Arthur Yeldard (c.1530–1599) was an English clergyman and academic, chosen as the first

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

and second

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: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Trinity College, Oxford Trinity College (full name: The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope (Knight)) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in E ...

Life

Yeldard was born at Houghton-Strother in

Tynedale __NOTOC__ Tynedale was a local government district in Northumberland, England. The district had a resident population of 58,808 according to the 2001 census. The main towns were Hexham, Haltwhistle and Prudhoe. The district contained part of ...

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

. He matriculated as a

sizar At Trinity College Dublin and the University of Cambridge, a sizar is an Undergraduate education, undergraduate who receives some form of assistance such as meals, lower fees or lodging during his or her period of study, in some cases in retur ...

Clare Hall, Cambridge Clare Hall is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1966 by Clare College, Clare Hall is a college for advanced study, admitting only postgraduate students alongside postdoctoral researchers and fellows. It was est ...

in 1544. He graduated

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

in 1547–8 and M.A. in 1552, and occurs as a fellow of

Pembroke Hall, Cambridge Pembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college is the third-oldest college of the university and has over 700 students and fellows. It is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from ...

in 1551–4, acting as junior treasurer in 1551. It appears from his dedication to Queen Mary of a Latin version of ''Documenta quaedam admonitoria Agapeti Diaconi'' that he was at Dilling in Flanders in December 1553, acting as tutor to Henry and Anthony, the sons of Sir Anthony Denny, who matriculated at Cambridge in 1552. He also states that he had received an

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from Mary when princess through her confessor, Francis Mallett. On 30 May 1556, Yeldard was admitted one of the original fellows of Trinity College, Oxford, and was incorporated M.A. on 12 November. He assisted the founder, Sir Thomas Pope, and the first president,

Thomas Slythurst Thomas Slythurst (died 1560) was an English academic and Roman Catholic priest. He was the first President of Trinity College, Oxford. He lost his positions in 1559, on the accession of Elizabeth I of England, by his refusal to take the Oath of ...

, in the composition of the Latin statutes, acted as philosophy lecturer, and is frequently mentioned in the founder's letters, particularly as tutor to his stepson, John Basford. On 23 September 1559, after the deprivation of Slythurst on the accession of

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

after refusing to take the

Oath of Supremacy The Oath of Supremacy required any person taking public or church office in the Kingdom of England, or in its subordinate Kingdom of Ireland, to swear allegiance to the monarch as Supreme Governor of the Church. Failure to do so was to be trea ...

Yeldard was selected by the foundress to be President. Two difficult decades followed, first with Slythurst sent to the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

, and then quite a number of the new Fellows following the prompting of Catholic sympathies and leaving. Robert Horne as Visitor was still asking for changes to the Catholic atmosphere of worship in 1570. Yeldard seems to have shown care and tact as President, husbanding the

Durham College Durham College is a public college in Ontario, Canada, with two main campuses in Oshawa and Whitby. Durham College offers over 145+ academic programs, including six bachelor degrees and eleven apprenticeship programs, to around 13,700 full-ti ...

buildings, and averting any serious disasters at the visitations of 1560 to 1570. Yeldard graduated B.D., in 1583 and D.D. in 1586. He was instituted to the annexed rectory of

Garsington Garsington is a village and civil parish about southeast of Oxford in Oxfordshire. "A History of the County of Oxfordshire" provides a detailed history of the parish from 1082. The 2011 census recorded the parish's population as 1,689. The v ...

(south of

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 1562, and also held the college living of

Great Waltham Great Waltham, also known as Church End, is a village and civil parish in the Chelmsford (borough), Chelmsford district, in the county of Essex, England. Description The parish contains the village of Ford End, and the hamlets of Broad's Green ...

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

, in 1572–4. He was nominated

Vice-Chancellor A vice-chancellor (commonly called a VC) serves as the chief executive of a university in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, other Commonwealth of Nati ...

of the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester (24 June 1532 – 4 September 1588) was an English statesman and the favourite of Elizabeth I from her accession until his death. He was a suitor for the queen's hand for many years. Dudley's youth was ove ...

in July 1580, holding office for a year; and his name occurs on various university committees, such as those for the reception of Queen Elizabeth in 1566 and 1592, for a conference with

Antonio del Corro Antonio del Corro (Corrano, de Corran, Corranus; 1527 in Seville – 1591 in London) was a Spanish monk who became a Protestant convert. A noted Calvinist preacher and theologian, he taught at the University of Oxford and wrote the first Spanish gra ...

in 1578, for the reception of Albert à Lasco in 1583, and for the reform of the statutes in 1576. He died on 1 or 2 February 1599, and was buried in the college chapel.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yeldard, Arthur 1530 births 1599 deaths People from Northumberland 16th-century English Anglican priests Fellows of Trinity College, Oxford Presidents of Trinity College, Oxford Vice-chancellors of the University of Oxford