Doctor George Ferris Whidborne Mortimer (1805–1871), by Eden Upton Eddis

George Ferris Whidborne Mortimer (22 July 1805 – 7 September 1871) was an English

schoolmaster The word schoolmaster, or simply master, refers to a male school teacher. This usage survives in British independent schools, both secondary and preparatory, and a few Indian boarding schools (such as The Doon School) that were modelled afte ...

and divine.

Biography

Mortimer was born on 22 July 1805 at

Bishopsteignton Bishopsteignton is a village and civil parish in South Devon, England, between Newton Abbot and Teignmouth, close to the Teign Estuary. The village is on a steep hill, and has a post office cum pharmacy and a small, family-run village shop. T ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

shire, was the eldest son of William Mortimer, a country gentleman of that place. His family was connected to other Mortimers in the Teign valley. He was educated at the

Exeter grammar school Exeter School is an independent co-educational day school for pupils between the ages of 7 and 18 in Exeter, Devon, England. In 2019, there were around 200 pupils in the Junior School and 700 in the Senior School. History The School traces its ...

and at Balliol College, Oxford, where he matriculated 18 March 1823, and obtained an exhibition. Thence he migrated to Queen's, where he secured a Michel exhibition, and was placed in the first class of the final classical school at

Michaelmas Michaelmas ( ; also known as the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, the Feast of the Archangels, or the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels) is a Christian festival observed in some Western liturgical calendars on 29 September, ...

1826 with the future

archdeacon of Taunton The Archdeacon of Taunton has been, since the twelfth century, the senior ecclesiastical officer in charge of the archdeaconry of Taunton in the Diocese of Bath and Wells (in the Church of England). The archdeaconry includes seven deaneries. His ...

George Anthony Denison George Anthony Denison (1805–1896) was an English Anglican priest. He served as Archdeacon of Taunton from 1851. Life Brother of politician Evelyn Denison, 1st Viscount Ossington, colonial administrator Sir William Denison and bishop Edward ...

, and another. After graduating

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 ...

in 1826 he engaged actively in tuition. He proceeded

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 ...

in 1829, and D.D. in 1841, having been ordained on 24 February 1829. He was, successively, head-master of the

Royal Grammar School, Newcastle (By Learning, You Will Lead) , established = , closed = , type = Grammar SchoolIndependent day school , religion = , president = , head_label = Headmaster , head = Geoffrey Stanford , r_head_label = , r_head = , chair_label = , cha ...

(from 1828) and of the Western proprietary school at Brompton, London (from 1833). In 1840, he was appointed, in succession to

John Allen Giles John Allen Giles (1808–1884) was an English historian. He was primarily known as a scholar of Anglo-Saxon language and history. He revised Stevens' translation of the '' Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' and Bede's ''Ecclesiastical History of the Engli ...

, to the scene of his longest and most important labours, the headship of the

City of London School , established = , closed = , type = Public school Boys' independent day school , president = , head_label = Headmaster , head = Alan Bird , chair_label = Chair of Governors , chair = Ian Seaton , founder = John Carpenter , special ...

. The school opened in 1837, but its prosperity had been injured by the action of the first head-master. Mortimer's administrative ability and genial manner rendered the success of the school certain. He treated with conspicuous honesty and fairness the large proportion of boys, not members of the

church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

, who from various causes were found there. In 1861, he had the unique distinction of seeing two of his scholars respectively

senior wrangler The Senior Frog Wrangler is the top mathematics undergraduate at the University of Cambridge in England, a position which has been described as "the greatest intellectual achievement attainable in Britain." Specifically, it is the person who a ...

and senior classic at

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

. Charles Kingsley read privately with him for ordination. Mortimer received in 1864 the honorary prebend of Consumpta per mare in St Paul's Cathedral, and for many years was evening lecturer at St Matthew's, Friday Street. At Michaelmas 1865 he resigned his head-mastership, and for the next few years interested himself actively in the Society of Schoolmasters and other educational institutions. He died 7 September 1871, at Rose Hill,

Hampton Wick Hampton Wick, formerly a village, is a Thames-side area of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, and is contiguous with Teddington and Kingston upon Thames. It is buffered by Bushy Park, one of the Royal Parks of London from Hampton an ...

, and was buried in Hampton churchyard. He had married, in 1830, to Jane, daughter of Alexander Gordon of Bishopsteignton; and by this lady, who survived him, he left a numerous family. Besides two sermons, Mortimer published while at Newcastle a pamphlet entitled "The Immediate Abolition of Slavery compatible with the Safety and Prosperity of the Colonies".

References

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Mortimer, George Ferris Whidborne 1805 births 1871 deaths 19th-century English people Schoolteachers from Devon People educated at Exeter School Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford People from Teignbridge (district)