Thomas Worsley (15 July 1797 – 16 February 1885) was an English academic and priest. He was the third Master of Downing College, Cambridge from 1836 until 1885.

Early life

Worsley was born in Stonegrave, Yorkshire, the fifth of eight sons of Rev. George Worsley and Anne Cayley (daughter of Sir Thomas Cayley). He entered

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

as a pensioner in 1815. He matriculated in 1816, became a scholar in 1818, and was awarded the degree of

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

in 1820.

Life at Downing College

He became a Fellow of Downing College, Cambridge in 1824, and was elected the third Master of the college in 1836 in succession to William Frere. He served as Master for nearly 49 years up to his death in the Master's Lodge in 1885, thus being (in 2018) the third longest serving Head of House at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

, after Edward Atkinson, Master of Clare College from 1856 to 1915, and Francis Barnes, Master of

Peterhouse Peterhouse is the oldest constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England, founded in 1284 by Hugh de Balsham, Bishop of Ely. Today, Peterhouse has 254 undergraduates, 116 full-time graduate students and 54 fellows. It is quite o ...

from 1788 to 1838. He was

Vice-Chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor ...

from 1837 to 1838, and is buried in Hovingham, Yorkshire.

Family

In 1842, he married Katharine Rawson of Wasdale Hall,

Wasdale Wasdale () is a valley and civil parish in the western part of the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. The River Irt flows through the valley to its estuary at Ravenglass. A large part of the main valley floor is occupied by Wastw ...

, Cumberland. They had no children. His widow post-deceased him on 6 March 1885. Thomas Worsley's brother,

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

, was the first Baronet of Hovingham Hall. William's great-great-granddaughter

Katharine, Duchess of Kent Katharine, Duchess of Kent, (born Katharine Lucy Mary Worsley, 22 February 1933) is a member of the British royal family. She is married to Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, a grandson of King George V. The Duchess of Kent converted to Roman Ca ...

, is the Patron of Downing College.Downing College timeline, http://www.dow.cam.ac.uk/about/downing-college-history/downing-college-timeline Thomas's great-nephew Frank Worsley was a celebrated explorer.

Sir George Cayley Sir George Cayley, 6th Baronet (27 December 1773 – 15 December 1857) was an English engineer, inventor, and aviator. He is one of the most important people in the history of aeronautics. Many consider him to be the first true scientific aeri ...

, aviator and engineer, was his uncle on his mother's side, and Arthur Cayley, mathematician, was a cousin of his mother.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Worsley, Thomas 1797 births Masters of Downing College, Cambridge 1885 deaths