James Franck Bright (29 May 1832 – 23 October 1920) was a British historian and

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University College, Oxford University College (in full The College of the Great Hall of the University of Oxford, colloquially referred to as "Univ") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It has a claim to being the oldest college of the unive ...

Biography

James Franck Bright was born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, the son of the physician Richard Bright, who described

Bright's disease Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine, and was frequently accompanied ...

, and Eliza Follett, sister of lawyer-politicians Sir William Webb Follett and Brent Follett . He was educated at

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. ...

and at

(matriculated 1851 aged 18, 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 ...

1855,

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 ...

1858, B.D. and D.D. 1884). From 1856 to 1872, he was a schoolmaster at Marlborough College, where he was Head of the Modern Department, under the headmastership of

George Granville Bradley George Granville Bradley (11 December 1821 – 13 March 1903) was an English divine, scholar, and schoolteacher, who was Dean of Westminster (1881–1902). Life George Bradley's father, Charles Bradley, was vicar of Glasbury, Brecon, mid Wales ...

. Bright wrote the necessary textbooks himself, including "''History of England''". Bradley had become Master of University College, Oxford in 1870; he recruited Bright to Oxford as a history tutor in 1872, tutoring at Balliol,

New New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

and University Colleges. Bright became Fellow and

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of University College in 1874, and succeeded Bradley as Master of University College from 1881 to 1906. Bright wrote a history of Victorian England, "''The Growth of Democracy''", and biographies of the Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor

Joseph II Joseph II (German: Josef Benedikt Anton Michael Adam; English: ''Joseph Benedict Anthony Michael Adam''; 13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg lands from November 29, 1780 un ...

. He was a progressive leader at Oxford, helping to improve teaching standards and arguing that theological degrees could be awarded to non-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 ...

. In 1882, Bright was one of the first dons at

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 ...

to allow women students to attend his lectures, in University College Hall. In addition to academic activities, Bright was a member of the

Oxford City Council Oxford City Council is the lower-tier local government authority for the city of Oxford in England, providing such services as leisure centres and parking. Social Services, Education and Highways services (amongst others) are provided by Oxfor ...

, and Treasurer of the Radcliffe Infirmary. He was also shot by a lady in an incident at University College, but survived. The

Shelley Memorial The Shelley Memorial is a memorial to the English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822) at University College, Oxford, England, the college that he briefly attended and from which he was expelled for writing the 1811 pamphlet " The Necessity ...

was installed during Bright's mastership, celebrating the life of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822), an alumnus of University College. At an opening ceremony on 14 June 1893, Lady Jane Shelley, the widow of the poet's son

Percy Florence Shelley Sir Percy Florence Shelley, 3rd Baronet (12 November 1819 – 5 December 1889) was the son of the English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley and his second wife, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, novelist and author of ''Frankenstein''. He was the only child ...

(1819–1889), presented the Master with a golden key, giving access to the chamber containing the memorial. Bright described Shelley as "the rebel of eighty years ago", "the hero of the present century", and "a prophet who prophesied good things, and not bad". Bright was lord of the manor of Brockbury in

Colwall Colwall is a civil parish in Herefordshire, England, situated on the border with Worcestershire, nestling on the western side of the Malvern Hills at the heart of the AONB. Areas of the village are known as Colwall Stone, Upper Colwall which sha ...

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthsh ...

, having inherited the estate by the will of his uncle Henry Bright in 1869. He died at Ditchingham,

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, on 23 October 1920. Some of Bright's sermon manuscripts are held in the University College archives.

Selected works

* ''English History for the Use of Public Schools'' * ''Joseph II'' (1905) * '' Maria Theresa'' * ''The Growth of Democracy''

References

Sources

External links

* *
Bright, James Franck (1832–1920) Master of University College, Oxford
in the

UK National Archives , type = Non-ministerial department , seal = , nativename = , logo = Logo_of_The_National_Archives_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg , logo_width = 150px , logo_caption = , formed = , preceding1 = , dissolved = , superseding = , juris ...

James Franck Bright, Master 1881–1906
at

Portrait of James Franck Bright
at University College, Oxford {{DEFAULTSORT:Bright, James Franck 1832 births 1920 deaths Academics from London People educated at Rugby School 19th-century English historians Schoolteachers from Wiltshire English biographers Alumni of University College, Oxford Fellows of University College, Oxford Masters of University College, Oxford English male non-fiction writers People from Ditchingham