A native of Hamburg in Germany, butler became a popular preacher in London and a political pamphlet-writer supporting Lord North, the prime minister, at the time of the American Revolution. He was well-connected, his second marriage being to a daughter of Sir Charles Vernon, of Farnham in Surrey. After a period as bishop of Oxford, he was translated to Hereford. He spent some of his time at Bath and there exists in the cathedral library, a charming collection of letters to his wife, in which he describes the delights of ‘the season’ in Bath.
In 1802, Lord Nelson visited Hereford and the bishop wrote to him, regretting that he could not have him to stay at the Palace, due to his age and infirmity. He may well have had scruples of inviting Nelson to stay as he had Lady Hamilton accompanying him!