Robert Plumptre (1723–1788) was an English churchman and academic,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

of Queens' College, Cambridge from 1760.

Life

He was the youngest of ten children of John Plumptre of

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The trad ...

, and was grandson of Henry Plumptre. He was educated by Dr. Henry Newcome at

Newcome's School Newcome's School was a fashionable boys' school in Hackney, then to the east of London, founded in the early 18th century. A number of prominent Whig families sent their sons there. The school closed in 1815, and the buildings were gutted in 182 ...

in Hackney, and matriculated as a pensioner of Queens' College, Cambridge, on 11 July 1741. He proceeded B.A. 1744, M.A. 1748, D.D. 1761, and on 21 March 1745 was elected fellow of his college. In 1752 he was instituted to the rectory of

Wimpole Wimpole is a small village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England, about southwest of Cambridge. Until 1999, the main settlement on the A603 was officially known and signed as ''New Wimpole and Orwell, Cambridge Road''. On 1 April 19 ...

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the ...

, on the presentation of

Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke, (1 December 16906 March 1764) was an English lawyer and politician who served as Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain. He was a close confidant of the Duke of Newcastle, Prime Minister between 1754 and 17 ...

; at the same time he held the vicarage of Whaddon. In 1756 Lord Hardwicke made him prebendary of

Norwich Cathedral Norwich Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Norwich, Norfolk, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. It is the cathedral church for the Church of England Diocese of Norwich and is one of the Norwich 12 heritage sites. The cathedra ...

. In 1760 he was elected president of his college, and in 1769 professor of casuistry. These offices, together with his preferments, he held till his death. He was vice-chancellor 1760-61 and 1777-78. Plumptre interested himself in the history of his college, and left some manuscript collections for it. In the university he supported the movement inaugurated by John Jebb in favour of annual examinations, and was a member of the syndicate appointed on 17 February 1774 to devise a scheme for carrying them out, which was rejected on 19 April in the same year. He is also stated to have been in favour of granting relief to the clergy, who in 1772 petitioned against subscription to the ''

Thirty-nine Articles The Thirty-nine Articles of Religion (commonly abbreviated as the Thirty-nine Articles or the XXXIX Articles) are the historically defining statements of doctrines and practices of the Church of England with respect to the controversies of the ...

''. He published in 1782 a pamphlet called ''Hints Respecting some of the University Officers'', of which a second edition appeared in 1802. Latin poems by him occur among the congratulatory verses published by the university in 1761 on the occasion of the marriage of

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

in 1762, on the birth of a Prince of Wales, and in 1763 on the restoration of peace. Plumptre died at

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

on 29 October 1788. There is a tablet to his memory on the south side of the presbytery.

Family

He married, in September 1756, Anne, second daughter of Dr. Henry Newcome, his former schoolmaster. By her he had ten children, including the author Anne Plumptre and dramatist James Plumptre. Another daughter was Annabella (or Bell) who wrote the book ''Domestic Management; or, the Healthful Cookery-book: to which is prefixed, a treatise on diet'' (London: B. & R. Crosby, 1810), several novels, and translated A. W. Iffland's play ''Die Jäger'' from German (''The Foresters''. London: Vernor & Hood, 1799), and other German works.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Plumptre, Robert 1723 births 1788 deaths Presidents of Queens' College, Cambridge 18th-century English Anglican priests People educated at Newcome's School Vice-Chancellors of the University of Cambridge Fellows of Queens' College, Cambridge People from Nottinghamshire Knightbridge Professors of Philosophy