Christopher Wren the Younger
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Christopher Wren (1675–1747), of Wroxall Abbey, Warwickshire was a
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and the son of the architect Sir Christopher Wren.


Life

Wren was the second but first surviving son of Sir Christopher Wren and his first wife, Faith Coghill, daughter of Sir John Coghill of
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in Oxfordshire. He was educated at Eton and Pembroke College, Cambridge, Cambridge, where his father had built the new college chapel, his first completed work. His son entered the college in 1691, but left without a degree. He was elected a Fellow of the
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in 1693. He entered the
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in 1694. In 1698/9 he travelled in Europe making an architectural tour of France, Italy and Holland with Edward Strong the Younger whose father was his father's main building contractor. This trip may indicate a friendship over and above a simple working relationship. On his return, Wren worked for his father as a clerk-of-works. He became Chief Clerk of Works in 1702 (to 1716). In 1708, he laid the last stone of the lantern which surmounts the dome of St Paul's Cathedral in the presence of his father. In 1711 he was appointed a Commissioner to organise the building of 50 new churches. He represented
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in Parliament from 1713 to 1715. Re-elected in 1715 he lost his seat on petition. He also lost his post as Clerk of Works in 1716 and thereafter retired to live as a country squire at the Wroxall Abbey estate in Warwickshire that had been acquired by his father in 1713. Wren collected documents about the life of his father, which were later published after his own death as the ''Parentalia'' by his son Stephen in 1750. His portrait, engraved by Faber, forms the frontispiece of the ''Parentalia''. Two letters written to him by Sir Christopher while he was quite a youth, were printed in Miss Phillimore's ''Life'' (pp. 282, 302), that show their relationship was of an affectionate character. The younger Christopher was also a
numismatist A numismatist is a specialist in numismatics ("of coins"; from Late Latin ''numismatis'', genitive of ''numisma''). Numismatists include collectors, specialist dealers, and scholars who use coins and other currency in object-based research. Altho ...
of some repute (Hearne, Collections, ed. Doble, ii. 264), and he published ''Numismatum Antiquorum Sylloge'' (London, 4to) in 1708. Wren died in London on 24 August 1747. His first wife was Mary, daughter of Philip Musard, jeweler of Queen Anne. His second wife, Constance, daughter of Sir Thomas Middleton, and widow of Sir Roger Burgoyne, Bt., died on 23 May 1734. He left two surviving sons, Christopher (born 1710), who inherited Wroxall Abbey, and Stephen (born 1722).


References


Sources

*Francis Cranmer Penrose, " Christopher Wren (1675–1747)", Dictionary of National Biography, 1885–1900, Volume 63 *D. Hayton, E. Cruickshanks, S. Handley (editors),
WREN, Christopher (1675-1747)
of St. James’s Street, Westminster, Mdx. and Wroxall, Warws.", ''The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1690-1715'', at historyofparliamentonline.org, retrieved 28 August 2012 {{DEFAULTSORT:Wren, Christopher 1675 births 1747 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge Members of the Inner Temple English politicians Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1713–1715 British MPs 1715–1722 English numismatists Fellows of the Royal Society