Frodsham Hodson (1770–1822) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

churchman and academic, the Principal of Brasenose College, Oxford, from 1809.

Life

He was the son of the Rev. George Hodson, and was born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, on 7 June 1770. He entered

Manchester Grammar School The Manchester Grammar School (MGS) in Manchester, England, is the largest independent school (UK), independent day school for boys in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1515 as a Grammar school#free tuition, free grammar school next to Manchester C ...

in January 1784, and left it in 1787 to go to Brasenose College, Oxford, where he graduated

B.A. 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 yea ...

on 14 January 1791,

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

10 October 1793, B.D. 1808, and D.D. 1809. In May 1791, he succeeded to a Hulmean exhibition, and was afterwards elected 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 ...

of Brasenose College. In 1793, he gained the university prize for an essay in English prose on "The Influence of Education and Government on National Character".Oxford Engl. Prize Essays, 1836, vol. i. In 1795, Hodson was chosen lecturer at St George's Church, Liverpool, and subsequently became chaplain there. His persistence in holding the chaplaincy, although he rarely in later years visited Liverpool, gave offence in the town. In 1803–4 and again in 1808-10, he filled the office of public examiner at Oxford. In 1808 he was appointed rector of St Mary's, Stratford-by-Bow. In 1809, he vacated his benefice on being elected principal of Brasenose College. He presided over the college for thirteen years, and took a leading part in the affairs of

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

. He served the office of

Vice-Chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor ...

in 1818, and was appointed Regius Professor of Divinity, with the appurtenant canonry of Christ Church and rectory of

Ewelme Ewelme () is a village and civil parish in the Chiltern Hills in South Oxfordshire, north-east of the market town of Wallingford. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 1,048. To the east of the village is Cow Common and to the ...

, in 1820. It was believed that

Lord Liverpool Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, (7 June 1770 – 4 December 1828) was a British Tory statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1812 to 1827. He held many important cabinet offices such as Foreign Secret ...

intended Hodson for a bishopric, but he died, after a short illness, on 18 January 1822, aged 51. He was buried in the

ante-chapel The ante-chapel is that portion of a chapel which lies on the western side of the choir screen. In some of the colleges at Oxford and Cambridge the ante-chapel is carried north and south across the west end of the chapel, constituting a western ...

of Brasenose College, where he was commemorated in a Latin inscription by

Edward Cardwell Edward Cardwell (178723 May 1861) was an English theologian also noted for his contributions to the study of English church history. In addition to his scholarly work, he filled various administrative positions in the University of Oxford. L ...

Works

Hodson edited Thomas Falconer's ''Chronological Tables'', 1796. His probationary exercise as a fellow of Brasenose was published in the same year, entitled ''The Eternal Filiation of the Son of God asserted on the Evidence of the Sacred Scriptures'', pp. 81. His only other works were three sermons published at Liverpool, and printed in 1797, 1799, and 1804.

Family

Hodson married, on 30 June 1808, Anne, daughter of John Dawson of

Mossley Hill Mossley Hill is a suburb of Liverpool and a Liverpool City Council ward. Located to the south of the city, it is bordered by Aigburth, Allerton, Childwall, and Wavertree. At the 2001 Census, the population was 12,650, increasing to 13,816 a ...

, Liverpool. He left four daughters and a son. His widow died on 23 April 1848.

References

External links

Bibliographic directory
from Project Canterbury ;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Hodson, Frodsham 1770 births 1822 deaths Clergy from Liverpool 18th-century English writers 18th-century English male writers 19th-century English writers People educated at Manchester Grammar School English editors Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford Fellows of Brasenose College, Oxford Principals of Brasenose College, Oxford Vice-Chancellors of the University of Oxford Regius Professors of Divinity (University of Oxford)