Christopher Wordsworth
Encyclopedia
Christopher Wordsworth was an English
bishop and man of letters.
, the youngest son of the Rev. Dr. Christopher Wordsworth, Master of Trinity
and a nephew of the poet William Wordsworth
. He was the younger brother of the classical scholar John Wordsworth
and Charles Wordsworth
, Bishop of Saint Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane
. He was educated at Winchester
and Trinity, Cambridge
. Like his brother Charles, he was distinguished as an athlete as well as for scholarship. He won the Chancellor's Gold Medal
for poetry in 1827 and 1828.
He became senior classic, and was elected a fellow and tutor of Trinity in 1830; shortly afterwards he took holy orders. He went for a tour in Greece
in 1832-1833, and published various works on its topography
and archaeology
, the most famous of which is "Wordsworth's" Greece (1839). In 1836 he became Public Orator at Cambridge, and in the same year was appointed Headmaster of Harrow
, a post he resigned in 1844. In 1844 Sir Robert Peel appointed him as a Canon of Westminster
(1844–1869). He was Vicar of Stanford in the Vale
, Berkshire
(1850–1869) and Archdeacon of Westminster (1864–1869). In 1869 Benjamin Disraeli appointed him Bishop of Lincoln
which he retained until his death in 1885.
He was a man of fine character, with a high ideal of ecclesiastical duty, and he spent his money generously on church objects.
. His Inscriptiones Pompeianae (1837) was an important contribution to epigraphy. He also wrote several hymns (Hymns Ancient and Modern New Standard contains seven) of which perhaps the best known is the Easter hymn 'Alleluia, Alleluia, hearts to heaven and voices raise'.
(1843–1911), was Bishop of Salisbury
, founder of Bishop Wordsworth's School
, Salisbury
, and author of Fragments of Early Latin (1874); the eldest daughter, Elizabeth
(1840–1932), was the founder (in 1878) of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford
and its first principal in 1879. His daughter Dora married Edward Tucker Leeke
, Canon and sub-dean of Lincoln Cathedral
. His younger son Christopher (1848–1938) was a noted liturgical scholar.
His Life, by J. H. Overton and Elizabeth Wordsworth, was published in 1888.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
bishop and man of letters.
Life
Wordsworth was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the youngest son of the Rev. Dr. Christopher Wordsworth, Master of Trinity
Christopher Wordsworth (Trinity)
Christopher Wordsworth , was an English divine and scholar.Born in Cockermouth, Cumberland, he was the youngest brother of the poet William Wordsworth, and was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he became a fellow in 1798.Twelve years later he received the degree of DD...
and a nephew of the poet William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with the 1798 joint publication Lyrical Ballads....
. He was the younger brother of the classical scholar John Wordsworth
John Wordsworth (scholar)
-Life:He was born at Lambeth on 1 July 1805, the son of Christopher Wordsworth and nephew of William Wordsworth. He was educated at a school at Woodford, Essex, kept by Dr. Holt Okes , and at Winchester College ....
and Charles Wordsworth
Charles Wordsworth
The Reverend Charles Wordsworth, M.A. was bishop of Bishop of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane in Scotland. He was a classical scholar, and taught at a public schools in England and Scotland...
, Bishop of Saint Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane
Diocese of Saint Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane
The Diocese of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane is one of the seven dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church. It is centred on St Ninian's Cathedral in Perth, and covers Fife, Perth and Kinross, Clackmannanshire, and eastern and central Stirling...
. He was educated at Winchester
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
and Trinity, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
. Like his brother Charles, he was distinguished as an athlete as well as for scholarship. He won the Chancellor's Gold Medal
Chancellor's Gold Medal
The Chancellor's Gold Medal is a prestigious annual award at Cambridge University for poetry, paralleling Oxford University's Newdigate prize. It was first presented by Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh during his time as Chancellor of the University of Cambridge...
for poetry in 1827 and 1828.
He became senior classic, and was elected a fellow and tutor of Trinity in 1830; shortly afterwards he took holy orders. He went for a tour in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
in 1832-1833, and published various works on its topography
Topography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
and archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
, the most famous of which is "Wordsworth's" Greece (1839). In 1836 he became Public Orator at Cambridge, and in the same year was appointed Headmaster of Harrow
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
, a post he resigned in 1844. In 1844 Sir Robert Peel appointed him as a Canon of Westminster
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
(1844–1869). He was Vicar of Stanford in the Vale
Stanford in the Vale
Stanford in the Vale is a large village and civil parish about south-east of Faringdon and north-west of Wantage in the Vale of White Horse. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred the Vale of White Horse to Oxfordshire....
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
(1850–1869) and Archdeacon of Westminster (1864–1869). In 1869 Benjamin Disraeli appointed him Bishop of Lincoln
Bishop of Lincoln
The Bishop of Lincoln is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury.The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. The Bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral...
which he retained until his death in 1885.
He was a man of fine character, with a high ideal of ecclesiastical duty, and he spent his money generously on church objects.
Works
As a scholar he is best known for his edition of the Greek New Testament (1856–1860), and the Old Testament (1864–1870), with commentaries; but his writings were many in number, and included a volume of devotional verse, The Holy Year (1862), Church History up to A.D. 451 (1881–1883), and Memoirs of his uncle, William Wordsworth (1851), to whom he was literary executorLiterary executor
A literary executor is a person with decision-making power in respect of a literary estate. According to Wills, Administration and Taxation: a practical guide "A will may appoint different executors to deal with different parts of the estate...
. His Inscriptiones Pompeianae (1837) was an important contribution to epigraphy. He also wrote several hymns (Hymns Ancient and Modern New Standard contains seven) of which perhaps the best known is the Easter hymn 'Alleluia, Alleluia, hearts to heaven and voices raise'.
- The New Testament ... in the Original Greek: With Notes by C. Wordsworth. [With] an Index to the Introductions and Notes, by John Twycross, 2 Vols.
Books
- Athens and Attica, 1836
- Ancient Writings Copied from the Walls of Pompeii, 1837
- Greece, Pictoral, Descriptive, and Historical, 1839
- Theophilus Anglicanus, 1843
- On the Canon of the Scriptures, 1848
- Lectures on the Apocalypse, 1849
- Memoirs of William Wordsworth, 1851
- Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1856–70
- The Holy Year; or Hymns for Sundays and Holydays Throughout the Year, and for Other Occasions, 1863
- Church History, 1881–83
Hymns
- Alleluia! Alleluia! Hearts to Heaven and Voices Raise
- Arm These Thy Soldiers, Mighty Lord
- Father of All, from Land and Sea
- Gracious Spirit, Holy Ghost
- Hallelujah! Christ Is Risen
- Hark! the Sound of Holy Voices
- Heav’nly Father, Send Thy Blessing
- Holy, Holy, Holy Lord
- Lord, Be Thy Word My Rule
- O Day of Rest and Gladness
- O Lord of Heaven and Earth and Sea
- O Lord, Our Strength in Weakness
- See, the Conqueror Mounts in Triumph
- Sing, O Sing, This Blessed Morn
- Songs of Thankfulness and Praise
- The Day Is Gently Sinking to a Close
- The Grave Itself a Garden Is
Family
In 1838 Wordsworth married Susanna Hartley Frere (d. 1884) and had seven children. The elder son, JohnJohn Wordsworth
The Right Reverend John Wordsworth was an English prelate. He was born at Harrow on the Hill, to the Reverend Christopher Wordsworth, nephew of the poet William Wordsworth...
(1843–1911), was Bishop of Salisbury
Bishop of Salisbury
The Bishop of Salisbury is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset...
, founder of Bishop Wordsworth's School
Bishop Wordsworth's School
Bishop Wordsworth's School is a Church of England boys' day grammar school located in Salisbury, England. In 2010, there were 748 pupils aged between 11 and 18. The school is regularly amongst the top-performing schools in England, and in 2011 was the top school performer for the English...
, Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
, and author of Fragments of Early Latin (1874); the eldest daughter, Elizabeth
Elizabeth Wordsworth
Dame Elizabeth Wordsworth was the great-niece of the poet William Wordsworth. She was the daughter of Christopher Wordsworth, Bishop of Lincoln, and the sister of John Wordsworth, Bishop of Salisbury and Christopher Wordsworth, a liturgical scholar.Educated at home, she learned several modern...
(1840–1932), was the founder (in 1878) of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford
Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford
Lady Margaret Hall is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, located at the end of Norham Gardens in north Oxford. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £34m....
and its first principal in 1879. His daughter Dora married Edward Tucker Leeke
Edward Tucker Leeke
The Reverend Edward Tucker Leeke was a British clergyman and scholar. He was Canon and sub-dean of Lincoln Cathedral.The son of Revd. William Leeke, the Waterloo veteran and historian, Edward Tucker Leeke was born in 1842....
, Canon and sub-dean of Lincoln Cathedral
Lincoln Cathedral
Lincoln Cathedral is a historic Anglican cathedral in Lincoln in England and seat of the Bishop of Lincoln in the Church of England. It was reputedly the tallest building in the world for 249 years . The central spire collapsed in 1549 and was not rebuilt...
. His younger son Christopher (1848–1938) was a noted liturgical scholar.
His Life, by J. H. Overton and Elizabeth Wordsworth, was published in 1888.