Ralph Widdrington 1614/15-1688

Ralph WIDDRINGTON 1614/15-1688

Biographical Note

Born at Cheeseburn Grange, Northumberland, son of Lewis Widdrington, a member of a long-established gentry family of the north east. BA Christ's College, Cambridge 1636, MA and fellow 1639, DD 1661. Admitted at Gray's Inn 1641, but returned to Cambridge where he developed his academic career at Christ's throughout the Civil War and Interregnum period, appointed University orator in 1650 and professor of Greek in 1654. He sought to have Ralph Cudworth removed as Master in 1659 and was much enmeshed in argument and controversy with the College and its fellows for many years. He was however made professor of divinity in 1672, and was preferred to various livings after the Restoration (rector of Thorpe on the Hill, Lincolnshire 1661, of Wendon Lofts, Essex 1666, of Terrington, Norfolk 1673).

Books: In his will, Widdrington directed that the bulk of his estate be converted into an endowment for the benefit of Christ's, once his nephews were dead, and that his books should contribute to this – "within a year after my death my library in the College should be sold by my executors and the price thereof added to ... the purchase of an indenture or rent charge". This instruction appears to have been carried out, and Widdrington's books can now be found in libraries around the world; the administration of the will proved complex and troublesome for the College, who had to sue Widdrington's executors, and only a fraction of the total estate value came to them. The size of his collection is not known but can be assumed to have run to four figures as regards numbers of volumes. A group of books passed to Henry Godolphin, provost of Eton (1648-1733), whose bequest to Eton College of ca.150 books included 50 from Widdrington's library. He also made some gifts of books to Christ's Library during his lifetime. Examples: Christ's, Cambridge H.8.36, H.8.40; CUL Peterborough B.2.19; Eton College Eh.5.4-5, Eb 7.15; Lincoln College, Oxford K.11.14.

Characteristic markings: Widdrington typically inscribed "R Widdrington" on his titlepages, adjacent to the imprint. [Annotations? no, but more exx need to be seen to check]. Many of his books at Eton are in fairly plain Cambridge calf bindings typical of their period.