Benjamin Parsons Symons
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Parsons Symons was an academic administrator at the University of Oxford
in England
.
Benjamin Symons was born in Cheddar, Somerset
, the son of John Symons of Cheddar. He matriculated at Wadham College, Oxford
on 2 February 1802, was admitted as a scholar on 25 October 1803. He graduated with a BA degree on 14 October 1805 and received an MA degree on 7 July 1810. He was elected a Probationer Fellow at Wadham College on 30 June 1811 and was admitted as a Fellow on 2 July 1812. He graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity
on 22 April 1819. He was bursar
of the College from 1814 to 1823, after which he became sub-warden. On 23 January 1831 he obtained the degree of Doctor of Divinity
and on 16 June of that year he was elected Warden
of the College. He was Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University from 1844 to 1848. He resigned the wardenship on 18 October 1871, but continued to reside in Oxford
until his death in 1878.
Symons did not follow the high-church Anglican Oxford Movement
prevalent at Oxford, and was regarded as the leader of the evangelical wing in later life. He was buried in the ante-chapel
at Wadham College and bequeathed £1,000 to the College to establish an exhibition
. His portrait was hung in the College hall.
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
in England
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...
.
Benjamin Symons was born in Cheddar, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, the son of John Symons of Cheddar. He matriculated at Wadham College, Oxford
Wadham College, Oxford
Wadham College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, located at the southern end of Parks Road in central Oxford. It was founded by Nicholas and Dorothy Wadham, wealthy Somerset landowners, during the reign of King James I...
on 2 February 1802, was admitted as a scholar on 25 October 1803. He graduated with a BA degree on 14 October 1805 and received an MA degree on 7 July 1810. He was elected a Probationer Fellow at Wadham College on 30 June 1811 and was admitted as a Fellow on 2 July 1812. He graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity
Bachelor of Divinity
In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies....
on 22 April 1819. He was bursar
Bursar
A bursar is a senior professional financial administrator in a school or university.Billing of student tuition accounts are the responsibility of the Office of the Bursar. This involves sending bills and making payment plans with the ultimate goal of getting the student accounts paid off...
of the College from 1814 to 1823, after which he became sub-warden. On 23 January 1831 he obtained the degree of Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
and on 16 June of that year he was elected Warden
Warden (college)
A warden is the head of some colleges and other educational institutions. This applies especially at some colleges and institutions at the University of Oxford:* All Souls College* Greyfriars* Keble College* Merton College* New College* Nuffield College...
of the College. He was Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University from 1844 to 1848. He resigned the wardenship on 18 October 1871, but continued to reside in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
until his death in 1878.
Symons did not follow the high-church Anglican Oxford Movement
Oxford Movement
The Oxford Movement was a movement of High Church Anglicans, eventually developing into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose members were often associated with the University of Oxford, argued for the reinstatement of lost Christian traditions of faith and their inclusion into Anglican liturgy...
prevalent at Oxford, and was regarded as the leader of the evangelical wing in later life. He was buried in the ante-chapel
Ante-chapel
Ante-chapel is the term given to that portion of a chapel which lies on the western side of the choir screen.In some of the colleges at Oxford and Cambridge the ante-chapel is carried north and south across the west end of the chapel, constituting a western transept or narthex...
at Wadham College and bequeathed £1,000 to the College to establish an exhibition
Exhibition (scholarship)
-United Kingdom and Ireland:At the universities of Dublin, Oxford and Cambridge, and at Westminster School, Eton College and Winchester College, and various other UK educational establishments, an exhibition is a financial award or grant to an individual student, normally on grounds of merit. The...
. His portrait was hung in the College hall.
Sources
- Symons, Benjamin Parsons (DNB00), WikisourceWikisourceWikisource is an online digital library of free content textual sources on a wiki, operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Its aims are to host all forms of free text, in many languages, and translations. Originally conceived as an archive to store useful or important historical texts, it has...
Further reading
- Davies, C.S.L., ‘Symons, Benjamin Parsons (1785–1878)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 2004.
- Gardiner's Registers of Wadham, ii. 224.
- Foster's Alumni Oxon. 1715–1886.
- Ward's Men of the Reign, p. 867.
- The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, 13 April 1878.