Henry Solly

Henry Solly (17 November 1813 – 27 February 1903) was an English social reformer. William Beveridge said of him: "He was a restless, inventive, constructive spirit, part author of at least three large living movements; charity organisation, working men's clubs, and garden cities".

Life He was the son of Isaac Solly, a merchant in the Baltic trade. He became a Chartist. This led to plans for the Charity Organization Society.

In 1884 Solly founded the Society for the Promotion of Industrial Villages. Although this was a failure, it led to Sir Ebenezer Howard's Garden City movement.

He spent the first half of his adult life as a Unitarian minister, and after he left the profession, continued to worship at Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel.

Family Solly had four daughters, one of whom married Philip Wicksteed, and one son, who wrote the biography of Henry Morley. One of his students, Anna Evans, who stayed with his family later achieved fame under the pen name "Allen Raine".