Walter Blandford (1616 in

Melbury Abbas Melbury Abbas is a village and civil parish in north Dorset, England, 3 km SSW of the town of Shaftesbury, east of the A350 Shaftesbury to Blandford Forum road. Local Features Melbury Abbas is on the western edge of Cranborne Chase in hilly ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...

, England – 1675) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

academic and bishop.

Life

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

Wadham College, Oxford Wadham College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street and Parks Road. Wadham College was founded in 1610 by Dorothy W ...

at the time of the Parliamentary visitation of 1648, he compromised sufficiently to retain his position, and was appointed chaplain to

John Lovelace, 2nd Baron Lovelace John Lovelace, 2nd Baron Lovelace (February 1616 – 25 November 1670) was a British peer and Royal servant. Life John was born in Hurley, Berkshire the son of Richard Lovelace, 1st Baron Lovelace and his wife, Margaret, the daughter of London ...

. Later he succeeded

John Wilkins John Wilkins, (14 February 1614 – 19 November 1672) was an Anglican clergyman, natural philosopher, and author, and was one of the founders of the Royal Society. He was Bishop of Chester from 1668 until his death. Wilkins is one of the f ...

Warden of Wadham College This is a list of Wadham College, Oxford people, including alumni, Fellows, Deans and Wardens of the College. An alphabetical list of alumni of Wadham college can be found here. Alumni Academics * Martin Aitken, archaeometrist * Amir Attara ...

from 1659 to 1665. He was

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 and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor ...

of the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

in 1662, and succeeded in establishing a degree of calm after the turbulence that had accompanied the

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

of 1660.James William Johnson, A Profane Wit: The Life of John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester (2004), note 4 p. 364, note 30 p. 390. He became

Bishop of Oxford The Bishop of Oxford is the diocesan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford in the Province of Canterbury; his seat is at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. The current bishop is Steven Croft, following the confirmation of his elect ...

in November 1665 (his appointment being the first announcement in the first edition of the '' Oxford Gazette'', later the '' London Gazette''), and Bishop of Worcester in 1671. He was also appointed

Clerk of the Closet The College of Chaplains of the Ecclesiastical Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom is under the Clerk of the Closet, an office dating from 1437. It is normally held by a diocesan bishop, who may, however, remain in office after leav ...

in 1668 (until 1669) and

Dean of the Chapel Royal The Dean of the Chapel Royal, in any kingdom, can be the title of an official charged with oversight of that kingdom's chapel royal, the ecclesiastical establishment which is part of the royal household and ministers to it. England In England, ...

in 1669, serving until 1675. He also had a distinguished series of positions as chaplain, first with John Lord Lovelace. He served as chaplain to

Sir Edward Hyde Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon (18 February 16099 December 1674), was an English statesman, lawyer, diplomat and historian who served as chief advisor to Charles I of England, Charles I during the First English Civil War, and Lord Chancell ...

, later the Earl of Clarendon and highly influential statesman. He was also one of the bishops brought into the household of Hyde's daughter, Anne, Duchess of York. Following in this position

George Morley George Morley, 27 February 1598 to 29 October 1684, was a senior member of the Church of England from London, who served as Bishop of Worcester from 1660 to 1662, and of Winchester from 1662 to 1684. Early life Morley was born in London, Eng ...

, Blandford had no more success than others in heading off the Duchess's ultimate conversion to

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

.J. R. Henslowe, ''Anne Hyde, Duchess of York'' (1915?), p. 293
online text

References

Attribution

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blandford, Walter 1616 births 1675 deaths Fellows of Wadham College, Oxford Wardens of Wadham College, Oxford Vice-Chancellors of the University of Oxford Clerks of the Closet Deans of the Chapel Royal English chaplains Bishops of Oxford Bishops of Worcester 17th-century Church of England bishops