Richard Hurd
Encyclopedia
Richard Hurd was an English
divine and writer, and bishop of Worcester
.
of Penkridge
, Staffordshire
, where his father was a farmer. He was educated at Brewood Grammar School
and at Emmanuel College, Cambridge
. He took his B.A. degree in 1739, and in 1742 he proceeded M.A. and became a fellow of his college. In the same year he was ordained deacon
, and given charge of the parish of Reymerston, Norfolk
, but he returned to Cambridge early in 1743. He was ordained priest
in 1744. In 1748 he published some Remarks on an Enquiry into the Rejection of Christian Miracles by the Heathens (1746), by William Weston
, a fellow of St John's College, Cambridge
.
He prepared editions, which won the praise of Edward Gibbon
, of the Ars poetica and Epistola ad Pisones (1749), and the Epistola ad Augustum (1751) of Horace
. A compliment in the preface to the edition of 1749 was the starting-point of a lasting friendship with William Warburton
, through whose influence he was appointed one of the preachers at Whitehall
in 1750. In 1765 he was appointed preacher at Lincoln's Inn
, and in 1767 he became archdeacon of Gloucester.
In 1768, he proceeded D.D. at Cambridge, and delivered at Lincoln's Inn the first Warburton lectures
, which were published later (1772) as An Introduction to the Study of the Prophecies concerning the Christian Church. He became bishop of Lichfield and Coventry in 1774, and two years later was selected to be tutor to the prince of Wales
and the duke of York
. In 1781 he was translated to the see of Worcester
. He lived chiefly at Hartlebury Castle
, where he built a fine library, to which he transferred Alexander Pope
's and Warburton's books, purchased on the latter's death.
He was extremely popular at court, and in 1783, on the death of Archbishop Cornwallis
, the king pressed him to accept the primacy, but Hurd, who was known, says Madame d'Arblay, as "The Beauty of Holiness,” declined it as a charge not suited to his temper and talents, and much too heavy for him to sustain. He died, unmarried, on 28 May 1808.
He bequeathed his library to his successors as bishop, and it remains at Hartlebury Castle, but its fate remains uncertain, now that the castle has ceased to be used as the bishop's residence.
included in his Moral and Political Dialogues (1759) Two later dialogues On the Uses of Foreign Travel were printed in 1763. Hurd wrote two acrimonious defences of Warburton On the Delicacy of Friendship (1755), in answer to John Jortin
and a Letter (1764) to Dr Thomas Leland
, who had criticized Warburton's Doctrine of Grace. He edited the Works of William Warburton, the Select Works (1772) of Abraham Cowley
, and left materials for an edition (6 vols., 1811) of Addison. His own works appeared in a collected edition in 8 vols. 1811.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
divine and writer, and bishop of Worcester
Bishop of Worcester
The Bishop of Worcester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury, England. He is the head of the Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury...
.
Life
He was born at Congreve, in the parishParish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Penkridge
Penkridge
Penkridge is a market town and ancient parish in Staffordshire, England with a population of 7,836 . Many locals refer to it as a village, although it has a long history as an ecclesiastical and commercial centre. Its main distinction in the Middle Ages was as the site of an important collegiate...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, where his father was a farmer. He was educated at Brewood Grammar School
Brewood Grammar School
Brewood Grammar School was a boys' school in the village of Brewood in South Staffordshire, England.Founded in the mid 15th century by the Bishop of Lichfield as a chantry school it was closed by the 1547 Act of Dissolution of Chantries...
and at Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay on the site of a Dominican friary...
. He took his B.A. degree in 1739, and in 1742 he proceeded M.A. and became a fellow of his college. In the same year he was ordained deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
, and given charge of the parish of Reymerston, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, but he returned to Cambridge early in 1743. He was ordained priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
in 1744. In 1748 he published some Remarks on an Enquiry into the Rejection of Christian Miracles by the Heathens (1746), by William Weston
William Weston
William Pritchard Weston was the third Premier of Tasmania.Born in Shoreditch, England, Weston emigrated to Tasmania in about 1830, purchasing a property near Longford, and lived there for several years. He also received a grant of 2500 acres . He was made a magistrate and with the Rev...
, a fellow of St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
.
He prepared editions, which won the praise of Edward Gibbon
Edward Gibbon
Edward Gibbon was an English historian and Member of Parliament...
, of the Ars poetica and Epistola ad Pisones (1749), and the Epistola ad Augustum (1751) of Horace
Horace
Quintus Horatius Flaccus , known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.-Life:...
. A compliment in the preface to the edition of 1749 was the starting-point of a lasting friendship with William Warburton
William Warburton
William Warburton was an English critic and churchman, Bishop of Gloucester from 1759.-Life:He was born at Newark, where his father, who belonged to an old Cheshire family, was town clerk. William was educated at Oakham and Newark grammar schools, and in 1714 he was articled to Mr Kirke, an...
, through whose influence he was appointed one of the preachers at Whitehall
Whitehall
Whitehall is a road in Westminster, in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards Charing Cross at the southern end of Trafalgar Square...
in 1750. In 1765 he was appointed preacher at Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
, and in 1767 he became archdeacon of Gloucester.
In 1768, he proceeded D.D. at Cambridge, and delivered at Lincoln's Inn the first Warburton lectures
Warburton Lectures
The Warburton Lectures are a series of theology lectures held in Lincoln’s Inn, London. They were established in 1768 with money given by William Warburton, and were intended to bring young divines to the notice of London audiences...
, which were published later (1772) as An Introduction to the Study of the Prophecies concerning the Christian Church. He became bishop of Lichfield and Coventry in 1774, and two years later was selected to be tutor to the prince of Wales
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
and the duke of York
Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany
The Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany was a member of the Hanoverian and British Royal Family, the second eldest child, and second son, of King George III...
. In 1781 he was translated to the see of Worcester
Bishop of Worcester
The Bishop of Worcester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury, England. He is the head of the Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury...
. He lived chiefly at Hartlebury Castle
Hartlebury Castle
Hartlebury Castle, a Grade I listed building, in Worcestershire, central England, was built in the mid-13th century as a fortified manor house on land given to the Bishop of Worcester by King Burgred of Mercia. It lies near Stourport town in north Worcestershire. The manor of Hartlebury...
, where he built a fine library, to which he transferred Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope was an 18th-century English poet, best known for his satirical verse and for his translation of Homer. He is the third-most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, after Shakespeare and Tennyson...
's and Warburton's books, purchased on the latter's death.
He was extremely popular at court, and in 1783, on the death of Archbishop Cornwallis
Frederick Cornwallis
Frederick Cornwallis was Archbishop of Canterbury, and the twin brother of Edward Cornwallis.Cornwallis was born in London, England, the seventh son of Charles Cornwallis, 4th Baron Cornwallis. He was educated at Eton College and graduated from Christ's College, Cambridge...
, the king pressed him to accept the primacy, but Hurd, who was known, says Madame d'Arblay, as "The Beauty of Holiness,” declined it as a charge not suited to his temper and talents, and much too heavy for him to sustain. He died, unmarried, on 28 May 1808.
He bequeathed his library to his successors as bishop, and it remains at Hartlebury Castle, but its fate remains uncertain, now that the castle has ceased to be used as the bishop's residence.
Works
Hurd's Letters on Chivalry and Romance (1762) retain a certain interest for their importance in the history of the romantic movement, which they did something to stimulate. They were written in continuation of a dialogue on the age of Queen ElizabethElizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
included in his Moral and Political Dialogues (1759) Two later dialogues On the Uses of Foreign Travel were printed in 1763. Hurd wrote two acrimonious defences of Warburton On the Delicacy of Friendship (1755), in answer to John Jortin
John Jortin
-Life:Jortin was the son of Renatus Jordain, a French Huguenot refugee and government official, and Martha Rogers, daughter of Daniel Rogers. He was educated at Jesus College, Cambridge, where he became a Fellow in 1721. He was Rede lecturer at Cambridge in 1724, and Boyle lecturer in 1749...
and a Letter (1764) to Dr Thomas Leland
Thomas Leland
Thomas Leland was an Irish historian, translator and academic and the author of the early gothic novel "Longsword, Earl of Salisbury: An Historical Romance", published in 1762....
, who had criticized Warburton's Doctrine of Grace. He edited the Works of William Warburton, the Select Works (1772) of Abraham Cowley
Abraham Cowley
Abraham Cowley was an English poet born in the City of London late in 1618. He was one of the leading English poets of the 17th century, with 14 printings of his Works published between 1668 and 1721.-Early life and career:...
, and left materials for an edition (6 vols., 1811) of Addison. His own works appeared in a collected edition in 8 vols. 1811.
External links
- The works of Richard Hurd Vol. I
- The works of Richard Hurd Vol. II
- The works of Richard Hurd Vol. III
- The works of Richard Hurd Vol. IV
- The works of Richard Hurd Vol. V
- The works of Richard Hurd Vol. VI
- The works of Richard Hurd Vol. VII
- The works of Richard Hurd Vol. VIII
- 'Dialogues of the Uses of Foreign Travel', (1764)