Author: Crowe, William
Biography:
CROWE, William (1745-1829: ODNB)
The date of his baptism at Midgham, Berkshire, is given as 13 Oct. 1745 in ODNB but Ancestry records show 8 Oct. 1745. His father was William Crowe or Crow, a carpenter, but his mother’s name is not known. In about 1757 he served as a chorister in the cathedral at Winchester and was admitted as a scholar to Winchester College in 1758. He matriculated at New College, Oxford, on 17 Aug. 1765 (BCL 1773). He became a fellow and tutor of New College. He was ordained deacon in 1770 and priest in 1782, the same year in which the college presented him to the rectory of Stoke Abbas, Dorset. He moved from there to the church at Alton Barnes, Wiltshire, in 1787. Crowe also served as rector of Llanymynech, Shropshire, and he was perpetual curate of Saxton in Yorkshire. In 1784 Crowe became the public orator of the University of Oxford and he held that position until his death. He was known for his eccentric habits but his verse was admired by other poets including Samuel Rogers (q.v.) and his “independent and liberal spirit” is celebrated on his memorial tablet in St. Mary’s church, Alton Barnes. Crowe was married but no record has been located. His wife, Elizabeth (d 16 Apr. 1842), is buried with him and one of their sons, Henry (d 29 Oct. 1829), at St. Mary’s. Crowe had at least one other son but he died in 1815; he also had several daughters. He died on 9 Feb. 1829 at Bath where he had been sent for his health. He was buried at Alton Barnes on 14 Feb. Crowe’s other publications include several of his Creweian Orations, sermons, and A Treatise on English Versification (1827). In 1828 he published an edition of the poems of William Collins (q.v.). (ODNB 16 Apr. 2024; ancestry.co.uk 16 Apr. 2024; Winchester College Archives, Alumni Oxonienses, GM June 1829, 642-43; N&Q 17 July 1858, 42-44)
Other Names:
- the Rev. William Crowe