William Huddesford
Encyclopedia
William Huddesford was Keeper of the Ashmolean Museum
from 1755 to 1772. Huddesford is credited with reinventing the Museum's reputation.
, on 15 August 1732. His father, George Huddesford, was the President of Trinity College, Oxford
. He himself attended Trinity College. His younger brother, also George Huddesford
, was a painter and satirical poet. William earned his B.D.
in 1767, and he was proctor
of Oxford University in 1765.
In 1755, Huddesford took over from his father as keeper of the Ashmolean Museum
at Oxford. Huddesford improved the Museum's reputation. His scholarship and his ability to take advice are cited as reasons for his success. Huddesford cleared out many of the collections to ensure that all the exhibits were essential. Amongst the discarded items were two dodo
s. These ended up at the University Museum and they inspired Lewis Carroll
to include a dodo in the opening chapters of Alice in Wonderland.
Huddesford had been ordained in 1758 and in 1761 he was made the vicar
of Bishop's Tachbrook in Warwickshire
. Huddesford died unexpectedly at Oxford
on 6 October 1772.
Ashmolean Museum
The Ashmolean Museum on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is the world's first university museum...
from 1755 to 1772. Huddesford is credited with reinventing the Museum's reputation.
Life
Huddesford was baptized at St Mary Magdalen, OxfordSt Mary Magdalen, Oxford
St Mary Magdalen is a Church of England parish church in Magdalen Street, Oxford, England. The church is just to the north of the former city wall.-History:...
, on 15 August 1732. His father, George Huddesford, was the President of Trinity College, Oxford
Trinity College, Oxford
The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope , or Trinity College for short, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It stands on Broad Street, next door to Balliol College and Blackwells bookshop,...
. He himself attended Trinity College. His younger brother, also George Huddesford
George Huddesford
Rev. George Huddesford was a painter and a satirical poet in Oxford. Huddesford published a number of works. His first was described by Fanny Burney as a "vile poem" as it revealed that she had written the novel, Evelina.-Life:...
, was a painter and satirical poet. William earned his B.D.
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....
in 1767, and he was proctor
Proctor
Proctor, a variant of the word procurator, is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another. The word proctor is frequently used to describe someone who oversees an exam or dormitory.The title is used in England in three principal senses:...
of Oxford University in 1765.
In 1755, Huddesford took over from his father as keeper of the Ashmolean Museum
Ashmolean Museum
The Ashmolean Museum on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is the world's first university museum...
at Oxford. Huddesford improved the Museum's reputation. His scholarship and his ability to take advice are cited as reasons for his success. Huddesford cleared out many of the collections to ensure that all the exhibits were essential. Amongst the discarded items were two dodo
Dodo
The dodo was a flightless bird endemic to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. Related to pigeons and doves, it stood about a meter tall, weighing about , living on fruit, and nesting on the ground....
s. These ended up at the University Museum and they inspired Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
to include a dodo in the opening chapters of Alice in Wonderland.
Huddesford had been ordained in 1758 and in 1761 he was made the vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
of Bishop's Tachbrook in Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
. Huddesford died unexpectedly at 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...
on 6 October 1772.
Works
- Edvardi Luidii … lithophylacii Britannici ichnographia, Oxford, 1760, a new edition of the treatise of Edward LhuydEdward LhuydEdward Lhuyd was a Welsh naturalist, botanist, linguist, geographer and antiquary. He is also known by the Latinized form of his name, Eduardus Luidius....
, whose fossils were under his charge at the Ashmolean. It contained the author's discourse on the sea-shells of the British ocean. - Martini Lister, M.D., Historiæ, sive Synopsis Methodicæ Conchyliorum et Tabularum Anatomicarum editio altera, Oxford, 1760.
- Catalogus librorum Manuscriptorum Antonii à Wood, 1761, via Sir Thomas Phillipps at the Middlehill press in 1824.
- An Address to the Freemen and other Inhabitants of the City of Oxford, 1764.