Edward Bentham

Edward Bentham
Born	23 July 1707 Ely, England
Died	1 August 1776 Oxford, England
Occupation	Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford University
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Bates
Children	Edward (died young) Thomas Elizabeth
Parent(s)	The Rev. Samuel Bentham

Edward Bentham (23 July 1707 – 1 August 1776) was an Oxford based theologian who in 1763, with some evident reluctance, became Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford University.

Edward Bentham was born at Ely where his father, the Rev. Samuel Bentham, was employed as a minor canon at the cathedral. The Benthams were a clerical family, and Edward was the sixth priest in a continuous descent from Thomas Bentham (1513/14–1579), Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield. His younger brother, James Bentham achieved distinction as an antiquarian and historian of Ely Cathedral. The family were distant cousins of the philosopher and reformer Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832).

In 1717, on the recommendation of Dr. Smalridge, then a fellow of Christ Church college, Bentham was sent away to Oxford where he sang as a chorister at Christ Church, before entering the college as a student on 28 March 1724. He studied under the supervision of John Burton, a cousin who became also a friend. He was listed as a scholar in 1726. Sources commend Bentham's erudition and even temperament. As soon as he had taken his Bachelor of Arts degree he was invited by The Principal of Magdalen Hall to become Vice-Principal of that college, and took up the appointment on 6 March 1730 (Gregorian), still aged only 22. However, the appointment proved short lived, since on 23 April 1731 he was elected to the fellowship at Oriel College, where he was appointed a tutor the next year. He retained the tutorship at Oriel till 1752.

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