2018 Mayor of Dover Councillor Sue Jone makes Rev'd Michael Hinton
an Honorary Freeman of Dover
Father Michael Hinton, well known in Dover for his Christian work, died peacefully on Thursday (22nd October) at his home in Sussex to where he had retired. He was 92.
Michael, a former parish priest at Shepherdswell and Coldred, was an Honorary Freeman of Dover, and headmaster of Dover Grammar School for Boys for eight years until 1968.
He was born in Bristol in 1927 and early in life decided to train to be a teacher. At Merton College, Oxford (where he completed his Ph.D) he continued his interest in the Scouting movement and years later was appointed the Scouts' district commissioner in the Dover area.
In 1981 Michael began training for the priesthood and so much did he enjoy that career path that he decided to take early retirement from teaching in 1984. During his teaching career he, at different times, was also headmaster of Sevenoaks School and three combined schools in Weston-super-Mare.
Michael was the author of several books and his "best seller," The Hundred-Minute Bible, helped readers to speedily understand sections of the Bible.This small paperback sold in millions, was translated and distributed throughout much of the world. It is even published in a Persian edition. His booklet Ethics is also still widely read in sixth forms of UK schools.
He said: My eight years at Dover Grammar School were so happy that, after I retired, I decided to return to the area." He and his wife Jean (who died before him) lived for a number of years at The Gateway on Dover sea front.
He served at one stage as a Reader at River church but for much of his later life he was a member of the St Mary-the-Virgin community in Dover where he regularly preached.
Looking back over his life Michael told the writer of this obituary: "My life has taught me the elementary but profound lesson of life is what really matters is love. When other things have been taken away, nothing is really lost so long as love remains."
Written by Terry Sutton