Charles Henry Hall (1763–1827) was an English churchman and academic, Dean of

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

and then

Dean of Durham The Dean of Durham is the "head" (''primus inter pares'' – first among equals) and chair of the Chapter, the ruling body of Durham Cathedral. The dean and chapter are based at the ''Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cu ...

Life

He was the son of Charles Hall (1718–1774), dean of Bocking, Essex, and Elizabeth Carsan (b. 1738), and uncle of watercolour artist John Frederick Tayler. He was admitted to

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

in 1775, was elected to

, and matriculated on 3 June 1779. In 1781 he won the chancellor's prize for Latin verse on ''Strages Indica Occidentalis'', and in 1784 the English essay on ''The Use of Medals''. He graduated B.A. in 1783, M.A. in 1786, B.D. in 1794, and D.D. in 1800. From 1792 to 1797 he was tutor and censor of Christ Church. In 1793 he served in the office of junior proctor. Hall was presented by his college to the vicarage of Broughton-in-Airedale,

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

, in 1794. In 1798 he was appointed

Bampton lecturer The Bampton Lectures at the University of Oxford, England, were founded by a bequest of John Bampton. They have taken place since 1780. They were a series of annual lectures; since the turn of the 20th century they have sometimes been biennial ...

and prebendary of Exeter. He became rector of

Kirk Bramwith Kirk Bramwith is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 200 in 2001, increasing to 320 at the 2011 Census. The village centre is located on a narrow strip of land ...

, Yorkshire, in June 1799, and prebendary of the second stall in Christ Church Cathedral on 30 November of that year. In 1805 he was made sub-dean of Christ Church and in 1807 vicar of

Luton Luton () is a town and borough in Bedfordshire, England. The borough had a population of 225,262 at the 2021 census. Luton is on the River Lea, about north-west of London. The town's foundation dates to the sixth century as a Saxon settleme ...

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...

, a preferment which he held until his death. In February 1807 Hall was elected

Regius Professor of Divinity The Regius Professorships of Divinity are amongst the oldest professorships at the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. A third chair existed for a period at Trinity College Dublin. The Oxford and Cambridge chairs were founded by ...

and moved to the fifth stall in Christ Church. He resigned from both offices in October 1809, on being nominated Dean of Christ Church. He was prolocutor of the lower house of Convocation in 1812. On 26 February 1824, he was installed Dean of Durham. He died in Edinburgh on 16 February 1827. He published his Bampton Lectures on ''Fulness of Time'' in 1799, and some single sermons.

Family

Hall married in 1794 Anna Maria Bridget Byng (1771–1852), daughter of the Hon.

John Byng Admiral (Royal Navy), Admiral John Byng (baptised 29 October 1704 – 14 March 1757) was a Royal Navy officer and politician who was court-martialled and executed by firing squad. After joining the navy at the age of thirteen, he participate ...

(later fifth Viscount Torrington). Their son Percy Francis Hall (1801–1884) attended one of the Powerscourt Conferences. He was a pacifist who joined the

Plymouth Brethren The Plymouth Brethren or Assemblies of Brethren are a low church and Nonconformist (Protestantism), Nonconformist Christian movement whose history can be traced back to Dublin, Ireland, in the mid to late 1820s, where it originated from Anglica ...

, and published in 1833 a pamphlet justifying his resignation as a naval officer. He had initially been under the influence of

Edward Irving Edward Irving (4 August 17927 December 1834) was a Scottish clergyman, generally regarded as the main figure behind the foundation of the Catholic Apostolic Church. Early life Edward Irving was born at Annan, Annandale, the second son of G ...

. Another son, Herbert Byng Hall (1805–1883), served in the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

reaching the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. He wrote several books on travel, sport and food, as well as two novels. He later worked as a Queen's Messenger.Herbert Byng Hall, 21 October 1805 – 25 April 1883
FamilySearch
/ref> Arthur Hall (1809–1879), joined the army and became a major-general in India. John Cecil Hall (1804–1844), became Archdeacon of Man. His daughter Cecilia Charlotte Hall (1800–1892) married Admiral Charles Mainwaring.

References

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Charles Henry 1763 births 1827 deaths Deans of Christ Church, Oxford Deans of Durham People educated at Westminster School, London Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford 19th-century English Anglican priests Regius Professors of Divinity (University of Oxford)