Francis Wise (3 June 1695 – 5 October 1767) was an academic, archivist, librarian and antiquarian at 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 ...

Life

Francis Wise was born in

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 ...

on 3 June 1695. His father, Francis Wise, was a mercer. After being educated at

New College School New College School (officially St Mary's College School) is a private preparatory school for boys aged 4 to 13 in Oxford. It was founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham to provide for the education of 16 choristers for the chapel of New Coll ...

matriculated Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term ''matriculation'' is seldom used now ...

at the

as a member of Trinity College in 1711. He became a

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 ...

of the college in 1718 and was ordained deacon and priest in 1721. Within the university, he served as under-keeper of the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1602 by Sir Thomas Bodley, it is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second-largest library in ...

from 1719, trying but failing to become

Bodley's Librarian The head of the Bodleian Library, the main library at the University of Oxford, is known as Bodley's Librarian: Sir Thomas Bodley, as founder, gave his name to both the institution and the position. Although there had been a university library a ...

in 1729 and President of Trinity College in 1731. He did, however, win the election for the position of

Keeper of the Archives The position of Keeper of the Archives at the University of Oxford in England dates from 1634, when it was established by new statutes for the university brought in by William Laud (Archbishop of Canterbury and Chancellor of the University of ...

in 1726, in which he was the only Whig candidate. He carried out no new work with the archives, unlike his predecessors. His final success was to become the first librarian of the Radcliffe Library in 1748 – a

sinecure A sinecure ( or ; from the Latin , 'without', and , 'care') is a position with a salary or otherwise generating income that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. The term originated in the medieval church, ...

post, since it was an institution that at the outset had "few books and even fewer readers". His parish appointments were aided by Francis North, 1st Earl of Guilford, the father of one of his pupils: Wise became

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' () of souls of a parish. In this sense, ''curate'' means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy who are as ...

Wroxton Wroxton is a village and civil parish in the north of Oxfordshire, England, about west of Banbury. The 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census recorded the parish's population as 546. Wroxton Abbey Wroxton Abbey is a Jacobean architecture, J ...

, Oxfordshire (1723), to which were later added the parish of

Harlow Harlow is a town and local government district located in the west of Essex, England. Founded as a Planned community, new town in 1947, it is situated on the border with Hertfordshire, and occupies a large area of land on the south bank of the ...

, Essex (briefly, in 1726, before his election as Keeper of the Archives) and the parish of Elsfield near Oxford (1726 onwards). Trinity College appointed him rector of Rotherfield Greys in 1745, and he resigned his fellowship at this time. He improved the house and garden in Elsfield, and was visited there by the writer and lexicographer

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson ( – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...

and the poet and critic

Thomas Warton Thomas Warton (9 January 172821 May 1790) was an English history of literature, literary historian, critic, and poet. He was appointed Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate in 1785, following the death of William Whitehead (poet ...

in 1754. Wise helped to ensure that Johnson was awarded an honorary degree by the university later that year. Wise worked in areas including as

numismatics Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals, and related objects. Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also inclu ...

and Anglo-Saxon studies, attempting the first scholarly edition of

Asser Asser (; ; died 909) was a Welsh people, Welsh monk from St David's, Kingdom of Dyfed, Dyfed, who became Bishop of Sherborne (ancient), Bishop of Sherborne in the 890s. About 885 he was asked by Alfred the Great to leave St David's and join ...

's Life of

Alfred the Great Alfred the Great ( ; – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who both died when Alfr ...

and endeavouring to sift the genuine medieval text from the later additions. He also worked with others on publishing an illustrated edition of the Junius manuscript, but the cost of production was prohibitive and the plan was not completed. He catalogued the coins in the Bodleian and left his own collection to the Radcliffe Library. He died on 5 October 1767 at Elsfield, where he was buried without a gravestone. A memorial was erected in the church 70 years later by Trinity College.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wise, Francis 1695 births 1767 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford Fellows of Trinity College, Oxford 18th-century English Anglican priests English antiquarians English numismatists English archivists People educated at New College School Keepers of the Archives of the University of Oxford English librarians