George Davys (1780–1864) was an English cleric, tutor to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

, and later Bishop of Peterborough. He was previously

Dean of Chester The Dean of Chester is based at Chester Cathedral in the Diocese of Chester and is the head of the Chapter at the cathedral. List of deans Early modern *1541 Thomas Clerk (first Dean of Chester) *1541–1547 Henry Man (afterwards Bishop of S ...

. He himself was educated at

Loughborough Grammar School , religion = Christian , head_label = Headmaster , head = Dr Daniel Koch , r_head_label = Chaplain , r_head = Revd E J York , chair_label = Chairman ...

, where a house is named after him.

Life

The son of John Davys of

Rempstone Rempstone is a village and civil parish in the Rushcliffe district of Nottinghamshire, although its closest town and postal address is Loughborough across the border in Leicestershire. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was ...

, Nottinghamshire, by Sophia, daughter of the Rev. B. Wigley of

Sawley, Derbyshire Sawley is a village and civil parish within the Borough of Erewash, in southeast Derbyshire, England. With a slightly higher than average number of people over 65, the population of just the civil parish was measured at 6,629 as at the 2011 Censu ...

, was born at

Loughborough Loughborough ( ) is a market town in the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England, the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and Loughborough University. At the 2011 census the town's built-up area had a population of 59,932 , the second larg ...

, Leicestershire, 1 October 1780. In 1799 he entered as a

sizar At Trinity College, Dublin and the University of Cambridge, a sizar is an undergraduate who receives some form of assistance such as meals, lower fees or lodging during his or her period of study, in some cases in return for doing a defined jo ...

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 ...

, and came out tenth wrangler in 1803. He was elected a Fellow of his college 14 January 1806, and in the same year proceeded M.A. Davys became curate, first of

Littlebury Littlebury is a village and civil parish in the Uttlesford district, north-west Essex, England. The village is approximately a mile and a half from the market town of Saffron Walden, south from Cambridge, the nearest city, and north-east from t ...

, Essex, then of Chesterford to 1817, and afterwards of

Swaffham Prior Swaffham Prior is a small village in East Cambridgeshire, England. Lying 5 miles west of Newmarket, and two miles south west of Burwell, the village is often paired with its neighbour Swaffham Bulbeck, and are collectively referred to as 'Th ...

. In 1811 he was presented on his own petition to the vicarage of Willoughby-on-the-Wolds, Lincolnshire, which he held until 1829. The education of Princess Victoria having been entrusted to his care by her mother Princess Victoria, Duchess of Kent, Davys took up residence at

Kensington Palace Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has been a residence of the British royal family since the 17th century, and is currently the official L ...

in 1827, and filled the position of principal master to the princess until the death of William IV. In April 1829 he was presented by the crown to the rectory of Allhallows-on-the-Wall, London, which he continued to hold until his elevation to the episcopal bench. Davys was appointed dean of Chester 10 January 1831, and at the following commencement at Cambridge was created D.D. On 7 May 1839 he was advanced to the bishopric of Peterborough, and was consecrated on 16 June. An

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

, he took no active part either in religious controversy or in politics. He died of bronchitis at the Palace, Peterborough, 18 April 1864, and was buried in the graveyard of the cathedral on 23 April.

Works

Davys wrote, with charges and sermons: * ''Village Conversations on the Liturgy of the Church of England'', 1820; 8th ed. 1829. * ''Village Conversations on the principal Offices of the Church'', 1824; another ed. 1849. * ''A Village Conversation on the Catechism of the Church of England'', printed in Religious Tracts of Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, vol. iii. 1836. * ''Letters between a Father and his Son on the Roman History and other subjects'', 1848. * ''A Plain and Short History of England in Letters from a Father to his Son'', 1870. He also compiled educational works, which appeared from time to time anonymously in the ''Cottagers' Monthly Visitor'', the ''National Church Magazine'', and elsewhere.

Family

Davys married in 1814 Marianne, daughter of the Rev. Edmund Mapletoft, rector of Anstye, Hertfordshire. She died at the Palace, Peterborough, 14 December 1858, aged 69.

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Davys, George 1780 births 1864 deaths Bishops of Peterborough Church of England deans People educated at Loughborough Grammar School Queen Victoria Deans of Chester 19th-century Church of England bishops