Thomas Dampier (1748 – 13 May 1812) served as Bishop of Rochester and Bishop of Ely.

Life

Memorial to Bishop Thomas Dampier in Ely Cathedral

He was eldest son of Dr Thomas Dampier, who was lower master at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

and from 1774

Dean of Durham The Dean of Durham is the "head" (''primus inter pares'' – first among equals) and chair of the Chapter, the ruling body of Durham Cathedral. The dean and chapter are based at the ''Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cu ...

. He was educated at

, and in 1766 elected to

King's College, Cambridge King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the cit ...

. He graduated B.A. 1771, M.A. 1774, D.D. 1780. After taking his degree he resided for some time at Eton as private tutor to the

Earl of Guilford Earl of Guilford is a title that has been created three times in history. The title was created for the first time in the Peerage of England in 1660 (as Countess of Guilford) for Elizabeth Boyle. She was a daughter of William Feilding, 1st ...

, holding at the same time the vicarage of

Bexley Bexley is an area of south-eastern Greater London, England and part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is sometimes known as Bexley Village or Old Bexley to differentiate the area from the wider borough. It is located east-southeast of Ch ...

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 ...

, while a few years later he succeeded to the mastership of

Sherburn Hospital Sherburn Hospital (also known as Christ's Hospital in Sherburn) is a medieval hospital located in the hamlet of Sherburn House to the southeast of Durham, England. History The hospital was founded in 1181 by Hugh de Puiset (Bishop Pudsey), to ...

, which his father obtained leave to resign in his favour. In 1782 he was promoted to the deanery of Rochester, and in 1802 to the bishopric of that diocese. As bishop of Rochester he proposed an address from the clergy thanking the crown for requiring an undertaking from the ministry not to move in the matter of

Catholic emancipation Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in the kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland, and later the combined United Kingdom in the late 18th century and early 19th century, that involved reducing and removing many of the restricti ...

. The bishopric of Rochester was a poor one, and it was in his case, for the first time for some years past, separated from the

deanery of Westminster The Dean of Westminster is the head of the chapter at Westminster Abbey. Due to the Abbey's status as a Royal Peculiar, the dean answers directly to the British monarch (not to the Bishop of London as ordinary, nor to the Archbishop of Canterb ...

. Dampier therefore looked for fresh promotion, and in 1808 was translated to Ely. He died suddenly on the evening of 13 May 1812 at Ely House in London. Dampier published several sermons. He was known for his love of literature, and for the library and collection of prints which he accumulated throughout his life. He left a bibliophile's account in Latin, the manuscript of which was extensively used by

Thomas Frognall Dibdin Thomas Frognall Dibdin (177618 November 1847) was an English bibliographer, born in Calcutta to Thomas Dibdin, the sailor brother of the composer Charles Dibdin. Dibdin was orphaned at a young age. His father died in 1778 while returning to En ...

in compiling his ''Aedes Althorpianae''. His library was sold by his half-brother (lawyer Sir Henry) and widow to the Duke of Devonshire at a valuation amounting to nearly £10,000.

References

Attribution

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dampier, Thomas 1748 births 1812 deaths People educated at Eton College Bishops of Ely Bishops of Rochester Deans of Rochester 19th-century Church of England bishops