BENTHAM, JEREMY, son of Jeremiah Bentham, attorney-at-law, Red Lion Street, Houndsditch, London, and his first wife Alicia, widow of --- Whitehorne, and sister of George Woodward Grove (qv); b. 15 Feb 1747/8; adm. 1755; (Morel's according Bentham's memoir); elected KS 1759, but remained a Town Boy; left Aug 1760; Queen’s Coll. Oxford, matr. 28 Jun 1760; BA 1764; MA 1767; adm. Lincoln’s Inn 26 Jan 1763, called to bar 6 Nov 1769; did not practise his profession, but resident in chambers in Middle Temple 1766-9, Lincoln’s Inn from 1769; turned his mind to science and to speculations on politics and jurisprudence; his Fragment on Government, a masterly criticism of Blackstone’s Commentaries, appeared anonymously in 1776; friend and protege of Earl of Shelburne (later 1st Marquis of Lansdowne); a successful promoter of law reform and one of the ablest propagandists of the doctrine of utilitarianism; exercised great influence in the fields of ethics and jurisprudence; his published works were collected and edited by Sir John Bowring and John Hill Burton, in an eleven-volume edition published in 1843; his reminiscences of his school-days at Westminster appear in vol. x, 26-35, where it will be seen that his opinion of the instruction, discipline and usages of the School in his day was by no means flattering; two small MS volumes containing school and college exercises by him are preserved in the School Library; d. unm. 6 Jun 1832; his skeleton is preserved at University Coll., London. DNB.

COWPER, WILLIAM, son of John Cowper (qv), and his first wife; b. 15 Nov 1731; adm. Apr 1742 (Playford's); left 1749; articled to a solicitor 1750-2; adm. Middle Temple 29 Apr 1748, called to bar 14 Jun 1754; fell in love with his cousin Theodora, but the marriage was forbidden by her father; contributed verses to various papers; a member of the Nonsense Club, chiefly composed of Westminster men who dined together weekly; migrated to Inner Temple, adm. there 17 Jun 1757; owned chambers Inner Temple 1757 - still 1781; a Commissioner of Bankrupts (occurs in annual lists 1758-65); Clerk of Journals, House of Lords c. May - Nov 1763; the stress brought on by his acceptance of the appointment caused a suicide attempt and nervous breakdown; an inmate of Nathaniel Cotton’s private lunatic asylum at St. Albans, Dec 1763 - Jun 1765; lived with the Unwins at Huntingdon 1765-7 and subsequently with Mrs Unwin at Olney, where he was employed by the Rev. John Newton as a sort of lay-reader and district visitor; composed hymns, a number of which are printed in Newton’s Olney Hymns, 1779; became engaged to Mrs Unwin; again deranged 1773-5 and for part of that time a guest in Newton’s house; occupied himself in gardening and writing verse; published Anti-Thelypthora, 1781, an anonymous attack on the defence of polygamy written by his cousin Martin Madan (qv) in the previous year; published Poems, Feb 1782; wrote the famous ballad of John Gilpin, first published in The Public Advertiser, Nov 1782; began translating Homer 1784; published The Task, 1785; removed to Weston, Nov. 1786; again became insane 1787; published his translation of Homer, 1791; undertook to edit Milton; removed in 1795 to East Dereham, Norfolk, where Mrs Unwin died in the following year; a complete edition of his works was published in 15 vols. by Robert Southey (qv) in 1834-7; Cowper’s schooldays, to which he frequently refers in his correspondence, were probably the happiest days of his life, and his recollections of them afforded him much pleasure; he appears to have enjoyed playing cricket and football; his favourite friend was Sir William Russell, Bart. (qv), but he was “much intimate” with Walter Bagot (adm. 1739/40, qv); he had a “particular value” for Warren Hastings (qv), to whom he addressed some lines on his impeachment, and he showed his friendly feeling for Robert Lloyd (qv) in the verse epistle which he addressed to him in 1754; his poem Table Talk contains an interesting allusion to the custom in his time of awarding pieces of Maundy Money for a good copy of verses (lines 507-11); d. unm. 25 Apr 1800. Memorial window in baptistery of Westminster Abbey. DNB.

MONTAGU, CHARLES, 1ST EARL OF HALIFAX, fourth son of Hon. George Montagu MP, Horton, Northants, and Elizabeth, dau. of Sir Anthony Irby, Kt, Boston, Lincs.; b. 16 Apr 1661; adm. 1675; KS (Capt. ) 1677; Trinity Coll. Cambridge, adm. fellow commoner 8 Nov 1679; MA 1682; LLD 1705; Fellow, Trinity Coll. 1683 – c. 1689; High Steward, Cambridge Univ., from 1697; wrote with Matthew Prior (qv) The Hind and the Panther transvers’d to the story of the Country Mouse and the City Mouse, 1687; MP Maldon 1689-95, Westminster 1695 – 13 Dec 1700; a Clerk of the Privy Council 1689-92; a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury 21 Mar 1692 – Apr 1698; his proposal of 15 Dec 1692 to raise a million pounds by life annuities was the origin of the National Debt; his bill to establish the Bank of England became law 1694; Chancellor of the Exchequer 30 Apr 1694 – May 1699; Privy Councillor 10 May 1694; introduced the Recoinage Bill, and instituted the Window Tax to pay for the expense of the recoinage; issued the first Exchequer Bills and carried his bill for the formation of a consolidated fund to meet interest on the various government loans; First Lord of the Treasury 1 May 1697 – Nov 1699; Auditor of the Receipt of Exchequer 17 Nov 1699 – 30 Sep 1714; created Baron Halifax 13 Dec 1700; impeached by the House of Lords for obtaining grants from the King in the names of others for himself, and for his share in the Partition Treaty, but the impeachment was dismissed for want of prosecution 24 Jun 1701; charged by House of Commons for neglect of his duties as Auditor of the Exchequer, but his conduct as such was unanimously approved by the House of Lords 1703; successfully moved the rejection of the Occasional Conformity Bill 14 Dec 1703; a Commissioner for negotiating the Union with Scotland 10 Apr 1706; acted as one of the Lords Justices from Queen Anne’s death until the arrival of George I; First Lord of the Treasury from 11 Oct 1714; KG 16 Oct 1714; created Earl of Halifax 19 Oct 1714; Lord Lieutenant, Surrey, from 24 Dec 1714; a great parliamentary orator and brilliant financier; the lifelong friend of Sir Isaac Newton and a munificent patron of literature; FRS 30 Nov 1695, President 30 Nov 1695 – 30 Nov 1698; his collected poems were published in 1715; [? m. 1st, 3 Sep 1685 Elisabeth, dau. of Francis Forster, South Bailey, Durham]; m. Feb 1688 Anne, widow of his cousin Robert Montagu, 3rd Earl of Manchester, and dau. of Sir Christopher Yelverton, Bart.; d. 19 May 1715. Buried in Duke of Albemarle’s vault, Henry VII’s Chapel, Westminster Abbey. DNB.

HANMER, SIR THOMAS, BART., only surviving son of William Hanmer, Bettisfield, Flints., and Peregrina, dau. of Sir Henry North, Bart.; b. 24 Sep 1677; at school under Busby (Sir H. E. Bunbury, Bart, ed., The Correspondence of Sir Thomas Hanmer, Bart., 1838, 5); Christ Church, Oxford, matr. 17 Oct 1693; LLD Cambridge 16 Apr 1705; succ. uncle as 4th baronet 1701; MP Thetford 19 Mar 1700/1-2, Flintshire 1702-5, Thetford 1705-8, Suffolk 1708-27; Chairman of the Committee which drew up the “Representation” 1712; travelling in Italy 1713; Speaker, House of Commons 16 Feb 1713/4 – 5 Jan 1714/5; editor of an edition of Shakespeare’s plays, 6 vols, 1743-4; m. 1st, Oct 1698 Isabella, Duchess of Grafton, widow of Henry Fitzroy, 1st Duke of Grafton KG, and dau. of Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington (qv); m. 2nd, 1725 Elizabeth, only dau. of Thomas Folkes, Barton, Suffolk; d. 7 May 1746. DNB.

PEARCE, ZACHARY, son of John Pearce, St. Giles in the Fields, Holborn, Middlesex, distiller; b. 8 Sep 1692; adm. 12 Feb 1704; QS 1707; elected to Trinity Coll. Cambridge 1710, adm. pens. 8 Jun 1710, scholar 14 Apr 1711; BA 1713/4; MA 1717; DD Lambeth 1 Jun 1724; Minor Fellow, Trinity Coll. 29 Sep 1716, Major Fellow 1 Jul 1717; ordained deacon 22 Dec 1717, priest 8 Jun 1718 (both Ely); Chaplain to Earl of Macclesfield, Lord Chancellor; Rector of St. Bartholomew’s by the Exchange, London 19 Mar 1719/20-4; FRS 30 Jun 1720; Chaplain in Ordinary to George I and II 1721-39; Vicar of St. Martin in the Fields, London 10 Jan 1723/4-56; Dean of Winchester 2 Aug 1739; consecrated Bishop of Bangor 21 Feb 1747/8; Dean of Westminster 4 May 1756 – 24 Jun 1768, res.; translated from Bangor to Rochester 9 Jul 1756, holding see to death; edited Longinus, 1721, and other works; bequeathed his library to Dean and Chapter of Westminster; m. Feb 1721/2 Mary, dau. of Richard Adams, Holborn, distiller; d. 29 Jun 1774. Monument, South Aisle, Westminster Abbey. DNB.

CHARLTON, WILLIAM HENRY, son of Rev. William Henry Charlton, Vicar of Felmingham, Norfolk, Domestic Chaplain to Duke of Dorset; b. 17 Dec 1814; adm. (G) 26 Jan 1826; KS 1829; elected to Trinity Coll. Cambridge 1833, adm. pens. 4 Jun 1833, scholar 1834, matr. Mich. 1833; BA 1837; MA 1841; ordained deacon 1838 (Rochester), priest 20 Oct 1839 (Peterborough); Rector of St. George’s with St. Paul’s, Stamford, Lincs., 12 May 1840; Domestic Chaplain to Marquis of Exeter 1846; Rector of Easton, Lincs., from 12 May 1848; m. 17 May 1843 Sarah, eldest dau. of Thomas Hippisley Jackson, Stamford, Lincs., solicitor; d. 2 May 1874.

CLARKE, FREDERICK GARNETT, brother of Francis Richard Clarke (qv); b. 16 Jan 1862; adm. (G) 27 May 1875; left Aug 1880; in nitrate industry at Valparaiso, Chile; m. 1st, 14 Sep 1886 Penelope, dau. of George Petrie, De Vere Gardens, Kensington, shipowner; m. 2nd, Laura, dau. of Alberto Alibaud, Santiago, Chile.

ELLISON, HENRY JOHN, brother of George Thomas Ellison (qv); b. 7 Jun 1813; adm. 30 Jun 1820; KS 1827; rowed against Eton 12 May 1831; elected to Trinity Coll. Cambridge 1831, adm. pens. 26 May 1831, scholar 1832, matr. Mich. 1831; BA 1835; MA 1838; ordained deacon (Ely) 27 May 1838, priest (Norwich) 5 Jan 1840; Perpetual Curate of All Saints, Brighton, Sussex 15 Jul 1843; Vicar of Edensor, Derbs., 1845-55; Vicar of New Windsor, Berks., 6 Oct 1855-75; Rector of Great Haseley, Oxfordshire 1875-94; Prebendary of Lichfield 1854-73; Hon. Canon, Christ Church, Oxford 1873-94; Hon. Canon, Canterbury, from 1894; Reader at Windsor Castle 1856-75; Chaplain in Ordinary to Queen Victoria from 1879; founder, Church of England Temperance Society; author, Sermons and Addresses on Church Temperance Work, 1895; m. 27 Apr 1854 Mary Dorothy, eldest dau. of Maj. -Gen. Sir Joshua Jebb, Surveyor-Gen. of HM Prisons; d. 25 Dec 1899.

FISHER, FREDERICK, fourth son of Robert Fisher (adm. 1783, qv); b. 3 Jul 1816; adm. 30 Jun 1830 (Stikeman's); KS 1831; elected to Trinity Coll. Cambridge 1835, adm. pens. 27 Jun 1835, scholar 1836, matr. Mich. 1835; migr. to Magdalene Coll. 26 Oct 1836; BA 1840; MA 1843; ordained deacon (New Zealand) 1847, priest (Salisbury) 1853; missionary with SPG at Howick, New Zealand 1847-9; Curate, Bremhill, Wilts., 1850; various other curacies to 1869; Vicar of Fleet, Hants., 1869-72; Rector of Downham, Cambs., from 1863; m. 1 Feb 1849 Mary, younger dau. of William Hayes, Middle Temple, barrister; d. 10 Jun 1884.