Rev. A. P. Stanley
Arthur Penrhyn Stanley was born in the Alderey rectory in Cheshire, England, on December 13, 1815. His father, Rev. Edward Stanley, was the parish rector and, in 1837, became the bishop of Norwich. His mother, Catherine Stanley, was the daughter of Rev. Oswald Leycester, rector of Stoke-upon-Tern, Shropshire. Stanley had four siblings: Charles, Owen, Mary, and Catherine. His father oversaw his early education, but Stanley was sent to Rugby School in 1829, where he was taught by Dr. Thomas Arnold. In 1834, after receiving a scholarship, he went to Balliol College in Oxford, graduating in 1837 with high honours. In 1839, he was elected a fellow of University College and took holy orders the same year. He settled permanently in Oxford in 1840 and was elected to a fellowship at University College the same year. At this time, he was given the position of college tutor, which he held for at least a decade. From 1845 to 1846, he held the position of select preacher for the university. From 1850 to 1852, he was secretary to the Oxford University Commissioners. He served as canon of Canterbury from 1851 to 1855, at which point he was appointed regius professor of Ecclesiastical History at Oxford. In 1858, he was made examining chaplain to the bishop of London, a position he held until 1863, the same year he married Augusta Bruce, daughter of Thomas Bruce, Earl of Elgin and Kincardine. Augusta was a friend and attendant of Queen Victoria, and her union with Stanley strengthened his already notable relationship with the royal family. In 1864, Stanley became dean of Westminster, a position he held until his death. He received his LL.D. from the University of St. Andrew’s in 1871 and became lord rector of the school in 1875. Augusta passed in 1876 after several years of battling illness. The couple had no children. Stanley died of illness at the deanery in Westminster on July 18, 1881.
Rev. A. P. Stanley, in addition to all his church positions, also contributed greatly to theological literature. Several of his works are included in the Queen’s Collection in the Queen Elizabeth II Library. Several texts in the collection bear his handwriting, indicating that they were directly or indirectly donated by him.
Donation List:
Stanley, Arthur Penrhyn. The Epistles of St. Paul to the Corinthians: With Critical Notes and Dissertations: In Two Volumes.— Vol. 1. London: John Murray. 1855.
Stanley, Arthur Penrhyn. Sinai and Palestine: In Connection with Their History. London: John Murray, 1856.
