William Frere

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William Frere
William Frere by George Clint
Born(1775-11-28)28 November 1775
Died25 May 1836(1836-05-25) (aged 60)
EducationFelsted School, Essex, England
Alma materTrinity College, Cambridge
Occupation(s)Lawyer and academic
Spouse
Mary Dillingham
(m. 1810)
ChildrenPhilip Howard Frere
Augusta Frederica Frere
Parents
RelativesJohn Hookham Frere (brother)
John Fenn (uncle)

William Frere (28 November 1775 – 25 May 1836), was an English lawyer and academic, a

law-serjeant and Master of Downing College, Cambridge
.

Life

Frere was the fourth son of

senior optime
in 1798. In 1800 he became fellow of the newly founded Downing College.

He was called to the bar, and joined the Norfolk circuit in 1802. He was serjeant-at-law in 1809, and three years later was elected Master of Downing College, his appointment being unsuccessfully contested at law. In 1823 he edited the final fifth volume of Paston Letters begun by his uncle in 1787.

He was made recorder of

Balsham, Cambridgeshire
. He proceeded LL.D. at Cambridge 1825, and D.C.L. at Oxford 1834.

In 1826 he quit the bar. He died 25 May 1836.

Works

He edited, with additions,

Baron Glenbervie's Reports of Cases, 1813, and the fifth volume of the Paston Letters from the manuscript of Sir John Fenn
(Original letters, written during the reigns of Henry VI., Edward IV., and Richard III. by various persons of rank or consequence; containing many curious anecdotes, relative to that period of our history, 5. vols. (1787–1823).

Some Latin and Greek verse by Frere was published with William Herbert's Fasciculus Carminum stylo Lucretiano scriptorum, 1797.

Family

He married in 1810 Mary, daughter of Brampton Gurdon Dillingham. They had at least two children: Philip Howard Frere (1813–1868) and Augusta Frederica Frere (1824–1888).[3] During Frere's time, chiefly through his wife, Downing College was a social centre at Cambridge.

References

  1. ^ 'Advertisement containing notices of the life of John Fenn,' in J. Fenn, Original letters ... vol.5. (1823) p.ix.
  2. ^ "Frere, William (FRR793W)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  3. ^ "Births, Marriages, and Deaths". The Belfast News-Letter. Vol. 151, no. 22772. 29 June 1888.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain"Frere, William". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.

Academic offices
Preceded by Master of Downing College, Cambridge
1812–1836
Succeeded by