thumb|right|Portrait of Dr Robert Hawker, the most famous Vicar of the Charles Church

Robert Hawker (1753–1827) was an Anglican priest in Devon, vicar of Charles Church, Plymouth. Called "Star of the West" for his popular preaching, he was known as an evangelical and author. The Cornish poet Robert Stephen Hawker was his grandson.

Early life

Hawker was born in Exeter in 1753 to Jacob Hawker, a surgeon in Exeter. He was married aged 19 to Anna Rains, They had eight children altogether.

He preached in London every year and launched an early Sunday School hymn book; he also published the “Poor Man” series of commentaries at a low price, so that anyone could afford to buy them.

  • Zion's Pilgrim. Falmouth, 1801.
  • Zion's Warrior, or the Christian Soldier's Manual. 1802.
  • The Sailor Pilgrim. 2nd edition. London [1806?].
  • Life and Writings of the Rev. Henry Tanner of Exeter. London, 1807.
  • The Poor Man's Morning Portion, being a selection of a verses of Scripture, with short observations, for every day in the year. 2nd edition. London, 1809.
  • The Poor Man's Concordance and Dictionary to the Sacred Scriptures. London: Ebenezer Palmer, 1828.
  • The Poor Man's Evening Portion. 4th ed. 1819.
  • A Concordance and Dictionary to the Sacred Scriptures, both of the Old and New Testament. new edition, London, 1846.

His collected Works was published in 10 volumes in 1831.

References

  • Robert Hawker entry in the online Dictionary of National Biography, volume XXV, p. 216.

Further reading

  • Comb, George (1827) A Tribute of Respect to Departed Greatness: being the substance of a sermon, delivered on occasion of the decease of the Rev. Robert Hawker, D.D. Vicar of Charles, Plymouth, at Soho Chapel, Oxford Street, London, Lord's day evening, 15 April 1827. London: Ebenezer Palmer
  • Mutter, George (1827) Zion's Faithful Priest: a sermon, occasioned by the death of the late Rev. Robert Hawker, D.D. Vicar of Charles, Plymouth: delivered on Sunday evening, 22 April 1827, at the Broadway Church, St. Margaret's, Westminster / by the Rev. George Mutter, A.M. minister of Broadway Church. London: Ebenezer Palmer
  • Palmer, Ebenezer (1826) Prospectus of a handsome, uniform edition of the works of the Rev. Robert Hawker. London: printed for E. Palmer
  • Williams, John, minister of Stroud (1831) Memoirs of the Life and Writings of the Rev. Robert Hawker, D.D., late Vicar of Charles, Plymouth. London: E. Justins & Son, printers