Frederick Watkins (1 April 1808 – 6 February 1888) was an English Anglican clergyman. He was

Archdeacon of York The Archdeacon of York (or of the West Riding) is a senior clergy position in an archdeaconry subdivision of the Church of England Diocese of York in the Province of York. It is named for the City of York and consists of the seven rural deanerie ...

from 1874 until his death. He is also noted as being a school- and university friend of

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended fr ...

with whom he shared correspondence.

Biography

Watkins was the son of Rev. Henry Watkins of

Bamburgh Bamburgh ( ) is a village and civil parish on the coast of Northumberland, England. It had a population of 454 in 2001, decreasing to 414 at the 2011 census. The village is notable for the nearby Bamburgh Castle, a castle which was the seat of ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

and his wife Frances Mary, daughter of Freeman Bower, JP, DL, of Killerby Hall, Yorkshire and Bawtry, Yorkshire. His aunt Mary (d.1784) married (1727) Peter Whitton, who was Lord Mayor of York in 1728, and then secondly (1742) George Perrot (1710–1780),

Baron of the Exchequer The Barons of the Exchequer, or ''barones scaccarii'', were the judges of the English court known as the Exchequer of Pleas. The Barons consisted of a Chief Baron of the Exchequer and several puisne (''inferior'') barons. When Robert Shute was a ...

(in 1769 he was the sole owner and proprietor of the navigation of the river Avon from Tewkesbury to Evesham). He was educated at

Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13 –18) in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by Royal Charter, it was originally a boarding school for boys; girls have been admitted into the ...

and at

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

. He was admitted to

Christ's College, Cambridge Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college includes the Master, the Fellows of the College, and about 450 undergraduate and 170 graduate students. The college was founded by William Byngham in 1437 as ...

in 1825 but only kept two terms. He was admitted to

Emmanuel College, Cambridge Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay, Chancellor of the Exchequer to Elizabeth I. The site on which the college sits was once a priory for Dominican mon ...

in 1827, and received the degrees of B.A. 1830; M.A. 1833; BD 1840. He was a Fellow of Emmanuel College in 1838-1847. George Pearson was a great-uncle. Darwin was also an Old Salopian and studied at Christ's College from 1827 after discontinuing his medical studies at Edinburgh. He was a year older than Charles, and three years younger than Charles's brother

Erasmus Alvey Darwin Erasmus Alvey Darwin (29 December 1804 – 26 August 1881), nicknamed ''Eras'' or ''Ras'', was the older brother of Charles Darwin, born five years earlier. They were brought up at the family home, The Mount House, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, Eng ...

. He was H.M. Inspector of Schools, from 1841 until 1873. He married twice, first on 5 August 1847, to Amelia, daughter of the Rev. George Millett (sometime Fellow of Christ's), and at least one child, Harry Trant Godfrey Watkins. He married for a second time, on 17 September 1873, Fanny, daughter of William Chambers, of

Hafod Hafod is a district of the city of Swansea, in South Wales, U.K., and lies just north of the city centre, within the Landore ward. Hafod is the home to the Hafod Copperworks, founded in 1810 and closed in 1980 which is now being developed i ...

Cardiganshire Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cere ...

. He died at

Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...

and is buried in All Saints' Church, Long Marston in North Yorkshire.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watkins, Frederick 1808 births 1888 deaths Alumni of Emmanuel College, Cambridge Archdeacons of York 19th-century English Anglican priests Fellows of Emmanuel College, Cambridge People from Bamburgh