Robert Alfred Vaughan (1823–1857) was an EnglishCongregationalist minister and author.
The eldest child ofRobert Vaughan, he was born atWorcester on 18 March 1823, a seven-months child who was frail. His father began his education, and he enteredUniversity College school, London, in 1836 at age 13. Passing on toUniversity College, he graduated B.A. at the age of 19 (1842) with classical honours, in London University. In 1843 he became a student at theLancashire Independent College, under his father's presidency.[1]
Having finished his course in Manchester, and become engaged to be married, Vaughan spent a session (1846–7) at theUniversity of Halle, coming under the influence ofJulius Müller andAugust Tholuck. At this time he thought his main object should be a series of ecclesiastical dramas to illustrate church history: Tholuck suggested the study of philosophy. Between June and October 1847 he travelled in Italy with his father. Early in 1848 he became assistant toWilliam Jay at Argyle Chapel,Bath. He expected to be ordained as colleague and successor to Jay, and resigned when difficulties were made about this; his engagement ended on 24 March 1850.[1]
Accepting a call from Ebenezer Chapel, Steelhouse Lane,Birmingham, Vaughan was ordained there on 8 September 1850. He was learning Spanish and Dutch (to add to French, German, and Italian) to gain access to writings ofmystics, and was contributing constantly to theBritish Quarterly. In the autumn of 1854 he visited Glasgow but declined a call to succeedRalph Wardlaw, returned home ill, and was laid up for two months withpleurisy. In the spring of 1855 symptoms of pulmonary disease were apparent; he resigned his charge, preaching his last sermon on 24 June.[1]
Vaughan was an invalid atBournemouth,St. John's Wood, andWestbourne Park, London. He died at 19 Alexander Street, Westbourne Park, on 26 October 1857.[1]
Vaughan's first publication wasThe Witch of Endor, and other Poems, 1844. His father set him on readingOrigen for an article for theBritish Quarterly; when published (October 1845) it won praise fromSir James Stephen andSir Thomas Noon Talfourd. To theLondon University Magazine he contributed in 1846 a dramatic pieceEdwin and Elgiva.[1]
While at Bath Vaughan wrote articles for theBritish Quarterly onSchleiermacher andSavonarola, and planned from 1849 his work on the mystics. In August 1855 he put to pressHours with the Mystics, indialogue form, published in March 1856, 2 vols.; an enlarged edition appeared in 1860, edited by his father; a third edition in 1880, edited by his son, Wycliffe Vaughan.[1]
In 1857 Vaughan was still contributing articles toFraser's Magazine and theBritish Quarterly. HisEssays and Remains were published in 1858, 2 vols. Some of his letters are inPositive Religion, 1857, edited by Edward White.[1]
About 1848 Vaughan married the only child of James Finlay of Newcastle upon Tyne.[1]
Attribution
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Lee, Sidney, ed. (1899). "Vaughan, Robert Alfred".Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 58. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
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