. F. F. Gough, who survived him, and by whom he had two sons and three daughters. In addition to the works already noticed, there were issued after his death two volumes of comments on books of the Bible, edited by Walter Moule.

[Record, 28 Sept. 1906; Church Missionary Intelligencer, November and December 1908; private information and personal knowledge.]