Charles James Blomfield
Encyclopedia
Charles James Blomfield (29 May 1786 – 5 August 1857) was a British
divine, and a Church of England
bishop for 32 years.
and educated at the local grammar school and at Trinity College, Cambridge
, where he won the Browne medals for Latin and Greek odes, and the Craven scholarship. In 1808, he graduated as third wrangler and first medallist, and in the following year was elected to a fellowship at Trinity College.
of Aeschylus
in 1810; this was followed by editions of the Septem contra Thebas, Persae, Choephori, and Agamemnon
, of Callimachus
, and of the fragments of Sappho
, Sophron
and Alcaeus
.
Blomfield, however, soon ceased to devote himself entirely to scholarship. He had been ordained in 1810, and held in quick succession the livings of Chesterford, Quarrington
, Dunton
, Great and Little Chesterford, and Tuddenham
. In 1817 he was appointed private chaplain to William Howley
, Bishop of London
. In 1819 he was nominated to the rich living of St Botolph, Bishopsgate, and in 1822 he became archdeacon of Colchester. Two years later he was raised to the bishopric as bishop of Chester
where he carried through many much-needed reforms.
In 1828, he was appointed a Privy Counsellor
and translated becoming bishop of London
,a post which he held for twenty-eight years. During this period, his energy and zeal did much to extend the influence of the church. He was one of the best debaters in the House of Lords
(members of the Upper House of the Canterbury Convocation confessed to trimming their quill pens before his arrival!), took a leading position in the action for church reform which culminated in the ecclesiastical commission, and did much for the extension of the colonial episcopate; and his genial and kindly nature made him an invaluable mediator in the controversies arising out of the tractarian movement.
as his residence, with a pension of £6000 per annum.
Blomfield is buried in the churchyard of All Saints Church, Fulham
, London and a memorial to him, by G. Richmond, can be seen at Saint Paul's Cathedral along the south wall of the ambulatory
.
See Memoirs of Charles James Blomfield, D. D., Bishop of London, with Selections from his Correspondence, edited by his son, Alfred Blomfield (1863); GE Biber, Bishop Blomfield and his Times (1857).
He was also the father of the architect Sir Arthur Blomfield
(born 1829) and of the Rt Revd Alfred Blomfield
, Bishop of Colchester
(born 1833).
Dorothy also had one son from her first marriage, Thomas Fassett Kent who was born in 1817 in Ellough, Suffolk.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
divine, and a Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
bishop for 32 years.
Early life
Blomfield was born in Bury St Edmunds, SuffolkSuffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
and educated at the local grammar school and at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, where he won the Browne medals for Latin and Greek odes, and the Craven scholarship. In 1808, he graduated as third wrangler and first medallist, and in the following year was elected to a fellowship at Trinity College.
Career
The first-fruits of his scholarship was an edition of the PrometheusPrometheus
In Greek mythology, Prometheus is a Titan, the son of Iapetus and Themis, and brother to Atlas, Epimetheus and Menoetius. He was a champion of mankind, known for his wily intelligence, who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals...
of Aeschylus
Aeschylus
Aeschylus was the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived, the others being Sophocles and Euripides, and is often described as the father of tragedy. His name derives from the Greek word aiskhos , meaning "shame"...
in 1810; this was followed by editions of the Septem contra Thebas, Persae, Choephori, and Agamemnon
Agamemnon
In Greek mythology, Agamemnon was the son of King Atreus and Queen Aerope of Mycenae, the brother of Menelaus, the husband of Clytemnestra, and the father of Electra and Orestes. Mythical legends make him the king of Mycenae or Argos, thought to be different names for the same area...
, of Callimachus
Callimachus
Callimachus was a native of the Greek colony of Cyrene, Libya. He was a noted poet, critic and scholar at the Library of Alexandria and enjoyed the patronage of the Egyptian–Greek Pharaohs Ptolemy II Philadelphus and Ptolemy III Euergetes...
, and of the fragments of Sappho
Sappho
Sappho was an Ancient Greek poet, born on the island of Lesbos. Later Greeks included her in the list of nine lyric poets. Her birth was sometime between 630 and 612 BC, and it is said that she died around 570 BC, but little is known for certain about her life...
, Sophron
Sophron
Sophron of Syracuse was a writer of mimes.Sophron was the author of prose dialogues in the Doric dialect, containing both male and female characters, some serious, others humorous in style, and depicting scenes from the daily life of the Sicilian Greeks. Although in prose, they were regarded as...
and Alcaeus
Alcaeus
Alcaeus may refer to:*Alcaeus , a writer of ten plays of the Old Comedy.*Alcaeus , one of several figures of this name in Greek mythology*12607 Alcaeus - a main belt asteroid...
.
Blomfield, however, soon ceased to devote himself entirely to scholarship. He had been ordained in 1810, and held in quick succession the livings of Chesterford, Quarrington
Quarrington
Quarrington may refer to:* Joel Quarrington, Canadian double bassist * Paul Quarrington, Canadian novelist * Cassop-cum-Quarrington* Old Quarrington, England* Quarrington Hill, England* Quarrington, Lincolnshire, England...
, Dunton
Dunton
Dunton is the name of more than one place.In the United Kingdom:*Dunton, Bedfordshire*Dunton, Buckinghamshire*Dunton, Norfolk*Dunton Bassett, Leicestershire*Dunton Green, Kent*Dunton Wayletts, Essex...
, Great and Little Chesterford, and Tuddenham
Tuddenham
Tuddenham is a village and civil parish in the Forest Heath district of Suffolk in eastern England. In 2005 it had a population of 450.Between 1943 and 1963, RAF Tuddenham was a Royal Air Force airfield close to the village...
. In 1817 he was appointed private chaplain to William Howley
William Howley
William Howley was a clergyman in the Church of England. He served as Archbishop of Canterbury from 1828 to 1848.-Early Life, education, and interests:...
, Bishop of London
Bishop of London
The Bishop of London is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 458 km² of 17 boroughs of Greater London north of the River Thames and a small part of the County of Surrey...
. In 1819 he was nominated to the rich living of St Botolph, Bishopsgate, and in 1822 he became archdeacon of Colchester. Two years later he was raised to the bishopric as bishop of Chester
Bishop of Chester
The Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York.The diocese expands across most of the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, including the Wirral Peninsula and has its see in the City of Chester where the seat is located at the Cathedral...
where he carried through many much-needed reforms.
In 1828, he was appointed a Privy Counsellor
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
and translated becoming bishop of London
Bishop of London
The Bishop of London is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 458 km² of 17 boroughs of Greater London north of the River Thames and a small part of the County of Surrey...
,a post which he held for twenty-eight years. During this period, his energy and zeal did much to extend the influence of the church. He was one of the best debaters in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
(members of the Upper House of the Canterbury Convocation confessed to trimming their quill pens before his arrival!), took a leading position in the action for church reform which culminated in the ecclesiastical commission, and did much for the extension of the colonial episcopate; and his genial and kindly nature made him an invaluable mediator in the controversies arising out of the tractarian movement.
Later life
His health at last gave way, and in 1856 he was permitted to resign his bishopric, retaining Fulham PalaceFulham Palace
Fulham Palace in Fulham, London , England, at one time the main residence of the Bishop of London, is of medieval origin. It was the country home of the Bishops of London from at least 11th century until 1975, when it was vacated...
as his residence, with a pension of £6000 per annum.
Blomfield is buried in the churchyard of All Saints Church, Fulham
All Saints Church, Fulham
All Saints Church, Fulham is an Anglican Church in Fulham, London sited close to the river Thames, beside the northern approach to Putney Bridge.-History:...
, London and a memorial to him, by G. Richmond, can be seen at Saint Paul's Cathedral along the south wall of the ambulatory
Ambulatory
The ambulatory is the covered passage around a cloister. The term is sometimes applied to the procession way around the east end of a cathedral or large church and behind the high altar....
.
Published works
His published works, exclusive of those above mentioned, consist of charges, sermons, lectures and pamphlets, and of a Manual of Private and Family Prayers. He was a frequent contributor to the quarterly reviews, chiefly on classical subjects.See Memoirs of Charles James Blomfield, D. D., Bishop of London, with Selections from his Correspondence, edited by his son, Alfred Blomfield (1863); GE Biber, Bishop Blomfield and his Times (1857).
Personal life
He married Dorothy (née Cox, widow of Thomas Kent of Hildersham, Cambridgeshire) on 17 December 1819 at St George, Hanover Square, London and they had the following known children: Mary Frances (1821), Frederick George (1823), Isabella (1824), Henry John (1826), Francis (1826), Lucy Elizabeth (1830), Charles James (1831) and Dorothy Hester (1836).He was also the father of the architect Sir Arthur Blomfield
Arthur Blomfield
Sir Arthur William Blomfield was an English architect.-Background:The fourth son of Charles James Blomfield, an Anglican Bishop of London helpfully began a programme of new church construction in the capital. Born in Fulham Palace, Arthur Blomfield was educated at Rugby and Trinity College,...
(born 1829) and of the Rt Revd Alfred Blomfield
Alfred Blomfield
The Right Reverend Alfred BlomfieldDD was an eminent Anglican Bishop in the last decades of the 19th century.Alfred was the son of the Right Reverend Charles James Blomfield and brother of the architect Sir Arthur Blomfield. He was educated at Harrow and Balliol before being awarded a Fellowship...
, Bishop of Colchester
Bishop of Colchester
The Bishop of Colchester is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Chelmsford, in the Province of Canterbury, England....
(born 1833).
Dorothy also had one son from her first marriage, Thomas Fassett Kent who was born in 1817 in Ellough, Suffolk.