Charles Old Goodford (15 July 1812, in Chilton-Cantelo – 9 May 1884, in

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England *Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States *Éton, a commune in the Meuse depa ...

) was an English headmaster, and

provost Provost may refer to: Officials Ecclesiastic * Provost (religion), a high-ranking church official * Prince-provost, a high-ranking church official Government * Provost (civil), an officer of local government, including the equivalent ...

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

. Goodford was the second son of John Goodford of

Chilton Cantelo Chilton Cantelo is a village and parish in Somerset, England, situated on the River Yeo north of Yeovil and east of Ilchester in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 445. The parish also includes the village of Ashin ...

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

, who died in 1835, by Charlotte, fourth daughter of Montague Cholmeley of

Easton, Lincolnshire Easton is a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, almost north of Colsterworth, and east of the A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road. History The village has no church, but forms part of the North and S ...

. He entered Eton in 1826, and proceeded to

King's College, Cambridge King's College, formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, is a List of colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college lies beside the River Cam and faces ...

in 1830, from where he took his B.A. 1836, M.A. 1839, and D.D. 1853. He was elected a Fellow of King's, but did not long retain his fellowship, as on 28 March 1844 he married Katharine Lucia, third daughter of George Law of

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

. While still an undergraduate he returned to Eton and became an assistant master in 1835. Soon he succeeded his former tutor, John Wilder, as the housemaster of a large house, in which a number of the resident boys were from his own and the adjacent counties. As a housemaster he was liberal and kind, but his management was not equal to his good intentions. In 1853 he succeeded Edward Hawtrey as headmaster at Eton. His rule on the whole was beneficial to the college. He aimed at a very complete reconstruction of the system of teaching; he made discipline a reality, while he abolished many vexatious rules which had needlessly restricted liberty and would have done more but for the veto of the Provost, Dr Hawtrey. In 1854 he edited '' P. Terentii Afri Comœdiæ'', a work which he had printed chiefly to present as a leaving book to his sixth-form boys. On the death of Dr Hawtrey,

Lord Palmerston Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston (20 October 1784 – 18 October 1865), known as Lord Palmerston, was a British statesman and politician who served as prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1855 to 1858 and from 1859 to 1865. A m ...

, in ignorance of the needs of Eton, and much against Goodford's own wishes, appointed him Provost of Eton, a position which he held from 27 January 1862 until his death. Under the Cambridge University commission of 1860, and more particularly under the Royal Commission of 1865, great changes and improvements were made in the college. Goodford held the small family living of Chilton-Cantelo from 1848 to his death. From 1848 until his death in 1884 he was the incumbent at the Church of St James, Chilton Cantelo and supervised the restoration of the church by Sir

Arthur Blomfield Sir Arthur William Blomfield (6 March 182930 October 1899) was an English architect. He became president of the Architectural Association in 1861; a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1867 and vice-president of the RIBA in ...

. He died at the Provost's Lodge, Eton, on 9 May 1884, and was buried in the Eton cemetery on 14 May.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:GoodFord, Charles 1812 births 1884 deaths People from North Kesteven District Alumni of King's College, Cambridge Head Masters of Eton College People educated at Eton College Provosts of Eton College