Gresham Professor of Rhetoric

The Professor of Rhetoric at Gresham College, London, gives free educational lectures to the general public. The college was founded for this purpose in 1597 when it created seven professorships; this was later increased to ten. Rhetoric is one of the original professorships as set out by the will of Thomas Gresham in 1575.[1]

The title is a broad one; Professors of Rhetoric have included historians, poets, educators and literary critics. The Professor of Rhetoric is appointed in partnership with the Worshipful Company of Mercers.

## List of Gresham Professors of Rhetoric

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Note, years given as, for example 1596 / 1597, refer to Old Style and New Style dates.

| Name | Started

|
|

1 | Caleb Willis | March 1596 / 1597
2 | Richard Ball | 1598
3 | Charles Croke | 14 January 1613 / 1614
4 | Henry Croke | 26 May 1619
5 | Edward Wilkinson | 13 April 1627
6 | John Goodridge | 6 November 1638
7 | Richard Hunt | 29 November 1654
8 | William Croune FRS | 8 June 1659
9 | Henry Jenkes | 21 October 1670
10 | John King[2] | 2 October 1676
11 | Charles Gresham | 20 August 1686
12 | Edward Martyn | 4 December 1696
13 | John Ward | 1 September 1720
14 | Joseph Whateley | 19 January 1759
15 | Joseph Thomas Waugh[3] | 11 April 1797
16 | F Newnham | 7 January 1808
17 | Edward Owen[4] | 13 November 1817
18 | Charlton Lane | 23 April 1863
19 | Thomas Francis Dallin | 9 July 1875
20 | J E Nixon | 4 February 1881
21 | Foster Watson | 22 January 1915
22 | Oliver Elton | 19 April 1929
23 | George Stuart Gordon | 2 May 1930
24 | Arthur William Reed | 8 December 1933
1939–1945 Lectures in abeyance
25 | Rowland Walter Jepson | 6 June 1946
26 | Lord David Cecil | 27 June 1947
27 | Nevill Coghill | 14 October 1948
28 | William Empson | 1953
29 | Richard Hughes | 1954
30 | Bonamy Dobrée | 1957
31 | Stephen Spender | 1961
32 | John Wain | 1963 (Hilary term)
33 | Cecil Day-Lewis | 1963–1964
34 | Patric Dickinson | 1965–1967
35 | Sir Robert Birley | 1968–1982
1983–1984 vacant
36 | John Morley Pick | 1985
37 | Jan Kott[5] | 1986
38 | John Morley Pick | 1987
39 | John Malcolm Rae[6] | 1988
40 | Sir Andrew Derbyshire[7] | 1990
41 | Peter G. Moore[8] | 1 September 1992
42 | Peter Hennessy[9] | 1 September 1994
43 | Lynette Hunter[10] | 1 September 1997
44 | Richard Sorabji CBE FBA[11] | 1 September 2000
45 | Kathleen Burk[12] | 1 September 2003
46 | Rodney Barker[13] | 1 September 2006
47 | Sir Richard J. Evans | 1 September 2009
48 | Belinda Jack[14] | 1 September 2013
49 | Sir Jonathan Bate CBE FBA FRSL[15] | 1 September 2017
50  | Joanna Bourke FBA[16] | 2019
51  | Melissa Lane[17] | 2023

## Notes

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1. ^ "How We Recruit Speakers | Gresham College". www.gresham.ac.uk. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
2. ^ William, Birken. "King, John". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/47336. (Subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required.)
3. ^ "Waugh, Joseph Thomas (WH784JT)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
4. ^ "Owen, Edward (OWN802E)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
5. ^ "Professor Jan Kott | Gresham College". www.gresham.ac.uk. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
6. ^ "Professor John Malcolm Rae | Gresham College". www.gresham.ac.uk. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
7. ^ "Professor Sir Andrew Derbyshire | Gresham College". www.gresham.ac.uk. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
8. ^ "Professor Peter G. Moore | Gresham College". www.gresham.ac.uk. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
9. ^ "Professor Lord Hennessy | Gresham College". www.gresham.ac.uk. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
10. ^ "Professor Lynette Hunter | Gresham College". www.gresham.ac.uk. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
11. ^ "Professor Richard Sorabji FBA | Gresham College". www.gresham.ac.uk. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
12. ^ "Professor Kathleen Burk | Gresham College". www.gresham.ac.uk. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
13. ^ "Professor Rodney Barker | Gresham College". www.gresham.ac.uk. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
14. ^ "Professor Belinda Jack | Gresham College". www.gresham.ac.uk. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
15. ^ "Professor Sir Jonathan Bate | Gresham College". www.gresham.ac.uk. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
16. ^ "Professor Joanna Bourke | Gresham College". www.gresham.ac.uk. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
17. ^ "Professor Melissa Lane | Gresham College". www.gresham.ac.uk. Retrieved 22 May 2024.

## References

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* Gresham College old website, Internet Archive List of professors
* Gresham Professor of Rhetoric \- page on the Gresham College website

## Further reading

[edit]

* Ward, John (1740). The Lives of the Professors of Gresham College. New York & London: Johnson Reprint Corporation.

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* Gresham College and the formation of the Royal Society

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