William Cooper ( Anglican priest ) Canon William Henry Cooper ( 1833 or 34 - 1909 ) was a priest of the Church of England who founded St Luke ' s Hospital for the Clergy in London and the College of St Barnabas in Lingfield , Surrey . Early years . As A . Tindal Hart writes in his memoir ‘ William Henry Cooper ’ s origins are obscure . An Irish - man from the county of Tipperary in Southern Ireland , he undoubtedly sprang from an Anglo - Irish family with strong Church and Military tradition . ’ His exact date and place of birth is unknown , as well as the names of his parents . It however is certain , that he and his brother on leaving school went straight into the Army . William was commissioned as Ensign in the 2nd Royal Cheshire Militia on 5 May 1855 , shortly after his marriage by licence to Anna Matilda Wilson . By the time he had become a Lieutenant his thoughts were turning away from the prospect of a military career towards becoming ordained into the Church of Ireland . Missionary work . On 23 December 1860 he was ordained deacon by Bishop Robert Daly of Cashel in Waterford . Then , soon after being priested he wrote : ‘ I determined to offer myself for missionary work . ’ Cooper was accepted by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel , and after an interview with Bishop Perry of Melbourne , he and his wife sailed for Australia in April 1864 . Here he held services , visited families , built two churches and a parsonage , collected enough money for , and laid the foundations of , yet another church . Dr H . B . Macartney , Dean and Archdeacon of Melbourne , wrote : ‘ I have known the Revd W . H . Cooper for about five years . On his arrival in this colony , in the absence of the Lord Bishop , he undertook , at my request , what everyone regarded as the most arduous and difficult post in the diocese . . . He is active , zealous , laborious and enterprising , and is capable of gaining great influence over those with whom he comes into contact . ’ In June 1870 , Cooper began yet another strenuous ministry in the diocese of Christchurch , New Zealand . The considerable dangers involved in this new work are fully revealed by his reports , in one of which he commented : ‘ The many dangerous rivers were not bridged , and travelling on horseback , which was the only way of getting about the country , was attended by many dangers . I was three times swept off my horse fording the rivers , twice providentially preserved from being drowned . ’ Eventually he found that he could no longer ride a horse , and his doctor advised him to seek a change of climate , so in 1877 he returned to Australia . However with an ailing wife , and worn out by his own labours , his thoughts naturally turned back to his native land . At Home once more , Cooper became an SPG deputation preacher and lecturer . But his restless spirit would not let him rest for long in such a humdrum occupation , so in 1883 , he gladly volunteered for a special SPG mission to Canada . His tasks included caring for thousands of British emigrants as well as founding the Church Emigration Society . Cooper had to resign and return to England in 1889 , in consequence of his wife ’ s illness . Mrs Cooper died in 1891 . Soon after Anna ’ s death he must have met and married his second wife , but date , place and her name is unknown . Foundation of St Luke ’ s Hostel & the Homes of St Barnabas . 1892 the newly married couple began the two tasks that were to occupy the next eight years of their lives ; the founding of St Luke ’ s Hospital and the Homes of St Barnabas . By 1894 the St Luke ’ s Hostel and Nursing Home was established governed by the Council . He then went on to lay particular stress on something that had been in Cooper ’ s mind from the beginning , namely that convalescent homes might eventually be provided in the country . The idea of forming a community of retired Anglican clergy began in the mind of Canon William Cooper around 1890 . While visiting on the south coast , he and a friend discovered dozens of retired priests , without any income , living in Workhouses . He determined to do something , and set about the task of founding a new community , of which he was to become the first Warden . St Luke ’ s Council however felt they should be concentrated on establishing the Hostel itself on a firm basis before attempting to extend the scheme . There can be little doubt that this decision was the primary cause of Cooper ’ s resignation as Secretary in 1895 . He made up his mind to go ahead and with his rich and powerful friends , he would create such an institution independently of St Luke ’ s . It was several years before Cooper secured agreement to rent a house in Dormans Park , Surrey , and the first Resident was admitted in 1895 . As the number of Residents increased another house was rented and “ The Homes of St Barnabas ” were born . The time had come for a permanent home for the community . Cooper set about raising the funds to realise his vision , and , after substantial contributions were pledged , the present estate of some nine acres was purchased . He chose the site partly because of its mild climate and beautiful surroundings and partly because it is adjacent to Dormans Station and so within easy reach of London . The foundation stone of the building was laid in July 1900 and the West wing and administrative block were opened the following year . Over time the buildings continued to be developed with the addition of the East wing and an extension to the Chapel . By 1977 it was accepted that the original name was inadequate . It did not reflect the collegiate nature of the community ’ s lifestyle , neither did it do justice to the study in which many of the Residents continued to be engaged . So it was that the name was changed to become The College of St Barnabas . More about St Barnabas here . In the second century of its life the College is still functioning , and is now furnished with modern amenities such as broadband internet connections in Residents ’ rooms . The development has seen the substantial upgrading of the Nursing Wing from a ward to individual private rooms , the Cloisters to include en suite facilities , and the addition of further rooms for residential care . One of its well known Residents is The Revd Dr John Stott , ' a leader of the worldwide evangelical movement ' . After establishing the Homes of St Barnabas , Cooper and his wife sailed once more to Australia where he served for four years . Then , returning to England he was appointed Chaplain to the Landsdown Hospital in Bath . There he remained for two years , before finally retiring to ‘ Montpelier ’ , North Street , Worthing . In the Spring of 1909 , he fell seriously ill and at his own request , was taken to St Luke ’ s hostel , where he died on 13 April , aged seventy five years . His remains were cremated at Golders Green . Mrs Cooper continued to live at ‘ Montpelier ’ , North Street , Worthing , for some years after her husband ’ s demise , but her date of death , or place of burial is unknown . A . Tindal Hart notes in his memoir : ‘ Curiously enough , unlike other social reformers of this period , such as Dr Barnardo , his pioneering work in that field has gone largely unnoticed . There was little mention of it in the public media of the day , and no worthy obituary notices were forthcoming . Certainly there has never been a biography . It is to be hoped that this Memoir may at least do something to remedy the omission . ’