Author: Dodd, William
Biography:
DODD, William (1729-77: ODNB)
The son of a vicar, Dodd was born in Lincolnshire and educated at Cambridge but lived most of his life in London after leaving the university in 1749. In 1751 he married Mary Perkins, the daughter of a verger of Durham Cathedral. He aimed first for literary glory but his poems and other writings--which included an anthology of extracts, The Beauties of Shakespeare (1752)--were only moderately successful. The same might be said of his career in the Church. He was ordained and given a curacy in 1752 and established a reputation as an eloquent preacher. He acquired some influence in charitable and social causes. But his expenses as a fashionable preacher outstripped his income. In 1765 he became tutor to Philip Stanhope, heir to and successor of the 4th Earl of Chesterfield; in 1766 Dodd took an LLD in the hope of attracting other wealthy pupils. But in 1777 he forged a bill of exchange in his patron's name, confessed, and was sentenced to death. Not only the jury but a popular outcry pleaded for mercy. Samuel Johnson ghost-wrote prayers and speeches for him while he was in prison (but Thoughts in Prison is his own composition). Dodd was hanged at Tyburn in June 1777. (ODNB 14 Sept. 2018)
Other Names:
- W. Dodd
- Wm. Dodd