PM minister, born at Kirmington, Lincs on 8 June 1838. Accepted for the ministry by the General Missionary Committee, he was sent to South Molton in March 1859. In the few months he was there membership rose from 44 to 68 and a chapel was built, the first of many for which he was responsible 'as superintendent or designer'. These included Upton Lane, Forest Gate; Warham Street, Kennington; Robert Street, Plumstead; West Ham (1894) amd probably Quicks Road, Wimbledon; and, further afield, Cirencester WM (1896). He served as secretary to the District Building Committee in both the Manchester and the London Second District. He took a special interest in the Alresford Orphans' House and was a member of its management committee. He died on 3 January 1903.
His son, Richard Spalding Wray (1864-1889) was born on 31 October 1864. He was educated at Elmfield College and at at the Normal School of Science in South Kensington, where he obtained a BSc. Influenced by the teachings of Professor T.H. Huxley, he became an assistant to Professor Flowers at the Natural History Museum in the preparation of biological exhibits. A 'neat-handed dissector [and] excellent draftsman', his drawings are in the Natural History Museum Collection. In 1887 he had three papers on the structure of wings and feathers published in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society. He was a member at East Street PM chapel, Walworth. His promising career was cut short by his early death on 12 February 1889.
'A man of quiet bearing and few words, he possessed a big heart, had a quick, clear, sound judgment, an infinite capacity for detail, an aptitude for steady, plodding industry, an incapacity for petty jealousy or scheming for personal advantage... a strong attachment to the practical rather than the mystical.'
(Obituary of William Wray in PM Minutes, 1903, pp.42-4)
Entry written by: DCD and JAV
Category: Person
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