William Holmes D.D. (5 April 1689 – 4 April 1748) was an English academic,

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 ...

and Regius Professor of Modern History 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 ...

. He was also

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between 1742 and 1748.

Life

Holmes was born on 5 April 1689 in the parish of St Swithin, in the

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, the son of Thomas and Margaret Holmes of London, England. He began his education at Merchant Taylors' School, London, on 12 September 1701 and went up to St John's College, Oxford, on 11 June 1707,

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on 2 July. In 1710, he became a

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and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree on 16 May 1711, and was awarded the

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

degree on 9 April 1715. In 1721 Holmes was appointed as a proctor of the University. He took the Bachelor of Divinity degree on 13 April 1722 and the Doctorate of Divinity on 5 March 1725. Holmes held two college livings; between 1725 and 1726 that of North Leigh, near

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, and of

Henbury Henbury is a suburb of Bristol, England, approximately north west of the city centre. It was formerly a village in Gloucestershire and is now bordered by Westbury-on-Trym to the south; Brentry to the east and the Blaise Castle Estate, Blaise Ha ...

, Gloucestershire from 1726 to 1728. He was elected

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of St John's College on 3 June 1728. Holmes became the Rector of Boxwell, Gloucestershire, on 24 September and was given the college living of Hanborough, a few miles north of

Long Hanborough Long Hanborough is a village in Hanborough civil parish, about northeast of Witney in West Oxfordshire, England. The village is the major settlement in Hanborough parish. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 2,630. History An ...

, Oxfordshire, and between 1731 and 1737, he was proctor for the clergy of the

diocese of Oxford The Diocese of Oxford is a Church of England diocese that forms part of the Province of Canterbury. The diocese is led by the Bishop of Oxford (currently Steven Croft), and the bishop's seat is at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. It contain ...

in convocation. Holmes was

Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford is the chief executive and leader of the University of Oxford. The following people have been vice-chancellors of the University of Oxford (formally known as The Right Worshipful the Vice-Chance ...

between 1732 and 1735, and in this post, was appealed to by John Wesley about the concerns of the critics of the Holy Club. In 1734, he became a King's Chaplain. In his role as Vice-Chancellor, Holmes presented addresses from the university on the marriage of

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Princess Royal Princess Royal is a style customarily (but not automatically) awarded by a British monarch to their eldest daughter. Although purely honorary, it is the highest honour that may be given to a female member of the royal family. There have been se ...

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 ...

Prince of Orange Prince of Orange (or Princess of Orange if the holder is female) is a title originally associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France and subsequently held by sovereigns in the Netherlands. The title ...

, the Prince having been under Holmes's care whilst in Oxford. In 1736 Holmes was appointed as the Oxford Regius Professor of Modern History, a post he held until 1742. Whilst President of St John's, Holmes had the last letter of Sir Thomas White, the founder of college, printed to give every scholar on entering college, urging the fellows to peacefully with each other and suggests they "take a coppye of yt for my sake". Holmes was ridiculed as "time-serving" in an imitation of the first satire of

Juvenal Decimus Junius Juvenalis (), known in English as Juvenal ( ), was a Roman poet active in the late first and early second century CE. He is the author of the collection of satirical poems known as the '' Satires''. The details of Juvenal's life ...

, printed in London in 1740, and in a letter purporting to be written from Oxford, published in ''British Champions, or, The Impartial Advertiser'' on 10 January 1743, which printed "that ornament of learning and politeness H—es" is an example of those that "steer judiciously between all extremes". Holmes was the first president of St John's to be loyal to the

House of Hanover The House of Hanover (german: Haus Hannover), whose members are known as Hanoverians, is a European royal house of German origin that ruled Hanover, Great Britain, and Ireland at various times during the 17th to 20th centuries. The house or ...

. Holmes was supportive of sound learning and met with Thomas Hearne, who wished the University to plan the printing of Oxford manuscripts. On 9 July 1733, acting as Vice-Chancellor he revived the ceremony of "the act", which had been discontinued, and invited George Frideric Handel to play before and after the ceremony. However, his allowing Handel to perform inside the

Sheldonian Theatre Sheldonian Theatre, located in Oxford, England, was built from 1664 to 1669 after a design by Christopher Wren for the University of Oxford. The building is named after Gilbert Sheldon, chancellor of the University at the time and the project's ...

on several occasions outside of University ceremonies and to charge 5 shillings. for admission, offended Hearne and other traditionalists. Hearne stated that "Handel and (his lousy crew) a great number of foreign fiddlers".Reliquiae, 778 At another time, Holmes refused a company of players from visiting Oxford. He was from 1728 to 1748 the

of St John's College, Oxford. He was nominated by

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to the deanery of Exeter Cathedral on 4 June 1742. Holmes was buried in the college chapel, and on the instruction of his wife, Sarah, a monument to him was erected in the college chapel. On his death on 4 April 1748, Holmes left an estate of two farms and £200 a year to St John's College.

Works

Only one work is ascribed to Holmes, ''The Country Parson's Advice to his Parishioners … of the Younger Sort'', which was an anonymous publication of 1742.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holmes, William 1689 births 1768 deaths People from the City of London Alumni of St John's College, Oxford People educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood 18th-century English historians English chaplains Fellows of St John's College, Oxford Presidents of St John's College, Oxford Vice-Chancellors of the University of Oxford Regius Professors of History (University of Oxford)