John Rosewell (c. 1635 – 30 October 1684) was

Headmaster A headmaster/headmistress, head teacher, head, school administrator, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school. Role While s ...

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 ...

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(1671–1682).

Education

John Rosewell received his early education at

Berwick-upon-Tweed Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census recor ...

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. He matriculated at

Magdalen Hall 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 ...

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, on 2 April 1652, and subsequently moved to

Corpus Christi College, Oxford Corpus Christi College (formally, Corpus Christi College in the University of Oxford; informally abbreviated as Corpus or CCC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1517 by Richard Fo ...

. He received his B.A. degree on 16 October 1655, was elected

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 Corpus Christi in 1656, and received his M.A. on 17 March 1658/9. John (Johannes) Rosewell was ordained as a

Deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford Christ Church Cathedral is a cathedral of the Church of England in Oxford, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Oxford and the principal church of the diocese of Oxford. It is also the chapel of Christ Church, Oxford, Christ Church, a colle ...

on 31 March 1661. He received his B.D. degree on 31 October 1667 and was incorporated at

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in 1668.

Early years

While at Corpus Christi, in the period 1653–54, Rosewell was prescribed for "a very hot stomach" by the

apothecary ''Apothecary'' () is an Early Modern English, archaic English term for a medicine, medical professional who formulates and dispenses ''materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons and patients. The modern terms ''pharmacist'' and, in Brit ...

, Jeremiah Webbe. From 1666, he made regular contributions to the "New Building", Corpus Christi College, reaching a total of £744 by February 1668.

Reputation

Rosewell succeeded Thomas Mountague as Head Master of Eton in 1671 and was the last "alien" (non-

Etonian Eton College ( ) is a public school providing boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated prime ministers, world leaders, Nobel laureates, Academy Award and BAFTA a ...

) to be elected to the position for many years. He was held in high esteem for his learning. Rosewell seems to have greatly increased the reputation of the school, and is styled by one of his pupils, ''ludimagister celeberrimus'' (renowned schoolmaster). A manuscript records in 1678 that "then it was that the foundation of its (Eton's) present grandeur was laid".

First list of Eton School

During his period as Head Master, in 1678, a list of the school was produced — the earliest complete list extant — giving the names of 207 boys, 78 of whom were in College. No other list is forthcoming for another forty years. It is written, not printed, on a half-sheet of

parchment Parchment is a writing material made from specially prepared Tanning (leather), untanned skins of animals—primarily sheep, calves and goats. It has been used as a writing medium in West Asia and Europe for more than two millennia. By AD 400 ...

. The seventh form had long been abolished, the sixth being the highest. In each form, except the sixth, the names of Collegers and Oppidans are given separately. In this list also, brothers were distinguished by the style of major, minor, and minimus, and so forth, as at the present day.

Resignation

In 1678, Rosewell obtained a

canonry Canon () is a Christian title usually used to refer to a member of certain bodies in subject to an canon law, ecclesiastical rule. Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a clergy house or, later, in one of the houses within the p ...

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, and in 1682 resigned the headmastership. According to a rumour of the day, his resignation was caused by his falling into a fit of melancholy madness, in consequence of having killed a boy by immoderate flogging, and fancying that the King's messengers were coming to arrest him. The story does not sound very probable, and the less so as he was elected a

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England *Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States *Éton, a commune in the Meuse depa ...

in 1683. His successor as Head Master was

Charles Roderick Charles Roderick, D.D. was an Anglican Dean at the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th. Lambe was born in Bunbury, Cheshire, and educated at Eton and King's College, Cambridge. He was Head Master of Eton College Eton Coll ...

and

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, who had been Usher (Lower Master) from 1676.

Will

John Rosewell wrote his will on 24 June 1684 leaving his valuable library to Corpus Christi College, Oxford; £300 for "the benefit and use of Eton College School"; £200 to the Church of Windsor; £50 to his "kinsman" William Rosewell (Eton Scholar and later Master of

King's College School, Cambridge King's College School is a coeducational Private schools in the United Kingdom, private Preparatory school (UK), preparatory school for pupils aged 4 to 13 in Cambridge, England, situated on West Road, Cambridge, West Road off Grange Road, Cam ...

); £40 to the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed; and £20 towards the erecting and building of a Chapel for St Mary Magdalen Hall, Oxford. He died on 30 October 1684.

References

* Churchill, W. D. and Alsop, J. D. (2001), "The Prescribing Physicians and Sick Scholars of Oxford: Jeremiah Webbe’s Apothecarial Notebook, 1653–54', Vesalius, 7:2, pp. 73–78. * Foster, Joseph (1891–1892), ''Alumni Oxonienses 1500–1714'', Parker & Co., Oxford, p. 1281. * Hollis, Christopher (1960), "Eton: A History", Hollis & Carter. * Page, William (editor) (1905), "The Victoria history of the county of Buckingham", Constable, London. * ''Will of John Rosewell, Canon of Windsor (1684)'', National Archives, PCC 11/378/176. * Salter, H. E. and Lobel, Mary D. (editors) (1954), "Corpus Christi College, A History of the County of Oxford", Volume 3, The University of Oxford. * Sterry, Wasey (1898), "Annals of the King’s College of our Lady of Eton beside Windsor", Methuen. * Venn, J. and Venn, J. A. (1924), ''Alumni Cantabrigienses'', Part I (to 1751), Volume III, Cambridge, p. 488. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rosewell, John 1630s births 1684 deaths People from Berwick-upon-Tweed Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Oxford Fellows of Corpus Christi College, Oxford Head Masters of Eton College