Sir William Cockburn, 11th Baronet
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Sir William Cockburn, 11th Baronet (2 June 1773 – 30 April 1858,
Kelston Kelston is a small village and civil parish in Somerset, north west of Bath, and east of Bristol, on the A431 road. It is situated just north of the River Avon, close to the Kelston and Saltford locks. The parish has a population of 248. ...
) was a
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 Britain ...
clergyman Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
. He was
Dean of York Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...
(1823–1858) and was famously defended on a charge of
simony Simony () is the act of selling church offices and roles or sacred things. It is named after Simon Magus, who is described in the Acts of the Apostles as having offered two disciples of Jesus payment in exchange for their empowering him to imp ...
by his nephew
Sir Alexander Cockburn, 12th Baronet Sir Alexander James Edmund Cockburn, 12th Baronet (24 September 1802 – 20 November 1880) was a British jurist and politician who served as the Lord Chief Justice for 21 years. He heard some of the leading '' causes célèbres'' of the nine ...
in 1841.


Biography

Cockburn was the third son of
Sir James Cockburn, 8th Baronet Sir James Cockburn, 8th Baronet (1729 – 26 July 1804) was a Member of the Parliament of Great Britain for Linlithgow Burghs from 1772 to 1784 and a Director of the East India Company. Family He was a son of William Cockburn of Berwickshire and ...
and his second wife Augusta Anne Ayscough. His maternal grandfather was
Francis Ayscough Francis Ayscough (1701–1763) was a tutor to George III and Clerk of the Closet to his father Frederick, Prince of Wales
, Dean of Bristol. In 1853 Cockburn was made a
baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
after the death of his brother,
George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...
. In 1805, he married Elizabeth Peel (died 16 June 1828), sister of Sir
Robert Peel Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850) was a British Conservative statesman who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835 and 1841–1846) simultaneously serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer ...
. reprinted from the ''Cambridge Advertiser'' She gave birth to three sons. James, the eldest, died in 1845 at the age of 38, Robert, the second son, died in 1850, aged 42, and George, the third son, died in 1850, aged 37. In 1830 Cockburn married Margaret Pearce, the daughter of a Colonel Pearce, but they had no children. Cockburn was educated at
Charterhouse School (God having given, I gave) , established = , closed = , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , president ...
and
St John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corpo ...
, graduating as twelfth wrangler in 1795 and receiving his MA in 1798 and DD in 1823. A fellow of St John's from 1796 to 1806, he was the first
Christian Advocate The ''Christian Advocate'' was a weekly newspaper published in New York City by the Methodist Episcopal Church. It began publication in 1826 and by the mid-1830s had become the largest circulating weekly in the United States, with more than 30 ...
of Cambridge University from 1803 to 1810. He was also a vocal
scriptural geologist Scriptural geologists (or Mosaic geologists) were a heterogeneous group of writers in the early nineteenth century, who claimed "the primacy of literalistic biblical exegesis" and a short Young Earth time-scale. Their views were marginalised and i ...
. William Cockburn was ordained in the Church of England as a deacon in 1800 and as priest the following year. In 1822 he became the
Dean of York Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...
, the chief place of authority and dignity in the cathedral and a position he held until his death in 1858. From 1832 onwards he was also rector of Kelston, Somerset, near Bristol, where he generally spent half the year. In 1824 he was elected as a Vice-President of the
Yorkshire Philosophical Society The Yorkshire Philosophical Society (YPS) is a charitable learned society (charity reg. 529709) which aims to promote the public understanding of the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the archaeology and history of York and Yorkshire. ...
. At age 84, Cockburn died in Kelston on 30 April 1858, after more than a year of growing infirmities.


Accused and acquitted of simony

In 1829 a fanatical Methodist set fire to the Minster causing considerable damage. As Dean, Cockburn was responsible to manage the repairs, which he did not do well. A second, accidental fire in 1840 again caused massive damage. Conflicts over the restoration work and Cockburn's unwise financial management finally reached a boiling point in 1841, when a York
prebendary A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the ...
accused Cockburn of simony. Cockburn was foolishly frank, muddled his accounts, used repair funds for non-repair purposes, was intolerable to clear-thinking accountants and made too many independent decisions. Eventually, litigation involving the Archbishop of York led to a judgment deposing Cockburn from the Deanery. Cockburn appealed to the court of the Queen's Bench, which ruled "almost contemptuously" in favour of Cockburn, being particularly critical of the prosecuting attorney, Dr. Phillimore, Regius Professor of Civil Law at Oxford, for his ignorance of the applicable laws. The reputation of the Minster suffered badly from this affair. However, the whole city of York was pleased that Cockburn was still dean and tried to raise money to give him a token of their respect. When Cockburn discovered the plan, he insisted they not do it because it would foster unpleasant memories for everyone.


Modern critics

Historian Gillespie describes even "reasonably respectable" Cockburn's views as clerical "fulminations against science in general and all its works", and listed his works as among "clerical attacks on geology and uninformed attempts to frame theoretical systems reconciling the geological and scriptural records."


Written works

*


References

Notes Sources * * * * * non.(1841) ''A Report of the Proceedings in the Visitatorial Court of His Grace the Archbishop of York'', London: Crofts & Blenkarn ;Whitaker & Co.
Dates
at
Institute of Historical Research The Institute of Historical Research (IHR) is a British educational organisation providing resources and training for historical researchers. It is part of the School of Advanced Study in the University of London and is located at Senate Hous ...
*Duffus, T. (1854–) ''Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae''III, iv. 7 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cockburn, William 1773 births 1858 deaths 19th-century English Anglican priests Deans of York People educated at Charterhouse School Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Baronets in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia
William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
Simony Members of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society