Peter M. Gunnar - papers relating to his biography, 'Where He Leads, I Will Follow: the Life of Missionary Leader Rev. William Binnington Boyce, 1999.

MLMSS 8666

fonds

1999

414280

0.15 metres of textual material (1 box)

William Binnington Boyce (1804-1889), Wesleyan minister, theologian, philologist and administrator, was born on 9 November 1804 at Beverley, Yorkshire, England.
In 1846 Boyce went to Sydney as general superintendent for establishing the 'missions in Australia, Van Diemen's Land, the Friendly Islands and Feejee (Fiji)' as an Australian Conference. He presided at the Wesleyan District Meeting in York Street Chapel on 30 July 1846. In August 1847 he edited and published the weekly Gleaner.
Boyce was one of the original sixteen members of the Senate of the University of Sydney between 1851-59. Although Boyce envisaged three conferences for the Australian colonies and another for New Zealand and Polynesia, it was decided that all districts should assemble as a general conference Although Boyce indicated that he did not seek the first presidency, he was elected by the British Conference, which thereafter allowed local nominations. The first Australian Conference met in York Street Chapel on 18 January 1855. As president Boyce 'fought strenuously for Methodism's standing-place in educational matters'. He favoured state aid for denominational schools but also advocated co-operation with the government's National schools.
In Melbourne in 1856 at the second conference Boyce was re-elected. As president he visited England He became influential in moulding policy and in 1861 presided at the first conference of Eastern British America. When Boyce returned to Sydney in 1871 he retained his membership in the British Conference and gave his time mainly to literary pursuits. Among his other works he edited Memoirs of the Rev. William Shaw in 1874 and in 1878 printed for private circulation Six Lectures Upon the Old Testament. In 1881 he published The Higher Criticism and the Bible, a manual for students. His major work was Introduction to the Study of History (London, 1884); this reservoir of information provides insight into Boyce's character; as a pronounced Methodist theologian, his Christian sympathy was most catholic, anticipating 'a time when all distinctions so far as they separate good men will disappear'. He presented two thousand volumes from his own library to the Stanmore Wesleyan Theological Institute and in retirement regularly conducted services in the Toxteth Park Chapel near the Glebe. He died at the Glebe on 8 March 1889.

Reference:
Claughton, S. G., 'Boyce, William Binnington (1804–1889)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/boyce-william-binnington-3036/text4459, accessed 22 August 2012. (accessed 22/08.2012)

Collection of manuscript and research material compiled by Peter M. Gunnar in the process of writing a biography of the Rev. William Binnington Boyce. Includes typed manuscript with source notes and bibliography, ‘Where He leads me, I will follow: The life of Missionary Leader Rev. William Binnington Boyce’ by Peter M. Gunnar, 1999, photocopies of original research sources related to Boyce including photocopy of ‘Memoir of the Rev. William Shaw – late General Superintendent of the Wesleyan Missions in South-Eastern Africa (1875)’

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