Edmund Langley Hirst was born on 21 July 1898 in Preston, Lancashire, and he died in Edinburgh on 29 October 1975. He was the elder son of the Reverend Sim Hirst and Elizabeth Hirst nee Langley). His father’s family had been established in Clayton, near Bradford, Yorkshire for two or three generations. His grandfather and several uncles worked in the woollen mills while other uncles were well known as shopkeepers in Clayton. All this branch of the family were Nonconformists and strong supporters of the local Baptist church. Hirst’s mother was the daughter of Joseph and Mary Langley of Liverpool where Joseph was a flour-merchant and baker. She was born in 1869 and was educated privately, showing a flair for languages. She married Sim in 1897 and survived her husband for many years, dying in March 1955. Her family came from mixed Welsh and North Country stock and had farmed land near Shap for many years. They were all Church of England in religion and his mother retained her C. of E. allegiance although attending her husband´s church and acting fully as a minister’s wife. Hirst was always proud ot the fact that owing to tolerance and understanding on both sides, no hint of any difficulty over religious matters ever disturbed their marriage. Apart from a school teacher cousin, Hirst could not recall that any relatives had achieved academic distinction or prominence in public life. He was perhaps in consequence very proud of the achievements of his brother Sim.

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsbm.1976.0006

Elizabeth Percival

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Edmund Langley Hirst. 21 July 1898 -- 29 October 1975