| Authorised form of name | Woodroffe; Benjamin (1638 - 1711); clergyman |
| Dates | 1638 - 1711 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | Canditch Street, St Mary Magdalen parish, Oxford, England, Europe |
| Date of birth | April 1638 |
| Place of death | London, England, Europe |
| Date of death | 14 August 1711 |
| DatesAndPlaces | Burial:
St Bartholomew's Church, London, England, Europe (19 August 1711) |
| Occupation | Clergyman, Church of England |
| Activity | Education:
Westminster School; Christ Church, Oxford (BA 1659; MA 1662; BD and DD 1673); Incorporated at Cambridge (1664)
Career:
Tutor at Oxford (1662); Chaplain to James, Duke of York (1669) and served with him on the Royal Prince against the Dutch in the Battle of Solebay (1672); Lecturer of the Temple Church, London (1672); Canon of Christ Church (1672-1711); Vicar of Piddleton, Dorset (1673-1674); Chaplain to Charles II (1674); Sub-dean of Christ Church (1674); Vicar of Shrivenham, Berkshire (1675); Canon of Lichfield (1678-1711); Rector of St Bartholomew, London (1676-1711); Dean of Christ Church (1688) though not installed; Principal of Gloucester Hall, Oxford (1692-1711); imprisoned in the Fleet for debt (1709) |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 30/04/1668 |
| Proposer | Robert Boyle |
| Relationships | Parents: Timothy Woodroffe
Married: 1) Dorothy Stonehouse; 2) Mary Marbury |
| OtherInfo | Woodroffe maintained close links to James, Duke of York, which facilitated his appointment as the Duke's chaplain in 1669. Despite of this, he conformed at the Glorious Revolution in 1688 and wrote of his loyalty in his work 'The Fall of Babylon' (1690), in which he also vehemently opposed the Roman Catholic church. As principal of Gloucester Hall, he attempted to revive it and have it incorporated as a college by the University of Oxford. In plans for a curriculum, Woodroffe included mathematics, philosophy, anatomy, chemistry, and botany. Gloucester Hall did not become a college (Worcester College) until 1714, three years after Woodroffe's death. |
| Related images | Discover a selection of related images in our picture library |
| Image | 
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| Source | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; Venn; Foster; Hunter; ODNB
References:
Hunter, M. 1976-7. 'The Social Bias and Changing Fortunes of an Early Scientific Institution: An Analysis of the Membership of the Royal Society, 1660-1685', vol. 31, pp. 9-114
Notes:
Venn has approximate year of birth as 1640. ODNB says Woodroffe was expelled from the Society due to non-payment although he reappears in the printed list for later years. Hunter does not have a date of ejection. |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/66813704 |
| Code | NA5228 |