John Wordsworth
Encyclopedia
The Right Reverend John Wordsworth (1843-1911) was an English prelate. He was born at Harrow on the Hill, to the Reverend (later Right Reverend) Christopher Wordsworth
, nephew of the poet William Wordsworth
. He was born into a clerical family: his father was to become Bishop of Lincoln
, his uncle, the Right Reverend Charles Wordsworth
, Bishop of Saint Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane
, and his grandfather, the Reverend Dr Christopher Wordsworth
had been Master of Trinity College, Cambridge
.
John Wordsworth was a precocious child, the third in a family of seven and the elder of two brothers. His younger brother Christopher was to become a noted liturgical scholar, and his eldest sister Elizabeth
a pioneer of women's higher education. He studied at Winchester College
and New College, Oxford
, where he was awarded a First
in Classical Moderations
(1863) and a Second
in Greats
(1865) (MA
1868). He became an Assistant Master at Wellington College
in 1866. In the following year he was elected Craven Scholar and a Fellow of Brasenose College, Oxford
and was ordained
in the Church of England
. He was Select Preacher before the University of Oxford
in 1876 and 1888, Grinfield Lecturer on the Septuagint 1876–78, and Bampton Lecturer
in 1881. From 1883 until 1885 he held concurrently the positions of Oriel Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture
and Fellow of Oriel at Oxford
and Canon
of Rochester Cathedral
. He had already been appointed a Prebendary
of Lincoln Cathedral
in 1870 and Whitehall Preacher in 1879.
In 1885, at the age of 42, he became Bishop of Salisbury
.
Three years into his term of office at Salisbury, Bishop John inaugurated the Salisbury Church Day School Association. Salisbury had reached a time of educational and political crisis and the Association set about the task of raising the £14,000 necessary to build three new primary schools and to add an infants' department to the existing St Thomas’ School, thus accommodating another 1,121 children. In addition the Bishop founded his own school at a cost of £3,000, entirely at his own expense. He purchased a piece of land adjoining the grounds of the palace and started building in 1889. Whilst building work was being completed, the Bishop started his school in January 1890 in his own palace, the pupils moving to their new building in April 1890 when the new school was officially opened. The school was known at the time as the Bishop's School, being renamed the year after the Bishop's death as "Bishop Wordsworth's School
".
John Wordsworth was married twice, first to Susan Esther Coxe (1870), daughter of the Bodleian librarian Henry Octavius Coxe
, who died at the palace in 1894 and then to Mary Anne Frances Williams (1896). There were four sons and two daughters to his second marriage. The Bishop undertook three major foreign visits during his episcopacy, the first to New Zealand
as he recovered from the death of his first wife and the others to Sweden in 1909 and to America in 1910. He died at the palace on the 16th August 1911, working right up to the very end. A friend, Canon Woodall, remembering a conversation held some years before recalls:
"Some years ago.....when walking with him on the site of the present St Mark’s School he said 'I should like to see Salisbury a great educational centre. I should like to found a school which shall be equal to the greatest and best of our public schools
.'" The school's motto – and his father's epitaph – "Veritas in Caritate" survives him to the present day.
Christopher Wordsworth
Christopher Wordsworth was an English bishop and man of letters.-Life:Wordsworth was born in London, the youngest son of the Rev. Dr. Christopher Wordsworth, Master of Trinity and a nephew of the poet William Wordsworth...
, 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 born into a clerical family: his father was to become 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...
, his uncle, the Right Reverend 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...
, and his grandfather, the Reverend Dr Christopher Wordsworth
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...
had been Master of Trinity College, 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...
.
John Wordsworth was a precocious child, the third in a family of seven and the elder of two brothers. His younger brother Christopher was to become a noted liturgical scholar, and his eldest sister 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...
a pioneer of women's higher education. He studied at Winchester College
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 New College, Oxford
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
, where he was awarded a First
British undergraduate degree classification
The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading scheme for undergraduate degrees in the United Kingdom...
in Classical Moderations
Honour Moderations
Honour Moderations are a first set of examinations at Oxford University in England during the first part of the degree course for some courses ....
(1863) and a Second
British undergraduate degree classification
The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading scheme for undergraduate degrees in the United Kingdom...
in Greats
Literae Humaniores
Literae Humaniores is the name given to an undergraduate course focused on Classics at Oxford and some other universities.The Latin name means literally "more humane letters", but is perhaps better rendered as "Advanced Studies", since humaniores has the sense of "more refined" or "more learned",...
(1865) (MA
Master of Arts (Oxbridge)
In the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin, Bachelors of Arts of these universities are admitted to the degree of Master of Arts or Master in Arts on application after six or seven years' seniority as members of the university .There is no examination or study required for the degree...
1868). He became an Assistant Master at Wellington College
Wellington College, Berkshire
-Former pupils:Notable former pupils include historian P. J. Marshall, architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, impressionist Rory Bremner, Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge, author Sebastian Faulks, language school pioneer John Haycraft, political journalist Robin Oakley, actor Sir Christopher...
in 1866. In the following year he was elected Craven Scholar and a Fellow of Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, originally Brazen Nose College , is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. As of 2006, it has an estimated financial endowment of £98m...
and was ordained
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
in the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. He was Select Preacher before 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 1876 and 1888, Grinfield Lecturer on the Septuagint 1876–78, and Bampton Lecturer
Bampton Lectures
The Bampton Lectures at the University of Oxford, England, were founded by a bequest of John Bampton,. They have taken place since 1780.They were a series of annual lectures; since the turn of the 20th century they have typically been biennial. They continue to concentrate on Christian theological...
in 1881. From 1883 until 1885 he held concurrently the positions of Oriel Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture
Oriel Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture
The Oriel Professor of the Interpretation of the Holy Scripture at the University of Oxford is an old-established professorial position.The Oriel Professor is ex officio a Fellow of Oriel College....
and Fellow of Oriel at 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...
and Canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
of Rochester Cathedral
Rochester Cathedral
Rochester Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a Norman church in Rochester, Kent. The bishopric is second oldest in England after Canterbury...
. He had already been appointed a Prebendary
Prebendary
A prebendary is a post connected to an Anglican or Catholic cathedral or collegiate church and is a type of canon. Prebendaries have a role in the administration of the cathedral...
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...
in 1870 and Whitehall Preacher in 1879.
In 1885, at the age of 42, he became 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...
.
Three years into his term of office at Salisbury, Bishop John inaugurated the Salisbury Church Day School Association. Salisbury had reached a time of educational and political crisis and the Association set about the task of raising the £14,000 necessary to build three new primary schools and to add an infants' department to the existing St Thomas’ School, thus accommodating another 1,121 children. In addition the Bishop founded his own school at a cost of £3,000, entirely at his own expense. He purchased a piece of land adjoining the grounds of the palace and started building in 1889. Whilst building work was being completed, the Bishop started his school in January 1890 in his own palace, the pupils moving to their new building in April 1890 when the new school was officially opened. The school was known at the time as the Bishop's School, being renamed the year after the Bishop's death as "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...
".
John Wordsworth was married twice, first to Susan Esther Coxe (1870), daughter of the Bodleian librarian Henry Octavius Coxe
Henry Octavius Coxe
Henry Octavius Coxe was an English librarian and scholar.The eighth son of Rev. Richard Coxe & Susan Smith, he was educated at Westminster School and Worcester College, Oxford...
, who died at the palace in 1894 and then to Mary Anne Frances Williams (1896). There were four sons and two daughters to his second marriage. The Bishop undertook three major foreign visits during his episcopacy, the first to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
as he recovered from the death of his first wife and the others to Sweden in 1909 and to America in 1910. He died at the palace on the 16th August 1911, working right up to the very end. A friend, Canon Woodall, remembering a conversation held some years before recalls:
"Some years ago.....when walking with him on the site of the present St Mark’s School he said 'I should like to see Salisbury a great educational centre. I should like to found a school which shall be equal to the greatest and best of our public schools
Public School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
.'" The school's motto – and his father's epitaph – "Veritas in Caritate" survives him to the present day.
Works
- The Gospel according to St. Matthew: from the St. Germain MS (g1), now numbered Lat. 11553 in the National Library at Paris (1883)
- Fragments and specimens of early Latin (1887)
- Old Latin biblical Texts, Oxford 1886.
- Nouum Testamentum Domini nostri Iesu Christi latine: secundum editionem sancti Hieronymi ad Codicum Manuscriptorum (1889)
- Nouum Testamentum latine: secundum editionem (1911)