Finally, the Bishop of Oxford, Samuel Wilberforce, rose to speak. Wilberforce had been briefed {or so it is generally assumed} by the ardent anti-Darwinian Richard Owen, who had been a guest in his home the night before. As nearly always with events that end in uproar, accounts of what exactly transpired vary widely. In the most popular version, Wilberforce, when properly in flow, turned to Huxley with a dry smile and demanded of him whether he claimed attachment to the apes by way of his grandmother or grandfather.
Samuel Wilberforce, the Bishop of Oxford, took the stage to address Darwin's theories, reportedly influenced by anti-Darwinian Richard Owen, who had stayed at his home the previous night. As expected in events that stir controversy, the accounts of the interaction varied significantly, highlighting the unreliability of firsthand testimonies during heated discussions.
In the most widely recounted scenario, Wilberforce cleverly questioned Thomas Huxley’s ancestry, jokingly asking if he derived from apes through his grandmother or grandfather. This moment became emblematic of the tension between science and religion during this period, showcasing the sharp wit and personal nature of the debate that surrounded Darwin's evolutionary theory.
