William Hugh Clifford Frend (11 January 1916 – 1 August 2005) was an English

ecclesiastical historian Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception. Henry Melvill Gwatkin defined church history as "the spiritual side of the ...

, archaeologist, and

Anglican priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

Academic career

Haileybury College Haileybury is a co-educational public school (fee-charging boarding and day school for 11- to 18-year-olds) located in Hertford Heath, Hertfordshire. It is a member of the Rugby Group and enrols pupils at the 11+, 13+ and 16+ stages of edu ...

(scholar) *

Keble College Keble College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

(scholar, BA first class in modern history 1937, MA 1951, DPhil with thesis on Donatists 1940, DD 1966) * Craven Scholarship to study in Berlin (with Hans Lietzmann) and North Africa * Research fellowship at

University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public research university in Nottingham, England. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. Nottingham's main campus (University Park Campus, Nottingh ...

* Associate Director,

Egypt Exploration Society The Egypt Exploration Society (EES) is a British non-profit organization founded in 1882 for the purpose of financing and facilitating the exploration of significant archeological sites in Egypt and Sudan, founded by writer Amelia Edwards and coin ...

, Q'asr Ibrim, Nubia 1963–64 * Bye Fellow of

Gonville and Caius College Gonville and Caius College, commonly known as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348 by Edmund Gonville, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges an ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

(BD 1964) * Fellow and

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

lecturer in

divinity Divinity (from Latin ) refers to the quality, presence, or nature of that which is divine—a term that, before the rise of monotheism, evoked a broad and dynamic field of sacred power. In the ancient world, divinity was not limited to a single ...

. During this time

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

, then reading archaeology and anthropology at

Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...

, was one of his students. * Professor of Ecclesiastical History, and Dean of the Faculty of Divinity, in the

University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...

1969–84 (Emeritus 1984–2005) * Chairman,

Association of University Teachers The Association of University Teachers (AUT) was the trade union and professional association that represented academic (teaching and research) and academic-related (librarians, IT professionals and senior administrators) staff at pre-1992 uni ...

1976–78 * Frend once stood for local government as

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

candidate in Cambridge * In the 1980s he worked at Carthage with a team from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

* In retirement was again elected Bye Fellow of Caius and in his last years wrote a new book about the early life of Augustine

Military career

* Assistant Principal, War Office 1940 * Seconded to Cabinet Office and served on Committees for Allied Supplies and the Free French * Liaison officer, Psychological Warfare Branch, Tunis * Service in Austria for 18 months * Italy *

Commissioned officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent ...

Queen's Royal Regiment The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) was a line infantry regiment of the English and later the British Army from 1661 to 1959. It was the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, behind only the Royal Scots in the British Arm ...

1947–67

Ministry

Frend inclined towards the

low church In Anglican Christianity, the term ''low church'' refers to those who give little emphasis to ritual, often having an emphasis on preaching, individual salvation, and personal conversion. The term is most often used in a liturgical sense, denot ...

tradition. He was a sometimes reluctant liberal who cautiously supported the

ordination of women The ordination of women to Minister of religion, ministerial or priestly office is an increasingly common practice among some contemporary major religious groups. It remains a controversial issue in certain religious groups in which ordination ...

but criticised Bishop David Jenkins of Durham over his non-traditional ideas about Christmas. He was considered a good and humble pastor and an enlightening, if theologically unconventional, preacher. * Reader 1956–82 * Ordained deacon in the

Scottish Episcopal Church The Scottish Episcopal Church (; ) is a Christian denomination in Scotland. Scotland's third largest church, the Scottish Episcopal Church has 303 local congregations. It is also an Ecclesiastical province#Anglican Communion, ecclesiastical provi ...

1982 * Non stipendiary minister,

Aberfoyle Aberfoyle may refer to: * Aberfoyle, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland *Aberfoyle, Stirling Aberfoyle () is a village in the historic county and registration county of Perthshire and the council area of Stirling, Scotland. The settlement li ...

1982–84 * Ordained priest in the

1983 * Priest-in-charge, Barnwell with Thurning and Luddington 1984–90 *

Permission to officiate A permission to officiate (PTO), also known as a licence to officiate, is a concessionary ministry licence granted by an Anglican bishop. It is most commonly issued to a retired deacon, priest, or lay reader over the age of 70 years. It allows the ...

in the

Diocese of Ely The Diocese of Ely is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury. It is headed by the Bishop of Ely, who sits at Ely Cathedral in Ely, Cambridgeshire, Ely. There is one suffragan bishop, suffragan (subordinate) bishop, the Bisho ...

1990–2005 * Until his death, he continued to take two services every month

Public recognition

* Złoty Krzyż Zasługi z Mieczami (Gold Cross of Merit with Swords), Government of the Polish Republic in Exile * Territorial Efficiency Decoration 1959 *

Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London The Society of Antiquaries of London (SAL) is a learned society of historians and archaeologists in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1707, received its royal charter in 1751 and is a Charitable organization, registered charity. It is based ...

1952 *

Fellow of the Royal Historical Society A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned or professional societies, the term refers ...

1954 * President of the

Ecclesiastical History Society The Ecclesiastical History Society (EHS) is a British learned historical society founded in 1961 to foster interest in, and to advance the study of, all areas of the history of the Christian Church through twice yearly conferences and publication ...

(1971–72) * D.D. ''honoris causa'',

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

1974 *

Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and Literature, letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". ...

1979 *

Fellow of the British Academy Fellowship of the British Academy (post-nominal letters FBA) is an award granted by the British Academy to leading academics for their distinction in the humanities and social sciences. The categories are: # Fellows – scholars resident in t ...

1983 * He set up and financed the Frend Medal, awarded by the Society of Antiquaries for archaeology, history and topography of the early Christian Church. Recipients include Harold McCarter Taylor and Charles Thomas (1981),

Philip Rahtz Philip Arthur Rahtz (11 March 1921 – 2 June 2011) was a British archaeologist. Rahtz was born in Bristol. After leaving Bristol Grammar School, he became an accountant before serving with the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. D ...

(2003), Günter P. Gehring (2000) Birthe Kjølbye-Biddle (1986), Nancy Gauthier (2002), and Samuel Turner 2004.

Family

Frend was married to Mary Grace (née Crook; 1951–2002). They had one son, Simon, and one daughter, Sally. His father was a priest of

high church A ''high church'' is a Christian Church whose beliefs and practices of Christian ecclesiology, Christian liturgy, liturgy, and Christian theology, theology emphasize "ritual, priestly authority, ndsacraments," and a standard liturgy. Although ...

persuasion.

Major works

* ''The Donatist Church: A Movement of Protest in Roman North Africa'' (1951) * ''Martyrdom and Persecution in the Early Church'' (1965) * ''The Rise of the Monophysite Movement'' (1972) * ''The Rise of Christianity'' (1984)

Works and publications

* ''The Donatist Church: A Movement of Protest in Roman North Africa'', 1951 * ''Early Church'', 1964 * ''Martyrdom and Persecution in the Early Church'', 1965 * ''Saints & Sinners in the Early Church: Differing & Conflicting Traditions in the First Six Centuries'', 1970 * ''The Rise of the Monophysite Movement'', 1972 * ''Religion, Popular and Unpopular in the Early Christian Centuries'', 1976 * ''Town and Country in the Early Christian Centuries'', 1980 * ''The Rise of Christianity'', 1984 * ''Archaeology and History in the Study of Early Christianity'', 1988 * ''The Archaeology of Early Christianity: A History'', 1996 * ''Orthodoxy, Paganism and Dissent in the Early Christian Centuries'', 2002 * ''From Dogma to History: How Our Understanding of the Early Church Developed'', 2003

Works co-authored with J. Stevenson

* ''A New Eusebius: Documents Illustrating the History of the Church to AD 337''
J. Stevenson (Editor of the 1957 First Edition), William H. C. Frend (Co-Revisor for the 1987 Second Edition) * ''Creeds, Councils and Controversies: Documents Illustrating the History of the Church, AD 337–461''
J. Stevenson (Editor of the 1966 First Edition), William H. C. Frend (Co-Revisor for the 1989 Second Edition)

References

External links

''Church Times'' obituary

''Telegraph'' obituary

''The Times'' obituary

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frend, William Hugh Clifford 1916 births 2005 deaths 20th-century English Anglican priests 20th-century English historians Academics of the University of Glasgow Alumni of Keble College, Oxford Anglican scholars British historians of religion Fellows of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Fellows of the Royal Historical Society Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Fellows of the British Academy Historians of Christianity People educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College People from Haslemere Presidents of the Ecclesiastical History Society 20th-century Scottish Episcopalian priests 21st-century Scottish Episcopalian priests