Life

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

Eton College

Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....

 and from 1774 Dean of Durham. He was educated at Eton, and in 1766 elected to King's College, Cambridge

King's College, Cambridge

King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....

. 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

Earl of Guilford is a title that has been created three times in British history. The title was created for the first time in the Peerage of England in 1660 for Elizabeth Boyle. She was the daughter of William Feilding, 1st Earl of Denbigh, and the widow of Lewis Boyle, 1st Viscount Boyle of...

, holding at the same time the vicarage of Bexley

Bexley

Bexley is an South East London]] in the London Borough of Bexley, London, England. It is located on the banks of the River Cray south of the Roman Road, Watling Street...

 in Kent

Kent

Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...

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

Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th century which involved reducing and removing many of the restrictions on Roman Catholics which had been introduced by the Act of Uniformity, the Test Acts and the penal laws...

. 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. 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

Ely Place

Ely Place is a gated road at the southern tip of the London Borough of Camden in London, England. It is the location of the Old Mitre Tavern and is adjacent to Hatton Garden.-Origins:...

 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

Thomas Frognall Dibdin , English bibliographer, born at Calcutta, was the son of Thomas Dibdin, the sailor brother of Charles Dibdin....

 in compiling his Aedes Althorpianae. His library was sold by his half-brother (lawyer Sir Henry) and widow to the Duke of Devonshire

Duke of Devonshire

Duke of Devonshire is a title in the peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the richest and most influential aristocratic families in England since the 16th century, and have been rivalled in political influence perhaps only...

at a valuation amounting to nearly £10,000.