He was the sixth son of Henry Hawkins of Lawrence End, parish of
Kimpton, Hertfordshire, and major in the
East India Company's service, by Anne, only child of John Gurney of
Bedford, a merchant. He was born at Lawrence End on 25 January 1802, and educated at Bedford. He matriculated at
Balliol College, Oxford, on 19 April 1820, and took his B.A. in 1824, M.A. in 1827, and his B.D. on 14 June 1839. On his ordination Hawkins became curate to the Rev. Joseph Gould of
Burwash,
Sussex, and then travelled on the continent with a pupil. He returned to Oxford as a fellow of
Exeter College on 26 December 1831, when he acted as an under-librarian of the
Bodleian Library, and served the curacy of St. Aldate in the city of Oxford. Leaving Oxford about 1835 he undertook the curacy of
St George's, Bloomsbury, London. of
St Paul's Cathedral, and in 1850 minister of
Curzon Chapel, Mayfair. While he was secretary of the SPG the income of the society grew, and there was an increase of the colonial episcopate from eight to 47
sees. During 1859 Hawkins served as vice-president of the
Bishop's College in
Cape Town. He retired from his secretaryship in 1864, and was promoted by the crown on 7 November to a canonry at Westminster, vacated for him by
William Bentinck,
Archdeacon of Westminster. Among his close friends were
Francis Fulford,
John Medley, bishop of Fredericton; and
Edward Feild. Hawkins died at 20 Dean's Yard, Westminster, on 5 October 1868, and was buried in the cloisters of the abbey on 12 Oct. He had married, 20 July 1852, Sophia Anna, daughter of John Henry George Lefroy, rector of
Ashe, Hampshire. ==Works==