Thomas Worsley (15 July 1797 – 16 February 1885) was an English academic and priest. He was the third Master of

Downing College, Cambridge Downing College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge and currently has around 950 students. Founded in 1800, it was the only college to be added to the university between 1596 and 1869, and is often described as the oldest of ...

from 1836 until 1885.

Early life

Worsley was born in Stonegrave, Yorkshire, the fifth of eight sons of Rev. George Worsley and Anne Cayley (daughter of Sir Thomas Cayley). He entered

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 ...

as a pensioner in 1815. He matriculated in 1816, became a scholar in 1818, and was awarded the degree of

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in 1820.

Life at Downing College

He became a Fellow of

in 1824, and was elected the third Master of the college in 1836 in succession to William Frere. He served as Master for nearly 49 years up to his death in the Master's Lodge in 1885, thus being (in 2018) the third longest serving Head of House at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, after Edward Atkinson, Master of

Clare College Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refounded ...

from 1856 to 1915, and Francis Barnes, Master of

Peterhouse Peterhouse is the oldest Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England, founded in 1284 by Hugh de Balsham, Bishop of Ely. Peterhouse has around 300 undergraduate and 175 graduate stud ...

from 1788 to 1838. He was

Vice-Chancellor A vice-chancellor (commonly called a VC) serves as the chief executive of a university in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, other Commonwealth of Nati ...

from 1837 to 1838, and is buried in Hovingham, Yorkshire.

Family

In 1842, he married Katharine Rawson of Wasdale Hall,

Wasdale Wasdale (; traditionally ) is a valley and civil parish in the western part of the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. The River Irt flows through the valley to its estuary at Ravenglass. A large part of the main valley floor is ...

, Cumberland. They had no children. His widow post-deceased him on 6 March 1885. Thomas Worsley's brother,

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

, was the first Baronet of Hovingham Hall. William's great-great-granddaughter

Katharine, Duchess of Kent Katharine, Duchess of Kent (born Katharine Lucy Mary Worsley; 22 February 1933) is a member of the British royal family. She is married to Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, a grandson of King George V. The Duchess of Kent converted to Catholicism i ...

, is the Patron of Downing College.Downing College timeline, http://www.dow.cam.ac.uk/about/downing-college-history/downing-college-timeline Thomas's great-nephew

Frank Worsley Frank Arthur Worsley (22 February 1872 – 1 February 1943) was a New Zealand sailor and explorer who served on Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914–1916, as captain of ''Endurance''. He also served in the Royal ...

was a celebrated explorer.

Sir George Cayley Sir George Cayley, 6th Baronet (27 December 1773 – 15 December 1857) was an English engineer, inventor, and aviator. He is one of the most important people in the history of aeronautics. Many consider him to be the first true scientific ae ...

, aviator and engineer, was his uncle on his mother's side, and

Arthur Cayley Arthur Cayley (; 16 August 1821 – 26 January 1895) was a British mathematician who worked mostly on algebra. He helped found the modern British school of pure mathematics, and was a professor at Trinity College, Cambridge for 35 years. He ...

, mathematician, was a cousin of his mother.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Worsley, Thomas 1797 births Masters of Downing College, Cambridge 1885 deaths