Henry Venn (2 March 1724 – 24 June 1797) was an English Anglican clergyman and writer who co-founded the Clapham Sect, an influential evangelical group within the Church of England.
Life
He was the third son of Richard Venn, vicar of St Antholin, Budge Row in London. He was educated at the University of Cambridge from 1742, studying at St John's and then Jesus College where he was a Rustat scholar. He graduated B.A. in 1745 and M.A. in 1749. He played cricket at Cambridge until he was ordained in June 1747, and his biographer says he played in an England v Surrey match shortly beforehand. Venn was said to have been "a good batsman".
In 1749 Venn was ordained as a priest in the Church of England and was elected fellow of Queens' College, Cambridge. After holding a curacy at Barton, Cambridgeshire, he became curate of both St Matthew, Friday Street, in the City of London, and of West Horsley, Surrey, in 1750. Local clergy already considered him a Methodist (in later terms, an evangelical), since he taught Scripture in his home and the number of communicants at West Horsley increased from twelve to sixty. However, it was only at this time that his beliefs moved from the High Church views of The Whole Duty of Man to the more evangelical position of A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life. In 1754 he became curate of Clapham and was also elected lecturer of St Swithin, London Stone and St Alban, Wood Street.
From 1759 to 1771, Venn was vicar of Huddersfield Parish Church. In 1771 he exchanged to the living of Yelling, Huntingdonshire
Venn is remembered in the Church of England with a commemoration on 1 July.
Works
Venn was well known as the author of The Compleat Duty of Man (London, 1763), a work in which he intended to supplement the teaching embodied in the anonymous The Whole Duty of Man from an evangelical perspective.