Edward Edwards (c. 1726 – 2 September 1783) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

scholar and

clergyman Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

. He was a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship S ...

for over thirty-five years, and was vice-principal for more than twenty years. His particular scholastic interest was in the works of the Greek philosopher

Xenophon Xenophon of Athens (; grc, Ξενοφῶν ; – probably 355 or 354 BC) was a Greek military leader, philosopher, and historian, born in Athens. At the age of 30, Xenophon was elected commander of one of the biggest Greek mercenary armies o ...

Life

Edwards was the son of Lewis Edwards and was born in Talgarth in the parish of

Tywyn Tywyn (Welsh: ; in English often ), formerly spelled Towyn, is a town, community, and seaside resort on the Cardigan Bay coast of southern Gwynedd, Wales. It was previously in the historic county of Merionethshire. It is famous as the lo ...

Merionethshire , HQ= Dolgellau , Government= Merionethshire County Council (1889-1974) , Origin= , Status= , Start= 1284 , End= , Code= MER , CodeName= ...

, in North Wales. He was educated at

, where he

matriculated Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now. ...

in May 1743 – he was said to be 17 years old at that time. He obtained his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree in January 1747 and was elected to a

fellowship A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the college in the same year. He retained his fellowship until 1783, and also served as vice-principal of the college from 1762 until 1783 (beginning when Thomas Pardo was principal, continuing in post throughout the principalship of

Humphrey Owen Humphrey Owen (1702 – 26 March 1768) was the Principal of Jesus College, Oxford, from 1763 to his death. Owen studied at Jesus College from 1718 to 1722 and was elected as a Fellow in 1725. He was Rector of Tredington 1744–63. In 17 ...

and into the time of Joseph Hoare). He was also awarded the higher degrees of Bachelor of Divinity (1756) and Doctor of Divinity (1760). He was ordained deacon on 23 July 1749 at

Cuddesdon Cuddesdon is a mainly rural village in South Oxfordshire centred ESE of Oxford. It has the largest Church of England clergy training centre, Ripon College Cuddesdon. Residents number approximately 430 in Cuddesdon's nucleated village centre a ...

by the

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. The current bishop is Steven Croft, following the confirmation of his elect ...

Thomas Secker Thomas Secker (21 September 16933 August 1768) was the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Church of England. Early life and studies Secker was born in Sibthorpe, Nottinghamshire. In 1699, he went to Richard Brown's free school in Chesterfield ...

. He was ordained priest by Secker on 10 June 1750 at

Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford Christ Church Cathedral is the cathedral of the Anglican diocese of Oxford, which consists of the counties of Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. It is also the chapel of Christ Church, a college of the University of Oxford. This dual r ...

. He was

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of the parish of

Besselsleigh Besselsleigh or Bessels Leigh is an English village and civil parish about southwest of Oxford. Besselsleigh was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire. The village is just off the A420 road between ...

, Oxfordshire from at least 1770. In 1783, Edwards resigned his fellowship, having been appointed by the college as rector of

Aston Clinton Aston Clinton is a historic village and civil parish in the Vale of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, England. The village lies at the foot of the Chiltern Hills, between the Wendover and Aylesbury arms of the Grand Union Canal. Surrounding towns i ...

, Buckinghamshire on 31 July 1782. His time at Aston Clinton was limited, since one source gives his date of death as 2 September 1783, and a letter written by Samuel Johnson confirms that Edwards was dead by 1784. Edwards and Samuel Johnson were friends and exchanged letters – Johnson described Edwards as "my convivial friend" and stayed with Edwards at Jesus College on a visit to Oxford in 1782. Edwards had an interest in matters connected with Wales, but his primary concern was Greek literature. He prepared an edition of

's ''

Memorabilia A souvenir (), memento, keepsake, or token of remembrance is an object a person acquires for the memories the owner associates with it. A souvenir can be any object that can be collected or purchased and transported home by the traveler as a m ...

'', and published an essay on Socratic ethics in 1773 in the light of Xenophon's writings. His edition was printed with the Greek text and a Latin version before his death; the publication was completed by his friend Henry Owen in 1785.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Edward 1720s births 1783 deaths 18th-century Welsh Anglican priests Welsh scholars and academics Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford Fellows of Jesus College, Oxford People from Merionethshire People from Tywyn