David Durell D.D. (1728–1775) was Principal of

Hertford College, Oxford Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main ga ...

, from 1757 to 1775,

Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford The vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford is the chief executive and leader of the University of Oxford. The following people have been vice-chancellors of the University of Oxford (formally known as The Right Worshipful the Vice-Chancel ...

from 1765 to 1768, and a noted

Old Testament The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...

scholar of his day.

Birth and career

David Durell, son of Thomas Durell, was born of a prosperous family in

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in 1728. He went to Cowbridge School in the

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, 1741–7. In March 1747, Durell entered

Pembroke College, Oxford Pembroke College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford, is located on Pembroke Square, Oxford. The college was founded in 1624 by King James I of England and VI of Scotland, using in part the endowment of merchant Thomas Tesdale ...

and 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 1750 and M.A. in 1753, becoming a Fellow of the new

Hertford College Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main gate to the Bodleian Library. The colle ...

that year. On 12 November 1757 he was appointed Principal of Hertford College. He held concurrently with his principalship a vicarage in Sussex and (from 13 January 1767) a canonry in

Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Located in Canterbury, Kent, it is one of the oldest Christianity, Ch ...

. On Tuesday 8 October 1765, Durell was invested as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford. His tenure is notable for the expulsion of six students from St Edmund Hall for holding unauthorized prayer meetings.

Scholarship

Durell gained his

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD, DB, or BDiv; ) is an academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies. ...

in 1760 and his

Doctorate of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (i.e., Christian theology and ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the English-speaking world than elsewhere. In the United Kin ...

in 1764. Durell was an industrious scholar of the Old Testament. In the 1760s and 1770s he variously and extensively commented on, translated, and edited parts of the Scriptures which treated of Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and the Books of Job, Proverbs, Psalms, and Ecclesiastes, and the Canticles. He was also an ardent advocate of a new translation of the Bible to improve on the Authorized Version.

Death and burial

Durell died on 16 October 1775 and was buried at the church of St Peter-in-the-East in Oxford, now the library of

St Edmund Hall St Edmund Hall (also known as The Hall and Teddy Hall) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. The college claims to be "the oldest surviving academic society to house and educate undergraduates in any university" and was the last ...

References

Bibliography

*Davies, Iolo, ''A Certaine Schoole'' (Cowbridge: D. Brown and Sons, 1967), Chapter II, esp. pp. 41–3 and 49–53 — for information about Durell's schooldays *Goudie, Andrew, ''Seven Hundred Years of an Oxford College: Hertford College, 1284–1984'' (Hertford College, 1984), pp. 33–4 — on Fox at Hertford College *Hamilton, S. G., ''Hertford College'' (F. E. Robinson & Co., 1903) pp 86–91 *Hibbert, Christopher (ed.), ''The Encyclopaedia of Oxford'' (London: Macmillan, 1988), entry on Hertford College *Jenkins, Philip, ''The Making of a Ruling Class: The Glamorgan Gentry 1640–1790'' (Cambridge University Press, 1983), pp. 217–20 *Sutherland, L. S. & Mitchell, L. G.(ed), ''History of the University of Oxford, Vol. V, The Eighteenth Century'' (Oxford University Press, 1986), pp. 154, 165, 201, 410, 461 *''Jackson’s Oxford Journal'' for 19 November 1757 (appointed Principal of Hertford); 16 January 1767 (appointed Canon of Canterbury); 21 October 1775 (obituary) *''

Victoria County History The Victoria History of the Counties of England, commonly known as the Victoria County History (VCH), is an English history project which began in 1899 with the aim of creating an encyclopaedic history of each of the historic counties of Englan ...

'' (1954) ''Oxfordshire'', pp. 309–19 — on non-appointment of tutors, and undergraduate numbers. * Will of David Durell (proved 24 January 1776 at Prerogative Court at Canterbury). Index to will register a
National Archives PROB 11/1015
accessed 2 August 2010.

External links

Short biography of David Durell by Clive Jenkins
{{DEFAULTSORT:Durell, David 1728 births 1775 deaths Jersey academics People educated at Cowbridge Grammar School Alumni of Pembroke College, Oxford Fellows of Hertford College, Oxford Principals of Hertford College, Oxford Vice-chancellors of the University of Oxford