HOWSON

howson, john saul (1816-1885), english divine, was born at giggleswick-in-craven, yorkshire, on the 5th of may 1816. after receiving his early education at giggleswick school, of which his father was head-master, he went to trinity college, cambridge, and there became tutor successively to the marquis of sligo and the marquis of lorne. in 1845 howson, having taken orders, accepted the post of senior classical master at the liverpool college under his friend w. j. conybeare, whom he succeeded as principal in 1849. this post he held until 1865, and it was largely due to his influence that a similar college for girls was established at liverpool. in 1866 he left liverpool for the vicarage of wisbech, and in 1867 he was appointed dean of chester cathedral, where he gave himself vigorously to the work of restoring the crumbling fabric, collecting nearly l100,000 in five years for this purpose. his sympathies were with the evangelical party, and he stoutly opposed the "eastward position," but he was by no means narrow. he did much to reintroduce the ministry of women as deaconesses. the building of the king's school for boys, and the queen's school for girls (both in chester), was due in a great measure to the active interest which he took in educational matters. he died at bournemouth on the 15th of december 1885, and was buried in the cloister garth of chester. howson's chief literary production was _the life and epistles of st paul_ (1852) in which he collaborated with conybeare. the book is still of interest, especially for its descriptive passages, which were mostly done by howson; but later researches (such as those of sir w. m. ramsay) have made the geographical and historical sections obsolete, and the same may be said of the treatment of the pauline theology. howth [pronounced _hoth_], a seaside town of co. dublin, ireland, on the rocky hill of howth, which forms the northern horn of dublin bay, 9 m. n.e. by n. of dublin by the great northern railway. pop. (1901) 1166. it is frequented by the residents of the capital as a watering-place. the artificial harbour was formed (1807-1832) between the mainland and the picturesque island of ireland's eye, and preceded kingstown as the station for the mail-packets from great britain, but was found after its construction to be liable to silt, and is now chiefly used by fishing-boats and yachts. the collegiate church, standing picturesquely on a cliff above the sea, was founded about 1235, and has a monastic building attached to it. the embattled castle contains the two-handed sword of sir almeric tristram, the anglo-norman conqueror of the hill of howth, and a portrait of dean swift holding one of the drapier letters, with wood, the coiner against whom he directed these attacks, prostrate before him. the view of dublin bay from the hill of howth is of great beauty. howth is connected with the capital by electric tramway, besides the railway, and another tramway encircles the hill.