Richard Jenkyns Explained

Richard Jenkyns (1782 – 16 March 1854) was a British academic administrator at the University of Oxford and Dean at Wells Cathedral.^[1]

Life

Jenkyns was born at Evercreech in Somerset, where he was baptised on 21 December 1782. He was the eldest son of John Jenkyns (1753-1824), prebendary of Wells, and his wife Jane, née Banister.^[2] He was appointed a Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford in 1802, a Tutor in 1813, Bursar in 1814, and Master from 23 April 1819 until his death in 1854.^[3] He was awarded a Master of Arts in 1806 and a Doctor of Divinity in 1819.While Master at Balliol College, Jenkyns was also Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University from 1824 until 1828.^[4] He introduced open competition for scholarships and also raised the standard of Balliol College to the first rank at Oxford.From 1845 to 1854, Jenkyns was also Dean of Wells.

Further reading

• Cannan, Edwin, ‘Jenkyns, Richard (1782–1854)’, rev. M. C. Curthoys, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 2004.

Notes and References

1. Book: Jenkyns, Richard . . . 1995 . II: A–F . 1588 .
2. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/14744
3. Book: H. E. Salter and Mary D. Lobel . A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 3: The University of Oxford . . 1954. 82–95 . Balliol College . July 15, 2011.
4. Web site: Previous Vice-Chancellors . University of Oxford, UK. July 13, 2011.