John Rouse Bloxam
Encyclopedia
John Rouse Bloxam was an English academic and clergyman, the historian of Magdalen College, Oxford
.
on 25 April 1807, he was the sixth son of Richard Rouse Bloxam, D.D. (died 28 March 1840), under-master of Rugby School
for 38 years, and rector of Brinklow
and vicar of Bulkington
, both in Warwickshire
, who married Ann, sister of Sir Thomas Lawrence. All the six sons were foundationers at Rugby School, and all attended, as chief mourners, the funeral of Lawrence in St Paul's Cathedral
.
Bloxam was sent in 1814 to Rugby School, where he was a school-fellow of Roundell Palmer
, and obtained an exhibition at the University of Oxford
in 1826. He matriculated from Worcester College, Oxford
, on 20 May 1826, and was bible clerk there from that year to 1830. From 1830 to 1835 he held a demyship at Magdalen College, and graduated B.A. from that college on 9 February 1832, having been in the fourth (honorary) class in classics in 1831. He was ordained by the bishop of Oxford
deacon in 1832 and priest in 1833, and took the further degrees of M.A. in 1835, B.D. in 1843, and D.D. in 1847.
In July 1832 Bloxam became chaplain and classical master in the private school at Wyke House, near Brentford
, where Dr. Alexander Jamieson was principal, and from 1833 to 1836 he was second master at Bromsgrove School
. He was elected probationer fellow of Magdalen College in 1835, and came into residence in 1836. He served as pro-proctor of the university in 1841, and he held at his college the posts of junior dean of arts (1838 and 1840), bursar (1841, 1844, 1850, 1854, and 1859), vice-president (1847), dean of divinity (1849), and librarian (1851 to 1862).
From 1837 to February 1840 Bloxam was curate to John Henry Newman at Littlemore
. He was in full sympathy with the Tractarians, and well acquainted with William George Ward
. An accident introduced him to Ambrose Phillips de Lisle. They corresponded in 1841 and 1842 on a possible reunion of the Anglican and Roman churches. In 1842 he proposed going to Belgium to superintend the reprinting of the Sarum breviary. He continued to live at Oxford until 1862, where he was conspicuous as a striking figure.
Bloxam was appointed by his college to the vicarage of Upper Beeding
, near Steyning
in Sussex
, in February 1862, and vacated his fellowship in 1863. Newman paid several visits to him there, and he was probably the last of the cardinal's Oxford circle. Frederic Rogers, 1st Baron Blachford
called Bloxam "the grandfather of the ritualists". He died at Beeding Priory, Upper Beeding, on 21 January 1891, having enjoyed good health almost until the last, and was buried in Beeding churchyard. He is a prominent figure in William Holman Hunt
's picture of the ceremony on Magdalen College tower on May day morning.
Bloxam edited for the Caxton Society in 1851 the Memorial of Bishop Waynflete by Peter Heylyn, and he collected the series of documents entitled Magdalen College and James II, which was published by the Oxford Historical Society in 1886. He assisted Martin Routh in his 1852 edition of Gilbert Burnet
's Reign of James II. E. S. Byam dedicated to Bloxam the memoir of the Byam family (1854), and he assisted W. H. Payne Smith in editing the volume of M. H. Bloxam
's collections on Rugby, the School and Neighbourhood.
He possessed four volumes of Opuscula, containing many letters of Cardinal Newman and prints of persons at Oxford, which went to the manuscripts in Magdalen College Library.
Attribution
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
.
Life
Born at RugbyRugby, Warwickshire
Rugby is a market town in Warwickshire, England, located on the River Avon. The town has a population of 61,988 making it the second largest town in the county...
on 25 April 1807, he was the sixth son of Richard Rouse Bloxam, D.D. (died 28 March 1840), under-master of Rugby School
Rugby School
Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...
for 38 years, and rector of Brinklow
Brinklow
Brinklow is a village and parish in the Rugby district of Warwickshire, England. It is about halfway between Rugby and Coventry, and has a population of 1,041 ....
and vicar of Bulkington
Bulkington
Bulkington is a large village and former parish in the Nuneaton and Bedworth district of Warwickshire, UK. In the 2001 census it had a population of 6,303. It is located around north-east of Coventry, just east of the towns of Nuneaton and Bedworth and south-west of Hinckley...
, both in Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, who married Ann, sister of Sir Thomas Lawrence. All the six sons were foundationers at Rugby School, and all attended, as chief mourners, the funeral of Lawrence in St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
.
Bloxam was sent in 1814 to Rugby School, where he was a school-fellow of Roundell Palmer
Roundell Palmer, 1st Earl of Selborne
Roundell Palmer, 1st Earl of Selborne PC , was a British lawyer and politician. He served twice as Lord Chancellor of Great Britain.-Background and education:...
, and obtained an exhibition at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
in 1826. He matriculated from Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in the eighteenth century, but its predecessor on the same site had been an institution of learning since the late thirteenth century...
, on 20 May 1826, and was bible clerk there from that year to 1830. From 1830 to 1835 he held a demyship at Magdalen College, and graduated B.A. from that college on 9 February 1832, having been in the fourth (honorary) class in classics in 1831. He was ordained by the bishop of Oxford
Bishop of Oxford
The Bishop of Oxford is the diocesan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford in the Province of Canterbury; his seat is at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford...
deacon in 1832 and priest in 1833, and took the further degrees of M.A. in 1835, B.D. in 1843, and D.D. in 1847.
In July 1832 Bloxam became chaplain and classical master in the private school at Wyke House, near Brentford
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located at the confluence of the River Thames and the River Brent, west-southwest of Charing Cross. Its former ceremonial county was Middlesex.-Toponymy:...
, where Dr. Alexander Jamieson was principal, and from 1833 to 1836 he was second master at Bromsgrove School
Bromsgrove School
Bromsgrove School, founded in 1553, is a co-educational independent school in the Worcestershire town of Bromsgrove, England. The school has a long history and many notable former pupils.-History:...
. He was elected probationer fellow of Magdalen College in 1835, and came into residence in 1836. He served as pro-proctor of the university in 1841, and he held at his college the posts of junior dean of arts (1838 and 1840), bursar (1841, 1844, 1850, 1854, and 1859), vice-president (1847), dean of divinity (1849), and librarian (1851 to 1862).
From 1837 to February 1840 Bloxam was curate to John Henry Newman at Littlemore
Littlemore
Littlemore is a district of Oxford, England. It has a parish council that also represents parts of Rose Hill. It is about southeast of the city centre of Oxford, between Rose Hill, Blackbird Leys, Cowley, and Sandford-on-Thames.-History:...
. He was in full sympathy with the Tractarians, and well acquainted with William George Ward
William George Ward
William George Ward was an English Roman Catholic theologian and mathematician whose career illustrates the development of religious opinion at a time of crisis in the history of English religious thought....
. An accident introduced him to Ambrose Phillips de Lisle. They corresponded in 1841 and 1842 on a possible reunion of the Anglican and Roman churches. In 1842 he proposed going to Belgium to superintend the reprinting of the Sarum breviary. He continued to live at Oxford until 1862, where he was conspicuous as a striking figure.
Bloxam was appointed by his college to the vicarage of Upper Beeding
Upper Beeding
Upper Beeding is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the northern end of the River Adur gap in the South Downs four miles north of Shoreham-by-Sea and has a land area of 1877 hectares...
, near Steyning
Steyning
Steyning is a small town and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the north end of the River Adur gap in the South Downs, four miles north of Shoreham-by-Sea...
in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, in February 1862, and vacated his fellowship in 1863. Newman paid several visits to him there, and he was probably the last of the cardinal's Oxford circle. Frederic Rogers, 1st Baron Blachford
Frederic Rogers, 1st Baron Blachford
Frederic Rogers, 1st Baron Blachford , British civil servant, eldest son of Sir Frederick Leman Rogers, 7th Baronet , was born in London....
called Bloxam "the grandfather of the ritualists". He died at Beeding Priory, Upper Beeding, on 21 January 1891, having enjoyed good health almost until the last, and was buried in Beeding churchyard. He is a prominent figure in William Holman Hunt
William Holman Hunt
William Holman Hunt OM was an English painter, and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.-Biography:...
's picture of the ceremony on Magdalen College tower on May day morning.
Works
His Register of the Presidents, Fellows, Demies, Instructors in Grammar and in Music, Chaplains, Clerks, Choristers, and other Members of St. Mary Magdalen College, Oxford, came out in seven volumes, describing the choristers, chaplains, clerks, organists, instructors in grammar, and demies. Their publication began in 1853 and ended in 1881, and an index volume was issued by the college in 1885. His collections for the history of the fellows, presidents, and non-foundation members were left to the college, and on them the Rev. W. D. Macray based his Register of the Members of St. Mary Magdalen College, Oxford. The appendix to the third volume of E. M. Macfarlane's catalogue of the college library contains a Catalogus operum scriptorum vel editorum by its chief alumni which Bloxam had gathered together. In that library is a Book of Fragments, privately printed by him in 1842, which gives a series of extracts from various books on ecclesiastical rites, customs, &c. It ends abruptly at p. 286, having been discontinued on account of a similar publication entitled Hierurgia Anglicana brought out by the Cambridge Camden Society.Bloxam edited for the Caxton Society in 1851 the Memorial of Bishop Waynflete by Peter Heylyn, and he collected the series of documents entitled Magdalen College and James II, which was published by the Oxford Historical Society in 1886. He assisted Martin Routh in his 1852 edition of Gilbert Burnet
Gilbert Burnet
Gilbert Burnet was a Scottish theologian and historian, and Bishop of Salisbury. He was fluent in Dutch, French, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. Burnet was respected as a cleric, a preacher, and an academic, as well as a writer and historian...
's Reign of James II. E. S. Byam dedicated to Bloxam the memoir of the Byam family (1854), and he assisted W. H. Payne Smith in editing the volume of M. H. Bloxam
Matthew Bloxam
Matthew Holbeche Bloxam , a native of Rugby, Warwickshire, England, was an amateur archeologist and Warwickshire antiquary. He was the original source of the legend of William Webb Ellis inventing the game of Rugby football....
's collections on Rugby, the School and Neighbourhood.
He possessed four volumes of Opuscula, containing many letters of Cardinal Newman and prints of persons at Oxford, which went to the manuscripts in Magdalen College Library.
Attribution