WILLIAM

See also:

• WHITTINGHAM, CHARLES (1767-1840)
• WILLIAM WHITTINGHAM (c. 1524-1579)

WHITTINGHAM (c. 1524-1579)  , English scholar, who belonged to a Lancashire family, was born at Chester . Educated at Brasenose College, Oxford, he became a fellow of All Souls' College and a senior student of Christ Church,. and later he visited several universities in France and Germany . A strong Protestant, he returned to England in 1553, but soon found it expedient to travel again to France . In 1554 he was a leading member of the band of English Protestant exiles who were assembled at Frankfort-on-the-Main, and in the controversies which took place between them concerning' the form of service to be adopted, Whittingham strongly supported the Calvinistic views propounded by John Knox . These opinions, however, did not prevail, and soon the Scottish reformer and his follower were found at Geneva; in 1559 Whittingham succeeded Knox as minister of the English congregation in that city, and here he did his most noteworthy work, that of making an English translation of the Bible . He was probably responsible for the English translation of the New Testament which appeared in 1557, and he had certainly a large share in the translation of both the Old and the New Testaments which is called the Genevan or Breeches Bible . This was printed at Geneva in 156o and enjoyed a remarkable popularity (see BIBLE, ENGLISH) . He also made a metrical translation of some of the Psalms . Having returned to England in 1560, Whittingham went to France in the train of Francis Russell, 2nd earl of Bedford, and a little later he acted as minister of the English garrison at Havre, being in this place during its siege by the French in 1562 . In the following year he was made dean of Durham . He attended well to the duties of his office, but his liking for puritan customs made certain prelates and others look upon him with suspicion, and in 1 576 or 1577 a commission was appointed to inquire into his conduct . This had no result, and another commission was appointed in 1578, one charge against Whittingham being that he had not been duly ordained .

The

case was still under consideration when the dean died on the loth of June 1579 .