Divine, inventor. B.A. Cambridge, 1821; M.A. 1826. Curate of Gillingham, Dorset, 1825-1829; vicar of Fordington, Dorset, 1829 to his death. For some years chaplain to troops in Dorchester barracks. As inventor, important for his discovery of "dry earth system" for disposal of sewage and excreta; patented the process. Also proposed plan for extracting gas from Kimmeridge shale (letters to the Times). Published verse, sermons and theological works, several accounts of the dry earth system, books concerning the welfare of the poor and the working class.

The H.W. article assigned to Moule discusses the Dorset peninsula known as Portland Island and seems to imply that the writer is a resident of Dorset, as Henry Moule was for more than fifty years. The writer's detailed account of the geological formation of Portland Island accords with Henry Moule's knowledge of earth structure. The Office Book payment record for the article reads "Cheque to Evans". Evans is probably Frederick Mullett Evans of the firm Bradbury & Evans, publishers of some of Moule's books and pamphlets. Moule, in 1824, had married Mary Mullett Evans.

Author: Anne Lohrli; © University of Toronto Press, 1971.

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography