Alfred Hackman (1811–1874) was sub-librarian at the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1602 by Sir Thomas Bodley, it is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second-largest library in ...

Early life

Hackman was born in

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...

, southwest of London, on 8 April 1811. His father, Thomas Hackman, was the parochial

vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government of a parish in England, Wales and some English colony, English colonies. At their height, the vestries were the only form of local government in many places and spen ...

clerk in Fulham, giving him access to the powerful

Bishop of London The bishop of London is the Ordinary (church officer), ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury. By custom the Bishop is also Dean of the Chapel Royal since 1723. The diocese covers of 17 boroughs o ...

William Howley William Howley (12 February 1766 – 11 February 1848) was a clergyman in the Church of England. He served as Archbishop of Canterbury from 1828 to 1848. Early life, education, and interests Howley was born in 1766 at Ropley, Hampshire, wher ...

. Through Howley's influence, Alfred Hackman matriculated as a

servitor In certain university, universities (including some Colleges of the University of Oxford, colleges of University of Oxford and the University of Edinburgh), a servitor was an undergraduate student who received free accommodation (and some free mea ...

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

on 25 October 1832. Hackman was educated in France, and then spent several years as an usher in a boarding-school run by his father. Hackman graduated from university with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1837 and then received a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

degree in 1840.

Career

Through the influence of

Thomas Gaisford Thomas Gaisford (22 December 1779 – 2 June 1855) was an English classical scholar and clergyman. He served as Dean of Christ Church from 1831 until his death. Early life Gaisford was born at Iford Manor, Wiltshire, the son of John Gaisford ...

, curator of the Bodleian library, Hackman obtained a temporary post in 1837, and was connected with the library for more than thirty-five years afterwards. In 1837, Hackman also became the chaplain of Christ Church College in Oxford, and

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' () of souls of a parish. In this sense, ''curate'' means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy who are as ...

to the Reverend Henry Gary at St. Paul's Church in Oxford (now a student coffehouse). Hackman was appointed by his college

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English p ...

of Cowley, near

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, in 1839, and was from 1841 to 1873 a

precentor A precentor is a person who helps facilitate worship. The details vary depending on the religion, denomination, and era in question. The Latin derivation is ''præcentor'', from cantor, meaning "the one who sings before" (or alternatively, "first ...

at Christ Church. From 1844 to 1871 Hackman was vicar of St. Paul's, where he exercised a considerable influence as a preacher, not only on his own parishioners, but also on the undergraduates of the university, who were attracted by his earnestness and quaint vivacity. Hackman attended to his parish, with his free time largely occupied by his duties in the Bodleian Library, where in 1862 he was appointed sub-librarian. Hackman published ''A Catalogue of the Collection of the Tanner MSS in the Bodleian,'' Oxford 1860.

Death

In 1873, Hackman retired from the library and Christ Church due to poor health. He died, unmarried, in his brother's house in the village of

Long Ditton Long Ditton is a residential suburb in the borough of Borough of Elmbridge, Elmbridge, Surrey, England on the boundary with the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Greater London, London. In medieval times it was a villages in the United Kin ...

, Surrey, on 18 Sep 1874. He was buried at St. Sepulchre's Cemetery in Oxford.

References

External links

The grave of Alfred Hackman in St Sepulchre's Cemetery, Oxford, with biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hackman, Alfred 1811 births 1874 deaths People from Fulham English librarians People associated with the Bodleian Library Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Burials at St Sepulchre's Cemetery