Hugh Pearson was the son of
Hugh Nicholas Pearson (1776–1856), who was
Dean of Salisbury (1823–46). He was born in
Oxford and studied briefly at
Eton College, before moving on to
Harrow School, where he was Head Boy. He then attended
Balliol College, Oxford, where he obtained his
MA degree in 1841. Pearson was ordained a
Deacon in 1841 and became a
curate at
Withyham, near
Tunbridge Wells in the same year. The church as it can be seen today is largely
Victorian, with major
restoration started by
Henry Woodyer in 1852. Pearson was the brother of Henry Hugh Pierson (12 April 1815 – 28 January 1873) was an English composer resident from 1845 in Germany. Pearson was a close friend of
Arthur Penrhyn Stanley (1815–1881),
Dean of Westminster, who also attended Balliol College. In addition, many of Pearson's curates at Sonning were from Balliol. From 1876 until his death in 1882, Pearson was also a Canon of the Eleventh Stall at
St George's Chapel within
Windsor Castle, during the reign of
Queen Victoria. He collapsed on
Easter Sunday, during
Holy Communion, on 9 April 1882. ==Pearson Hall==