James Hessey

James Augustus Hessey (17 July 1814 – 24 December 1892) was a British cleric and Headmaster of Merchant Taylors' School.

He was born in London, the eldest son of publisher James Augustus Hessey, of St. Bride's, City of London and was educated at Merchant Taylors' School and St. John's College, Oxford, where he was for some years a resident fellow and lecturer. He graduated B.A. in 1836, M.A. in 1840, B.D. in 1845 and D.C.L. in 1846.

In 1839, he was made vicar of Hellidon, Northamptonshire, appointed public examiner at Oxford in 1842 and select preacher in the university in 1849. From 1845 to 1870 he was headmaster of Merchant Taylors' School; and from 1850 to 1879 preacher of Gray's Inn. From 1872 to 1874 he was classical examiner for the Indian Civil Service, before being collated Archdeacon of Middlesex in 1875, a post he filled until his death in 1892.

He had married Emma F Cazenove, the daughter of Phillip Cazenove of Clapham whose sister Louisa married his brother William Henry Hessey (another sister Helen Emma married Ernest St George Cobbold born 1841, of the Suffolk brewery family), the father of Brigadier William Francis Hessey(1868-1939). They had no children.

Hessey wrote a number of religious texts, including:

In 1853 he edited the Institutio Linguae Sanctae of Victorinus Bythner.