Revd Dr Thomas Cockman,

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

(1675–1745) was an

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 ...

academic and administrator. He was

Master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

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 univer ...

. Cockman was an undergraduate at

, matriculated in 1692, then a Fellow of the college during 1701–13, before becoming Master of the college later. Thomas Cockman was

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 ...

at Chidingstone in

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, in 1705. Cockman's mastership at University College was a contested one, with William Dennison, who also served as Master between 1722 and 1729. There were two disputed elections held in 1722. Cockman appealed to

the Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...

and was declared Master of University College in 1729. The success of Thomas Cockman's appeal involved accepting that

King Alfred Alfred the Great (alt. Ælfred 848/849 – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who bot ...

had founded the college. This myth originated from the late 1380s but it was widely believed by Cockman's time. The ruling at the court hearing meant that the Visitor of University College, who is responsible for resolving such disputes, should be the Crown rather than the university. This event acted as the impetus for the college antiquary, William Smith, to write a history of the college, refuting this medieval myth. This materialised as ''

The Annals of University College ''The Annals of University College. Proving William of Durham the True Founder: and Answering all their Arguments who Ascribe it to King Alfred'' is a 1728 book on the history of University College, Oxford by the college archivist and antiquary ...

'' (1578), the first scholarly Oxford history. Cockman received this book coldly, dismissing it as "the private opinion of a partial disgusted old man, who was always famous for opposition and confounding thing". In 2008, University College acquired a painting including Thomas Cockman. The painting had remained in Thomas Cockman's family, but was auctioned at

Sotheby's Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, and ...

. The picture is presumed to be a celebration of the success of Cockman's appeal to

to be declared Master of University College in 1729. The painting was probably commissioned by his brother, John Cockman, who is also in the picture along with a number of Fellows of University College. It was painted by

Benjamin Ferrers Benjamin Ferrers (–1732) was an English portrait painter. Life Christened in late 1667 in Cookham, Berkshire, Ferrers was deaf from his birth and appears to have lived in Westminster. An account record of a court case in 1720 records: He was ...

References

1675 births 1745 deaths 18th-century English educators 18th-century English Anglican priests Alumni of University College, Oxford Fellows of University College, Oxford Masters of University College, Oxford Doctors of Divinity {{UOxford-stub