| Authorised form of name | Wotton; William (1666 - 1727); linguist and theologian |
| Dates | 1666 - 1727 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | Wrentham, Suffolk, England, Europe |
| Date of birth | 13 August 1666 |
| Place of death | Buxted, Sussex, England, United Kingdom, Europe |
| Date of death | 13 February 1727 |
| DatesAndPlaces | Burial:
Buxted, Sussex, England, United Kingdom, Europe |
| Occupation | Clergyman, Church of England |
| Activity | Education:
Educated by his father, who taught him to read English, Latin, Greek and Hebrew by the age of 6; St Catharine's College, Cambridge (BA 1680); St John's College, Cambridge (MA 1683; BD 1691); DD (Lambeth 1707)
Career:
Librarian to William Lloyd, Bishop of St Asaph (1681); Fellow of St John's (1683-1694); ordained priest (1689); Chaplain to Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham (FRS 1668); Vicar of Llandrillo-yn-Rhos, Caernarvon (or Denbigh) (1691); Rector of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire (1694); Prebendary of Salisbury (1705) |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 14/12/1687 |
| Age at election | 21 |
| Other Royal Society activity | Had a paper on ancient and modern learning, a defence of the Society, published in the 'Philosophical Transactions' (1694) |
| Relationships | Parents: Henry Wotton and Sarah Wotton
Married: Anne Hammond
Children: Anne Hammond |
| PublishedWorks | RCN: R65100 |
| OtherInfo | From an early age, Wotton was praised for his scholarship and aptitude for learning. One of Wotton's major publications was 'A New History of Ecclesiastical Writers' in thirteen volumes. He was involved in various natural history discussions in the late 1690s, including with the naturalist Tancred Robinson (FRS 1684). Throughout his rectorship at Milton Keynes, he was heavily criticised for his expensive and 'scandalous' lifestyle. Aside from his publication in defense of 'modern learning', Wotton was not active in the Royal Society's work after his election. |
| Source | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; Venn; ODNB
References:
McGuire, J E and Rattansi, P M. 1966. 'Newton and the "Pipes of Pan"', in Notes and Records, vol. 21, pp. 108-143
Notes:
Foster has a William Wotton, son of William of Cholsey, Berkshire; St John's College, Oxford; BA (1683), MA (1687); Vicar of Laycock, Wiltshire (1690-1693), not described as chaplain to Finch, but other information on career and marriage as in Venn. |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/14804235 |
| Code | NA5761 |