Henry Salt was christened Henry Shakespear Stephens Salt.
In Salt and His Circle (p. 20) Stephen Winsten states, “When Henry was born it was the soldier father who insisted on Shakespear as a suitable and inspiring Christian name. The other two names were selected by the mother, one after the founder of the Protestant religion in this country and the other after her favourite saint. She would never admit that the Henry of her son had any connection with that of her husband, for he also was Henry.”
As is typical with Winsten’s writings, there are no references given to support these claims. Regardless it would be hard to dispute the origin of the Shakespear middle name.
The favourite saint name is disproved by Henry Salt’s own writing. In his biography Company I Have Kept (p. 22), Salt states “… with a godfather, Mr. Stephens, I fared no better… all I eventually got from him was his name Stephens.”
As for Salt’s other Christian name being after Henry VIII, there is no supporting evidence and Salt himself never once referes to it. The relations between his parents at the time of his christening weren’t as strained as in later year; they would go on to have another child. Winsten’s claim appears highly implausible to say the least.