F. A. Simpson (22 November 1883(?) or 1884 – 6 February 1974) was an Anglican priest, historian and a fellow of
Trinity College, Cambridge.
Career
Simpson was educated at
Rossall School and
Queens' College, Cambridge
Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the oldest colleges of the university, founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. The college spans the River Cam, colloquially referred to as the "light s ...
, graduating
B.A. in 1906; and
M.A. in 1909. He was
ordained deacon in 1909 and
priest in 1910, serving his title at St Mary and St Anne,
Ambleside. He became a
Fellow of
Trinity College, Cambridge in 1911, and was a temporary
Chaplain
A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...
to the
Forces from 1915 to 1918. While Dean of Chapel at Trinity Simpson controversially queried the divinity of Christ.
He wrote the first two volumes of a life of
Louis Napoleon. After this he spent most of the rest of his college life pruning college shrubbery, and was known as "Snipper Simpson".
His change of direction has been attributed to an unfavourable review by
Philip Guedalla
Philip Guedalla (12 March 1889 – 16 December 1944) was an English barrister, and a popular historical and travel writer and biographer. His wit and epigrams are well-known, one example being "Even reviewers read a Preface". He also was the o ...
, but
John Polkinghorne
John Charlton Polkinghorne (16 October 1930 – 9 March 2021) was an English theoretical physicist, theologian, and Anglican priest. A prominent and leading voice explaining the relationship between science and religion, he was professor of ma ...
ascribes it to an "inner loss of nerve."
Personal life
Simpson was described as a tall, stooped and craggy-featured figure usually wearing a cloth cap and dangling scarf. He had flown the English Channel in his own
Gypsy Moth light aircraft. During the early 1930s he was associated with
Guy Burgess when the latter was an undergraduate at Trinity College.
Bibliography
* ''The Rise of Louis Napoleon''
* ''Louis Napoleon and the recovery of France''
References
Further reading
*
External links
Trinity College Chapel
1884 births
1974 deaths
Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge
Deans of Trinity College Chapel, Cambridge
People educated at Rossall School
Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge
20th-century English historians
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