William Henry Besant

William Henry Besant FRS (1 November 1828 – 2 June 1917) was a British mathematician, brother of novelist Walter Besant.

William was born in Portsea, Portsmouth on 1 November 1828. According to William's brother Walter, their father "tried many things. For some time he was in very low water; then he got up again and settled in a quiet office. He was not a pushing man, nor did he know how to catch at opportunities. Mostly he waited. Meanwhile, he was a studious man, whose chief delight was in reading... He was never in the least degree moved by the Calvinistic fanaticism of the time... Although regular in attendance at Church, he never ventured to present himself at Holy Communion."

Walter also wrote that their mother "was a New Forest girl, born and brought up in a village called Dibden near Hythe and Beaulieu (Bewlay). The church stands actually in a forest... My mother was the youngest of a large family. During her childhood she ran about on the outskirts of the Forest, catching and riding bareback ponies, and drinking in the folklore and old-wife wisdom of that sequestered district...Her father was by trade a builder, contractor, and architect...My mother was the cleverest woman I have ever known: the quickest witted; the surest and safest in her judgements; the most prophetic for those she loved; the most far-seeing…The comfort of the house, the well-being of the children, were alike due to my mother’s genius for administration. Imagine, if you can, her pride and joy when her eldest child, her eldest son, took prizes and scholarships at Cambridge."

The boys attended Saint Paul's Grammar School. "My brother, the best man that ever came out of the school, was the captain in 1846, going to Cambridge in October of the year."

In a competition, William won a scholarship to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge in 1844. He took part in Cambridge Mathematical Tripos in 1850, gaining the title of Senior Wrangler. He was also winner of Smith's Prize. But then, as Walter explained, he needed a rest:

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