William Cleaver (1742–1815) 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 ...

churchman and academic, Principal of Brasenose College, Oxford, and

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

of three sees.

Life

He was the eldest son of the Rev. William Cleaver, who was the headmaster of a private school at Twyford in Buckinghamshire, and his wife Martha Lettice Lushden. He was the elder brother of Euseby Cleaver, Archbishop of Dublin from 1809 to 1819. He was at Magdalen College, Oxford, and after taking his B.A. degree, in 1761, was a fellow of

Brasenose College Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the m ...

; he became M.A. on 2 May 1764. In 1768 he was a candidate for the

Bodleian The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the sec ...

librarianship. The votes between him and his competitor John Price were equal, and the latter was appointed on account of being a few months the senior. Cleaver became tutor to George Nugent-Temple-Grenville. He was successively made vicar of

Northop Northop ( cy, Llaneurgain) is a village, community and electoral ward situated in Flintshire, Wales, approximately 12 miles west of the city of Chester, midway between Mold and Flint, and situated just off junction 33 of the A55 North Wale ...

Flintshire , settlement_type = County , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = , image_flag = , image_shield = Arms of Flint ...

, prebendary of Westminster (1784), Principal of Brasenose College (1785),

bishop of Chester The Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York. The diocese extends across most of the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, including the Wirral Peninsula and has its see in the ...

(1787),

bishop of Bangor The Bishop of Bangor is the ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Bangor. The see is based in the city of Bangor where the bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Cathedral Church of Saint Deiniol. The ''Report of the Commissioners appointed ...

(1800), and bishop of St Asaph (1806). He retained the headship of Brasenose until 1809, and almost constantly lived there. At Bangor in 1802, he cautioned an old servant who let apartments against a stray lodger who the bishop thought might be no better than a swindler. This suspicious personage was

Thomas De Quincey Thomas Penson De Quincey (; 15 August 17858 December 1859) was an English writer, essayist, and literary critic, best known for his '' Confessions of an English Opium-Eater'' (1821). Many scholars suggest that in publishing this work De Quinc ...

, who mentioned the incident in his '' English Opium-eater''. Cleaver died on 15 May 1815 in

Bruton Street Bruton Street is a street in London's Mayfair district. It runs from Berkeley Square in the south-west to New Bond Street in the north-east, where it continues as Conduit Street. Notable residents have included Field Marshal John Campbell, 2n ...

, London. He was interested in the higher education of women.

Works

Among his writings were ''De Rhythmo Graecorum'', 1775, and ''Directions to the Clergy of the Diocese of Chester on the Choice of Books'', 1789. He also edited the edition of

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

printed at Oxford by the Grenville family.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cleaver, William 1742 births 1815 deaths People from Buckinghamshire Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford Bishops of Bangor Bishops of Chester Bishops of St Asaph Fellows of Brasenose College, Oxford Principals of Brasenose College, Oxford Canons of Westminster 18th-century Church of England bishops 19th-century Welsh Anglican bishops