Whittington Landon (c. 1758 – 29 December 1838) was an academic at the University of Oxford and an Anglican clergyman who became Dean of Exeter.

Life

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Memorial stone at St Michael and All Angels, Croft Castle

Whittington Landon, the son of John Landon from Tedstone, Herefordshire, matriculated at the University of Oxford as a member of Worcester College on 13 October 1775, aged 17. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1779 and was elected to a college fellowship in 1782, the same year in which he took his Master of Arts. He obtained two further degrees: Bachelor of Divinity in 1790 and Doctor of Divinity in 1795. He was elected Provost of Worcester College in 1795, and held this position until his death.[1] He was appointed Keeper of the Archives of the university in 1796, and held this post until 1815. He also served as vice-chancellor of the University from 1802 to 1806.[1] He died on 29 December 1838.[2]

Landon was also an ordained priest in the Church of England. He was rector of the Herefordshire parish of Croft with Yarpole from 1796 until his death in 1838.[2] He added the positions of prebendary of Norwich (1811 to 1813) and of Salisbury (1821 until his death; he was vicar of the prebendary parish of Bishopstone, near Swindon from 1822 to 1826).[3] He was Dean of Exeter (1813 until his death), and vicar of Branscombe, Devon (1827 to 1830).[2]

His son J. W. R. Landon was also ordained, and followed Landon as vicar of Bishopstone.[3] Landon was the uncle of the poet Letitia Elizabeth Landon, the daughter of his older brother John. Letitia's brother Whittington was named after him.

References

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  1. ^ a b Salter, H. E.; Lobel, Mary D., eds. (1954). "Gloucester Hall and Worcester College". A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 3: The University of Oxford. Victoria County History. pp. 298–309. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
  2. ^ a b c Foster, Joseph (1888–1892). "Landon, Whittington" . Alumni Oxonienses: the Members of the University of Oxford, 1715–1886. Oxford: Parker and Co – via Wikisource.
  3. ^ a b Baggs, A. P.; Freeman, Jane; Stevenson, Janet H. (1983). "Parishes: Bishopstone". In Crowley, D. A. (ed.). A History of the County of Wiltshire, Volume 12: Ramsbury and Selkley Hundreds; the Borough of Marlborough. Victoria County History. University of London. pp. 3–12. Retrieved 11 September 2023 – via British History Online.
Academic offices
Preceded by Provost of Worcester College, Oxford
1795–1838
Succeeded by
Preceded by Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University
1802–1806
Succeeded by
Church of England titles
Preceded by Dean of Exeter
1813 – 1838
Succeeded by