Edward Barnard (1717–1781) was an English cleric and academic, provost of Eton from 1764.

Early life and education

Barnard was second son of Rev. George Barnard, of Harpenden, Herts. Rector of Knebworth, 1737, and Luton, 1745–60. He was a foundation scholar at

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 ...

and, becoming superannuated, entered

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College, formally the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge, is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch L ...

, where he graduated B.A. in 1736, M.A. in 1742, B.D. in 1760 and D.D. in 1766. He was fellow of his college from March 1743–4 to 1766. In 1762 he was at Eton as tutor to Henry Townshend, brother to Lord Sydney, and he also became tutor to George Hardinge, afterwards Welsh justice, whose recollections of Barnard are given at length in Nichols's ''Anecdotes'' (viii. 543–554).

Career

Barnard succeeded John Sumner as head master of Eton in 1764 and raised the numbers of the school from three hundred to five hundred. He was appointed to a canonry of Windsor in 1761, and in 1764 became provost of Eton. He was also rector of St Paul's Cray, Kent. "Dr. Barnard, recalled in his memoirs that Fox had been the last boy he had flogged in a long distinguished career: on this occasion Fox’s misdemeanour had been to sneak out of school to attend the theatre in Windsor." Other sources online claim the flogging was on account of his louche appearance on returning from France.

Death and legacy

He died on 18 December 1781. A tablet to his memory, with an inscription, is in Eton College Chapel. Barnard, according to Hardinge, was a man of coarse features and clumsy figure, but with a humour and vivacity which, but for his physical disadvantages, would have made him the equal of Garrick; and he ruled his boys chiefly by force of ridicule. Upon Barnard's death

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, according to Mrs Piozzi, pronounced a long eulogium upon his wit, learning, and goodness, and added: "He was the only man that did justice to my good breeding, and you may observe that I am well bred to a needless degree of scrupulosity." He is not to be confused with Thomas Barnard, the bishop of Killaloe and Limerick, who was also a friend of Johnson.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnard, Edward 1717 births 1781 deaths 18th-century English educators Schoolteachers from Bedfordshire Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Fellows of St John's College, Cambridge Canons of Windsor Head Masters of Eton College People educated at Eton College Provosts of Eton College