Benjamin Pulleyne, ''sometimes spelt'' Pullan (30 September 1785 – 20 October 1861), was a mathematician,

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

clergyman, fellow of

Clare College, Cambridge Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refounded ...

, and

schoolmaster The word schoolmaster, or simply master, refers to a male school teacher. This usage survives in British independent schools, both secondary and preparatory, and a few Indian boarding schools (such as The Doon School) that were modelled after B ...

. For almost fifty years he was the Master of

Gresham's School Gresham's School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent Day school, day and boarding school) in Holt, Norfolk, Holt, Norfolk, England, one of the top thirty International Bac ...

, then usually known as Holt Grammar School.

Born at

Scarborough, North Yorkshire Scarborough () is a seaside town in the Borough of Scarborough in North Yorkshire, England. Scarborough is located on the North Sea coastline. Historic counties of England, Historically in the North Riding of Yorkshire, the town lies between 10 ...

, the son of Benjamin Pullan, a merchant, and his wife Elizabeth,Marriages Solemnized at the Parish Church of Buckenham in the County of Norfolk, 1853,
No. 9, July 12, 1853
ancestry.co.uk, accessed 3 December 2020 the young Pulleyne (the spelling of the name he used for himself) was educated at

Wakefield Grammar School Queen Elizabeth Grammar School (QEGS) is an independent, public school for boys in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. The school was founded by Royal Charter of Queen Elizabeth I in 1591 at the request of leading citizens in Wakefield (headed ...

and was admitted to Clare College, Cambridge, on 2 February 1804."PULLAN (or PULLEYNE), Benjamin", in

John Venn John Venn, Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS, Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, FSA (4 August 1834 – 4 April 1923) was an English mathematician, logician and philosopher noted for introducing Venn diagrams, which are used in l ...

, ''

Alumni Cantabrigienses ''Alumni Cantabrigienses: A Biographical List of All Known Students, Graduates and Holders of Office at the University of Cambridge, from the Earliest Times to 1900'' is a biographical register of former members of the University of Cambridge whic ...

'' Part II. 1752–1900, Vol. V Pace – Spyers (1953)
p. 214
/ref> He was elected a Cave Scholar on 19 January 1805 and was

Senior Optime At the University of Cambridge in England, a "Wrangler" is a student who gains first-class honours in the final year of the university's degree in mathematics. The highest-scoring student is the Senior Wrangler, the second highest is the Secon ...

in 1808.Matthew Peacock, ''The History of Wakefield Grammar School'' (Milnes, 1892), p. 182: this calls him "Master of Holt Grammar School, Norfolk". He graduated BA in 1808, promoted by seniority to MA in 1811, and was a Fellow of his college from 1808 to 1809. Becoming a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

of the Church of England in 1808, he was ordained as a priest in 1810 by Henry Bathurst,

Bishop of Norwich The Bishop of Norwich is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Norwich in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers most of the county of Norfolk and part of Suffolk. The bishop of Norwich is Graham Usher. The see is in the ...

. This was at a time when most academics at Oxford were obliged to lead celibate lives in college and had to resign their fellowships if they wished to marry.

Pulleyne was Master of Holt Grammar School from 1809 to 1857, the salary for which was £200 a year. Having held the post for 48 years, he remains the school's longest-serving head since its foundation in 1555. He was also Vicar of

Sheringham Sheringham (; population 7,367) is an English seaside town within the county of Norfolk, United Kingdom.Ordnance Survey (2002). ''OS Explorer Map 252 - Norfolk Coast East''. . The motto of the town, granted in 1953 to the Sheringham Urban Distr ...

from 1825 until his death, and of Weybourne from 1845. John William Burgon, in ''The Life and Times of Sir Thomas Gresham'' (1839), says

Personal life

At the census of March 1851, Pulleyne was living at 38, Market Place, Holt, with his wife Rebecca, who was blind, his son Walter M. Pulleyne, aged 34, an

apothecary ''Apothecary'' () is a mostly archaic term for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses '' materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons, and patients. The modern chemist (British English) or pharmacist (British and North Ameri ...

, his daughter in law, his seven-year-old granddaughter Anne, and two servants. His wife, Rebecca Pulleyne, died at Holt on 13 March 1853. On 12 July of the same year, at

Buckenham Buckenham is a small village in the English county of Norfolk situated on the northern bank of the River Yare around south-east of Norwich. History Buckenham's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for Bucca's homestea ...

, Norfolk, Pulleyne married Mary Dinah Partridge, a farmer's daughter. Having retired from his school, Pulleyne then lived at Sheringham, where he died in October 1861. He left a widow, Mary Dinah."Pulleyne, the Reverend Benjamin", in ''Wills and Administrations 1861'' (England and Wales Probate Office, 1862)

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pulleyne Benjamin 1785 births 1861 deaths Alumni of Clare College, Cambridge 19th-century English Anglican priests Fellows of Clare College, Cambridge Headmasters of Gresham's School People educated at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield People from Scarborough, North Yorkshire People from Sheringham