James Stephen Hodson DD FRSE (1816-1890) was a British academic and Anglican priest who served as rector of

Edinburgh Academy The Edinburgh Academy is an independent day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in the city's New Town, is now part of the Senior School. The Junior School is located on Arboretum Ro ...

from 1854 to 1869.

Life

He was born in

Clifton, Bristol Clifton is both a suburb of Bristol, England, and the name of one of the city's thirty-five council wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells. The eastern part of the suburb lies within the ward of Clifton D ...

, in 1816 or 1817, the eldest son of

George Hodson George S. Hodson (June 1868 – January 9, 1924) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the Boston Beaneaters in 1894 and the Philadelphia Phillies in 1895.

(1787–1855), later archdeacon of Stafford and chancellor of

Lichfield Cathedral Lichfield Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England, one of only three cathedrals in the United Kingdom with three spires (together with Truro Cathedral and St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh), and the only medie ...

. His mother was Mary Stephen. A younger brother was William Stephen Raikes Hodson, who adopted a military career and founded Hodsons Horse Regiment. Hodson studied divinity at

Balliol College Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the ...

and Merton College in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, graduating in 1837. He served as a curate at

Sanderstead Sanderstead is a village and medieval-founded church parish at the southern end of Croydon in south London, England, within the London Borough of Croydon, and formerly in the historic county of Surrey, until 1965. It takes in Purley Downs and S ...

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

. He moved to be

perpetual curate Perpetual curate was a class of resident parish priest or incumbent curate within the United Church of England and Ireland (name of the combined Anglican churches of England and Ireland from 1800 to 1871). The term is found in common use mainly du ...

of St Giles' Church, Longstone in

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

around 1847. During this period he is listed as a member of the

British Archaeological Association The British Archaeological Association (BAA) was founded in 1843 and aims to inspire, support and disseminate high quality research in the fields of Western archaeology, art and architecture, primarily of the mediaeval period, through lectures, co ...

. He succeeded John Hannah (1818-1888) as

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of Edinburgh Academy in 1855. For his time as rector of Edinburgh Academy he was living at 62, Great King Street (the former home of Robert Graham) in Edinburgh’s Second New town. In 1855 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, his proposer being James Russell. He resigned in 1873. He was succeeded as rector in 1869 by Thomas Harvey (1823-1901). From 1867 to 1870 he served as chaplain to the

bishop of Edinburgh The Bishop of Edinburgh, or sometimes the Lord Bishop of Edinburgh is the ordinary of the Scottish Episcopal Diocese of Edinburgh. Prior to the Reformation, Edinburgh was part of the Diocese of St Andrews, under the Archbishop of St Andrews ...

, Charles Terrot. In 1870 he left Edinburgh to take on the role of headmaster of

Bradfield College Bradfield College, formally St Andrew's College, Bradfield, is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) for pupils aged 11–18, located in the small village of Bradfield in the English county of Berkshire. It is note ...

in Berkshire. In 1872 he became vicar of Steventon, Oxfordshire (then in Berkshire) and in 1877, vicar of

South Luffenham South Luffenham is a village in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. The population of the civil parish at the 2001 census was 432, increasing to 455 at the 2011 census. The village lies largely on the north side of the A6 ...

in Rutland. In 1881, he took on his final role, as rector of Sanderstead. He died at Sanderstead Rectory on 20 November 1890, aged 74.

Publications

*''Comfort Amidst Sorrow'' (1845)

Family

He married Elizabeth Dorrill Vernon (second daughter of B. J. Vernon) in 1840 at St Mary le Strand in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. Elizabeth was born in 1820 in St Helena. They had six children: Sibella Vernon Hudson (died in infancy), Vernon James Hodson (1842-1864), Edith Vernon Hodson (1844-1932), Sibella Mary Hodson (1846-1910), Hubert Courtney Hodson (1847-1924), and Arthur Vernon Hodson (died in infancy). Vernon, served as a lieutenant in the European Light Cavalry during the Indian Mutiny, and died in Dinapore in India aged only 21.The Gentlemans Magazine 1864, vol.216

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hodson, James Stephen 1816 births 1890 deaths People from Clifton, Bristol Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Alumni of Merton College, Oxford Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 19th-century English Anglican priests People from Sanderstead People from South Luffenham