The Influence of Hannah Thornton Wilberforce – Part One

In the Western Ghats of India, a rare phenomenon transforms these mountains into a treasure trove of beauty. The kurinji flowers, with their petite blue bells, cascade down the heights into the plains below like a royal waterfall of every hue of purple-blue. Their beauty, however, is not what makes them famous, as much as their rarity: the kurinji flower blooms only once every twelve years. A sojourner could travel through the Ghats many years, never imagining the potential display asleep at his sandal soles.

In the annals of history, there is the story of a twelve-year-old boy, who was much like the kurinji flower. Two-hundred fifty years later, we know him as William Wilberforce, the British statesman, who led the offensive war on the British slave trade and eventually British slavery itself, liberating an entire ethic group. But the fire that forged the character and heart of this courageous man was kindled by a woman’s hand. Like any young boy, William had to be introduced to the God Who came to proclaim liberty to the captives, bind up the broken-hearted, and open the prisons of them that were bound. Like any child, he had to be shown how the second greatest commandment was to love one’s neighbor as yourself – even if your neighbor was an African slave, toiling in the West Indies. All these truths, and more, came into their first bloom under the prayerful nurturing of William’s Aunt Hannah.

What we know of Hannah Thornton Wilberforce’s own childhood is little beyond the fact that she was born into the large and wealthy Thornton family. Her brother, John Thornton, used his great wealth to support evangelical leaders, such as John Newton and George Whitfield, after being reached by the preaching of the latter. These two ministers would also be frequent guests in the Wimbledon home of Hannah and her husband, William Wilberforce II. Within this circle, ten-year old “Billy” would find himself when his mother’s frail health caused him to be sent away to his London relatives. A swift bond of affection sprang up between this childless couple and this bright, affectionate boy, with Aunt Hannah especially seeing that he sat under the preaching of Newton or Whitfield at every opportunity. Newton, in particular, became almost a parental figure to the fatherless lad. In this haven, simple faith blossomed in Billy’s heart as long as he remained there, stating, “No boy ever loved an aunt and uncle as much as I.” Like the kurinji flowers bursting forth in debut, a beautiful earnestness was in full bloom in Billy’s soul, which surely caused rejoicing in the heart of Aunt Hannah.

But the tenure at Wimbledon was short-lived. When Billy was twelve, Mrs. Wilberforce grew alarmed over the “fanatical” whiffs she sniffed in her son’s letters. In 18th century England, the “unorthodox” fervency of the evangelicals struck cords of horror in the British (or British want-to-be’s) higher classes. To be labeled “evangelical” was reputational suicide – and Mrs. Wilberforce was no exception.

Kenzi Knapp is a follower of Christ, homeschool graduate and student of history. A fourth generation Missourian she enjoys writing about daily life enrolled in Gods great course of faith and His story throughout the ages at her blog, Honey Rock Hills.