William Penny Brookes [SEP] date of death
William Penny Brookes
William Penny Brookes (13 August 1809 – 11 December 1895) was an English surgeon, magistrate, botanist, and educationalist especially known for inspiring the modern Olympic Games, the Wenlock Olympian Games and for his promotion of physical education and personal betterment.
Motivated by the plight of the working classes, he founded the Wenlock Agricultural Reading Society (WARS) in 1841 for the "diffusion of useful knowledge" which included a library for working-class subscribers. Interest groups called "classes" met at the
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- Beale, Catherine (2011). "Born out of Wenlock, William Penny Brookes and the British origins of the modern Olympics". Derby: DB Publishing. .
- Furbank, Muriel; Cromarty, Helen; McDonald, Glyn (1996). "William Penny Brookes and the Olympic Connection". Much Wenlock: Wenlock Olympian Society.
- Mullins, Sam (1986). "British Olympians: William Penny Brookes and the Wenlock Games". London: Birmingham Olympic Council.
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