John Prideaux Lightfoot (23 March 1803 – 23 March 1887) was an English clergyman who served as the

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of Exeter College, Oxford, from 18 March 1854 until his death and as

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 of Nations, Commonwealth and former Commonwealth n ...

of Oxford University from 1862 to 1866. He was the president of the

Oxford Architectural Society The Oxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society (OAHS) has existed in one form or another since at least 1839, although with its current name only since 1972.

(later the

Oxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society The Oxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society (OAHS) has existed in one form or another since at least 1839, although with its current name only since 1972.

) from November 1854 to November 1855. John Prideaux Lightfoot was born on 23 March 1803 at

Crediton Crediton is a town and civil parish in the Mid Devon district of Devon in England. It stands on the A377 Exeter to Barnstaple road at the junction with the A3072 road to Tiverton, about north west of Exeter and around from the M5 motorway ...

, Devon, England. He was the eldest son of Nicholas Lightfoot (1772–1847) and his wife Bridget Prideaux. Lightfoot married Elizabeth Ann Le Blanc on 15 July 1835 at

St Luke's Church, Chelsea The Parish Church of St Luke, Chelsea, is an Anglican church, on Sydney Street, Chelsea, London SW3, just off the King's Road. Ecclesiastically it is in the Deanery of Chelsea, part of the Diocese of London. It was designed by James Savage in 1 ...

; they had eight children. His first wife died 31 November 1860 at

Oxford 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 the ...

, aged 50. He was married a second time on 7January 1863 to Louisa, only daughter of

Sir George Best Robinson, 2nd Baronet Sir George Best Robinson, 2nd Baronet (14November 17971855) was a British colonial administrator who became Chief Superintendent of British trade in China. Family background Son of Sir George Robinson, 1st Baronet and Margaret Southwell, the ...

, widow of Capt. C. R. G. Douglas, B.N.I. They had one daughter. Lightfoot succeeded Joseph Loscombe Richards as rector of Exeter, or head of the college, while Sir

George Gilbert Scott Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he started ...

's proposal for a new chapel inspired by the

Sainte Chapelle The Sainte-Chapelle (; en, Holy Chapel) is a royal chapel in the Gothic style, within the medieval Palais de la Cité, the residence of the Kings of France until the 14th century, on the Île de la Cité in the River Seine in Paris, France. Co ...

in Paris was under consideration. The building programme during Lightfoot's tenure also included the

Gothic revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

library of 1856 and new rector's lodgings in the

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

style (1857). In 1886, Lightfoot commissioned the Adoration of the Magi tapestry from Edward Burne-Jones and

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was a British textile designer, poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. He ...

, both alumni of Exeter, to be hung in the chapel. The completed tapestry was presented to the college in 1890, three years after Prideaux's death at the rectory at Exeter on 23 March 1887.Stephen Wildman: ''Edward Burne-Jones: Victorian Artist-Dreamer'',

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

, 1998, , pp. 293–294

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lightfoot, John Prideaux 1803 births 1887 deaths People from Crediton 19th-century English Anglican priests Rectors of Exeter College, Oxford Vice-Chancellors of the University of Oxford