Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER VI FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE END OF THE STUART PERIOD Dions: Henry Aldrich, 1689-1710 ; Francis Atterbury, 1711-13 ; George Smalridge, 1713-19. Happier times now came to Christ Church. Henry Aldrich (1689-1710) was appointed Dean on April 4, 1689, and was installed on June 7. In the letters patent of his appointment no mention whatever is made of Massey. Aldrich is nominated to the post " per mortem naturalem Johannis Fell . . . jam vacantem." The canonry which he vacated was at the same time filled by the appointment of William Wake, afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury; and a grand banquet was given by the two dignitaries in the College Hall, the Heads of Houses and all Doctors being invited to attend. James, on hearing of Massey's flight, at once made a last exercise of his royal prerogative by nominating Benjamin Woodroffe, canon of the 1st stall, to the vacant Deanery. The nomination was made on December 8, three days before the King's flight from Whitehall; but no notice appears to have been taken of it at Oxford. No appointment could have been more popular thanDEAN ALDRICH 113 that of Aldrich. He was an old Westminster Student, and was familiar with all the traditions of his House. He had been Tutor of the College during Fell's most active years, and since 1681 had held the canonry of the 2nd stall. He was now forty-two years of age, and possessed not only high and varied attainments, but a singular charm of character. He was a good theologian, and was much respected in the Convocation of Canterbury, where for a time he was Prolocutor of the lower house. He was also appointed, in 1689, as a member of the royal Commission for a revision of the Prayer Book, but with Jane, the Regius Professor of Divinity, he discontinued his attendance after the thir...