Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 28.djvu/215

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Hume
209
Hume

daughter of Sir Thomas Frederick. Their only daughter, Hannah, married James Hare [q. v.] Their son was born at Hill Street, Berkeley Square, London, on 20 Feb. 1748–9. During one parliament (1774–80) he represented Petersfield, but then abandoned politics. His estates at Wormley in Hertfordshire and Fernyside in Berwickshire enabled him to be a patron of the arts all his life. He amassed a famous collection of minerals and of precious stones, and was a large purchaser of pictures by the old masters. For distinction in natural history and mineralogy he was elected F.R.S. on 14 Dec. 1775, and at his death was its senior fellow. He was one of the founders of the Geological Society, and served as vice-president from 1809 to 1813. Through his patronage of painting he became a director of the British Institution. Hume died at Wormley Bury on 24 March 1838, and was buried in Wormley Church, where is a monument to his memory. He married in London, on 25 April 1771, Amelia, daughter of John Egerton, bishop of Durham. She was born on 25 Nov. 1751, died at Hill Street, London, on 8 Aug. 1809, and was buried at Wormley. There is a monument to her memory in the churchyard. Their eldest daughter married Charles Long [q. v.], baron Farnborough; and the second daughter was the wife of John Cust, first earl Brownlow.

There appeared in 1815 in French and English a 'Catalogue Raisonné' by the Comte de Bournon of the diamonds of Sir Abraham Hume, who himself edited the volume and prefixed to it a short introduction. A 'Descriptive Catalogue' of his pictures was printed in 1824, when the collection was for sale. Most of them had been acquired at Venice and Bologna between 1786 and 1800. The works of Titian were numerous, and the collection contained a few examples of English and Flemish art. Among the English specimens were the portraits of Sir Abraham Hume and Lady Hume by Reynolds, and that of Lady Hume by Cosway. The latter was engraved by Valentine Green in 1783, and in 1783 John Jones and in 1791 C. H. Hodges issued engravings of the portraits of Hume. Sir Abraham sat on three separate occasions (1783, 1786, and 1789) to Reynolds, and Sir Joshua left him the choice of his Claude Lorraines. The earliest of Hume's portraits by Reynolds is now in the National Gallery.

An anonymous volume of 'Notices of the Life and Works of Titian,' 1829, was the composition of Hume. It contained in an appendix of ninety-four pages a catalogue of the engravings after the works of Titian in the Bibliothèque du Roi at Paris. Crowe and Cavalcaselle acknowledge that the 'lists of pictures and engravings are still useful.'

[Betham's Baronetage, iii. 359–60; Gent. Mag. 1838, pt. i. p. 657; Cussans's Hertfordshire, vol.ii. pt. ii. pp. 250–7; J. C. Smith's Brit. Mezzotinto Portraits, ii. 564, 633, 756; Taylor's Reynolds, ii. 427, 499, 551, 636; Cook's National Gallery, p. 411.]

W. P. C.

HUME, ABRAHAM (1814–1884), antiquary, son of Thomas F. Hume, of Scottish descent, was born at Hillsborough, co. Down, Ireland, on 9 Feb. 1814. He was educated at the Royal Belfast Academy, Glasgow University, and Trinity College, Dublin. On leaving Trinity College he was for some time mathematical and English teacher, first at the Belfast Institution and Academy, and afterwards at the Liverpool Institute and Collegiate Institution. In 1843 he graduated B.A. at Dublin, and received the honorary degree of LL.D. at Glasgow. In the same year he was ordained deacon by the Bishop of Chester, and after serving as curate for four years without stipend at St. Augustine's, Liverpool, was appointed in 1847 vicar of the new parish of Vauxhall in the same town. In 1848, in conjunction with Joseph Mayer and H. C. Pidgeon, he established the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire, of which he was the mainstay for many years. He instituted minute statistical inquiries in connection with certain Liverpool parishes, which threw great light on their moral and spiritual condition. During 1857 and 1858 he sent to the 'Times' newspaper summaries of his previous year's work in his parish. These attracted much attention, and had the effect of modifying public opinion on the alleged idleness of the clergy. In 1858 and 1859 he gave evidence before select committees of the House of Lords, the first on the means of divine worship in populous places, and the second on church rates. In 1867 he was sent on a surveying tour by the South American Missionary Society, and explored the west coast, especially Chili and Peru. On the visit of the Church Congress to Liverpool in 1869 he acted as secretary and edited the report. He was also secretary to the British Association at Liverpool in 1870. He was vice-chairman of the Liverpool school board 1870–6, and secretary of the Liverpool bishopric committee 1873–80. For a long time he ardently advocated the formation of the Liverpool diocese. On the accomplishment of the project in 1880 he designed the new episcopal seal. He took an active part in most of the public, scientific, educational,