Thomas Hughes (priest)

Noted for his facility with languages, Islamic scholarship and contributions to the completion All Saints Memorial Church in Peshawar.

Born in the hamlet of Henley, near Ludlow, Shropshire, England, son of miller, Thomas Hughes.

Although this was the extent of his formal education he was awarded a number of honorary titles later in his career on the merit of his astounding literary accomplishments.

[2] At the age of 26, Hughes married Eliza Lloyd on 17 August 1864 at Manchester Cathedral; Canon Bardsley of St. Ann's Church officiated.

[3] The surviving children lived for a few years with their parents at Peshawar before being sent to England at age three, in part to avoid losing them also to illness.

Hughes was often separated from his family, as they were in England for a good part of their lives, but also because of the nature of his work – since he frequently was in his office, visiting in the Hujra, or on preaching journeys throughout the countryside surrounding Peshawar.

[1] Hughes and his wife originally set out for China;[1] however they never made it there and were instead posted in a city on the Indian frontier, Peshawar, where they remained for twenty years.

He would go to the villages, sending a delegation ahead of him to let the leaders know he was coming, and meet with the Imam(s) and the people to talk about the Christian and Islamic faiths.

The interior utilised local materials, designs and special handiwork, in accordance with Hughes' philosophy and practice.

Although the case was withdrawn by the alleged victim's lawyer as a probable blackmail attempt and dismissed by the assigned magistrate prior to trial, Hughes was the subject of a legal summons in June 1896 accused of assaulting a minor in his study at the church.

Thomas Patrick Hughes died aged 73 on 8 August 1911 at his home in Kings Park, Long Island.