John Merewether (1797 – 4 April 1850) was an English churchman,

Dean of Hereford The Dean of Hereford is the head (''primus inter pares'' – first among equals) and chair of the chapter of canons, the ruling body of Hereford Cathedral. The dean and chapter are based at the ''Cathedral Church of Blessed Virgin Mary and St Et ...

from 1832, known also as an antiquary.

Early life

The son of John Merewether of

Blackland, Wiltshire Blackland (sometimes Blacklands) is a hamlet and former civil parish, now in Cherhill parish, just south-east of the town of Calne, in Wiltshire, England. There is a 13th-century church and an 18th-century country house, Blackland House. In 1881 ...

, he was born at

Marshfield, Gloucestershire Marshfield is a village in the local-government area of South Gloucestershire, England, on the borders of the counties of Wiltshire and Somerset. Its toponym derives from the Old English word "march", meaning "a border", hence "Border Field" ...

, in 1797. He matriculated from

The Queen's College, Oxford The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault, queen of England. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassi ...

, on 18 October 1814, graduated B.A. in 1818, and B.D. and D.D. in 1832. He was ordained priest in 1820 by the

Bishop of Salisbury The Bishop of Salisbury is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset. The Episcopal see, see is in the Salisbur ...

, and served curacies at

Gillingham, Dorset Gillingham ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Blackmore Vale area of Dorset, England. It lies on the B3095 and B3081 roads, approximately south of the A303 trunk road and northwest of Shaftesbury. It is the most northerly town in the co ...

, and Hampton, Middlesex.

Preferment

While at Hampton Merewether was instrumental in building a chapel of ease at

Hampton Wick Hampton Wick is a Thamesside area of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England, contiguous with Teddington, Kingston upon Thames and Bushy Park. Market gardening continued until well into the twentieth century. With its road and rail ...

, and attracted the notice of the

Duke of Clarence Duke of Clarence was a substantive title created three times in the Peerage of England. The title Duke of Clarence and St Andrews has also been created in the Peerage of Great Britain, and Duke of Clarence and Avondale and Prince Leopold, Duke ...

, from 1830 King William IV, who was then residing at

Bushey Bushey is a town in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire in the East of England. It had a population of 25,328 in the 2011 census, rising to 28,416 in the 2021 census, an increase of 12.19%. This makes Bushey the second most populated town ...

. He was chaplain to the Duchess of Clarence, the future Queen

Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen (Adelaide Amelia Louise Theresa Caroline; 13 August 1792 – 2 December 1849) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Queen of Hanover from 26 June 1830 to 20 June 1837 as the wife of King ...

, in 1824. In 1828, he was presented by the Lord Chancellor to the living of

New Radnor New Radnor () is a village and community in Powys, Wales. It is south of Radnor Forest, and was historically the county town of Radnorshire. In the 2001 census, the community's population of 410 was split evenly between male and female, in 1 ...

, and in 1832, on the promotion of the Hon. Edward Grey as bishop, Merewether succeeded him as Dean of Hereford. The Hereford chapter needed much reform; but with a personality described as "arrogant and ambitious", Merewether became embroiled in conflict. On 13 January 1833, William IV appointed Merewether one of the deputy clerks of the closet, and asked

Lord Melbourne Henry William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne (15 March 177924 November 1848) was a British Whig politician who served as the Home Secretary and twice as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. His first premiership ended when he was dismissed ...

to have a care for his advancement. In 1836, he was instituted to the vicarage of

Madeley, Shropshire Madeley is a historic market town and civil parish in the borough of Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire, England. The parish had a population of 18,774 at the 2021 census. Madeley is recorded in the Domesday Book, having been founded before the 8t ...

, but was then passed over as vacancies on the episcopate arose.

Robert Peel Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850), was a British Conservative statesman who twice was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835, 1841–1846), and simultaneously was Chancellor of the Exchequer (1834–183 ...

as Prime Minister disregarded, when reminded of it, William IV's dying wish that Merewether should become a bishop. In 1847, Merewether was a strenuous opponent of the election of

Renn Dickson Hampden Renn Dickson Hampden (29 March 1793 – 23 April 1868) was an English Anglican clergyman. His liberal tendencies led to conflict with traditionalist clergy in general and the supporters of Tractarianism during the years he taught at the Univ ...

as Bishop of Hereford. After a fruitless memorial to the queen, he announced to

Lord John Russell John Russell, 1st Earl Russell (18 August 1792 – 28 May 1878), known as Lord John Russell before 1861, was a British Whig and Liberal statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1852 and again from 1865 to 186 ...

as Prime Minister, in a long letter (22 December), his intention of voting against Hampden's election in the chapter meeting; and received in reply the laconic note: "Sir, I had the honour to receive your letter of the 22nd inst. in which you intimate to me your intention of violating the law." Merewether finally refused to affix the seal of the dean and chapter to the document recording the bishop's formal election.

Antiquarian

Merewether was elected

Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London The Society of Antiquaries of London (SAL) is a learned society of historians and archaeologists in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1707, received its royal charter in 1751 and is a Charitable organization, registered charity. It is based ...

in 1836, and communicated to '' Archæologia'' accounts of discoveries made during the restoration of

Hereford Cathedral Hereford Cathedral, formally the , is a Church of England cathedral in Hereford, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Hereford and the principal church of the diocese of Hereford. The cathedral is a grade I listed building. A place of wors ...

. In 1838, he became a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

. In 1843 he issued a ''Statement on the Condition and Circumstances of the Cathedral Church of Hereford'', with notes on the effigies and illustrations of the condition of the structure. He was an active member of the Archæological Institution, and did work in

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

, recorded by the posthumous publication in 1851 ''Diary of a Dean: being an Account of the Examination of Silbury Hill and of various Barrows and other Earthworks on the Downs of North Wilts''. The plates illustrating human remains, flint implements, pottery, etc., are from Merewether's own drawings. An energetic but crude archaeologist, Merewether in four weeks in 1849 had excavations made in 33

round barrow A round barrow is a type of tumulus and is one of the most common types of archaeological monuments. Although concentrated in Europe, they are found in many parts of the world, probably because of their simple construction and universal purpose. ...

West Kennet Long Barrow The West Kennet Long Barrow, also known as South Long Barrow, is a chambered long barrow near the village of Avebury in the south-western English county of Wiltshire. Probably constructed in the thirty-seventh century BC, during Britain's Early ...

, and

Silbury Hill Silbury Hill is a prehistoric artificial chalk mound near Avebury in the English county of Wiltshire. It is part of the Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites UNESCO World Heritage Site. At high, the hill is the second tallest prehistoric man ...

Death

Merewether died at Madeley vicarage on 4 April 1850, and was buried in the lady-chapel of Hereford Cathedral. The five

lancet window A lancet window is a tall, narrow window with a sharp pointed arch at its top. This arch may or may not be a steep lancet arch (in which the compass centres for drawing the arch fall outside the opening). It acquired the "lancet" name from its rese ...

s at the east end of the minster were fitted with stained glass to his memory with the inscription ''In Memoriam Johannis Merewether, S.T.P. ecclesiæ Heref. decani, quo strenuo fautore huius sacræ ædis restitutio feliciter est inchoata''.

Family

By his wife Mary Ann Baker, of Wiley, Wiltshire, Merewether had six sons and three daughters. Mrs. Merewether died on 17 June 1879, aged 71. He was great grandfather to Dr Edward Merewether. He was the brother-in-law of the organist, composer and church musician

Samuel Sebastian Wesley Samuel Sebastian Wesley (14 August 1810 – 19 April 1876) was an English organ (music), organist and composer. Wesley married Mary Anne Merewether and had 6 children. He is often referred to as S.S. Wesley to avoid confusion with his father Sa ...

Wikipedia “Samuel Sebastian Wesley”: Biography

References

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Merewether, John 1797 births 1850 deaths 19th-century English Anglican priests Deans of Hereford Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London People from Marshfield, Gloucestershire Alumni of the Queen's College, Oxford