John Sleath (1767–1847) was an English cleric and High Master of

St Paul's School, London St Paul's School is a Selective school, selective Private schools in the United Kingdom, independent day school (with limited boarding school, boarding) for boys aged 13–18, founded in 1509 by John Colet and located on a 43-acre site by Rive ...

. He was elected 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 1820.

Life

The son of William and Millicent Sleath, he was baptised on 19 June 1767 at

Osgathorpe Osgathorpe is a small village which lies in a fold of the hills in North West Leicestershire, England, and is about a quarter of a mile from the A512 road, A512 Coalville to Loughborough Road. The civil parish population at the 2011 census wa ...

, Leicestershire; his elder brother, William Boultbee Sleath, was headmaster of

Repton School Repton School is a 13–18 co-educational, private, boarding and day school in the public school tradition, in Repton, Derbyshire, England. Sir John Port of Etwall, on his death in 1557, left funds to create a grammar school which was th ...

from 1800 to 1832. He entered

Rugby School Rugby School is a Public school (United Kingdom), private boarding school for pupils aged 13–18, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire in England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independ ...

in 1776, his parents being then described as of

Leighton Leighton may refer to: Places In Australia: * Leighton, Western Australia, a beachside locality In the United Kingdom: * Leighton, Cambridgeshire * Leighton, Cheshire * Leighton, North Yorkshire ** Leighton Reservoir * Leighton, Shropshire *Lei ...

, near Kimbolton. In 1784 he went up as a Rugby exhibitioner to

Lincoln College, Oxford Lincoln College (formally, The College of the Blessed Mary and All Saints, Lincoln) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Lincoln was founded in 1427 by Richard Flemin ...

, but in 1785 was elected to a scholarship at Wadham. He was Hody exhibitioner in 1786–7. He graduated B.A. in 1789, M.A. in 1793, B.D. and D.D. in 1814. In 1787, before taking his degree, Sleath was appointed to an assistant-mastership at Rugby School. Among his pupils there was

Walter Savage Landor Walter Savage Landor (30 January 177517 September 1864) was an English writer, poet, and activist. His best known works were the prose ''Imaginary Conversations,'' and the poem "Rose Aylmer," but the critical acclaim he received from contempora ...

, who later wrote of him "elegant and generous". On 16 June 1814 Sleath was appointed High Master—headmaster—of St Paul's School, and was in post to 10 October 1837. The university entrance results for his pupils were good, with

Benjamin Jowett Benjamin Jowett (, modern variant ; 15 April 1817 – 1 October 1893) was an English writer and classical scholar. Additionally, he was an administrative reformer in the University of Oxford, theologian, Anglican cleric, and translator of Plato ...

being among them, and nine fellows of

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

. He 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 ...

on 9 March 1815, and Fellow of the Royal Society on 23 March 1820. For all his prestige, he was stymied on curriculum reform at the school by its governing body. Sleath was made prebendary of Rugmere in

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

, 5 July 1822; chaplain

in ordinary ''In ordinary'' is an English phrase with multiple meanings. In relation to the Royal Household and public officials more generally, it indicates that a position is a permanent one (in contrast to positions that are extraordinary). In naval matt ...

to King George in 1825; subdean of the Chapel Royal, St James's, 28 June 1833; rector of

Thornby, Northamptonshire Thornby is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire in England. It has a Manor house. At the time of the 2001 United Kingdom census, 2001 census, the parish's population was 162 people, increasing to 189 at the 2011 Census. The villag ...

, in 1841. He died 30 April 1847, and was buried in the crypt of St Paul's. A marble bust of him by

William Behnes William Behnes (1795 – 3 January 1864) was a British sculptor of the early 19th century. Life Born in London, Behnes was the son of a Hanoverian piano-maker and his English wife. His brother was Henry Behnes, also a sculptor, albeit an ...

was executed in 1841.

Family

Sleath was married, but left no family.

Notes

External links

Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Sleath, John 1767 births 1847 deaths 18th-century English Anglican priests English educators Fellows of the Royal Society People educated at Rugby School Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London 19th-century English Anglican priests