Obadiah Walker | |
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 The tower in the main quad ofUniversity College, Oxford with a statue ofKing James II installed by Obadiah Walker. | |
| Born | 1616 |
| Died | January 1699 (aged 82–83) |
| Nationality | English |
| Alma mater | University College, Oxford |
| Title | Master of University College, Oxford |
| Term | 1676–1688 |
| Predecessor | Richard Clayton |
| Successor | Edward Farrer |
Obadiah Walker (1616 – 21 January 1699) was an English academic andMaster ofUniversity College, Oxford, from 1676 to 1688.[1][2]
Walker was born atDarfield,Yorkshire, and was educated at University College, Oxford, becoming a fellow and tutor of this College and a prominent figure in University circles. In July 1648, anact of parliament deprived him of his academic appointments, and he passed some years in teaching, studying and travelling. He returned toOxford at theRestoration of 1660, and a few years began later to take a leading part in the work of University College. In June 1676, he became head or "Master" of the college, and in this capacity he collected money for some rebuilding, and arranged the publication by the college of aLatin edition of SirJohn Spelman'sLife ofAlfred the Great.
This was the time ofTitus Oates and the "Popish Plot", and some of Walker's writings made him a suspect; however, no serious steps were taken against him, although Oxford booksellers were forbidden to sell his book,The benefits of our Saviour Jesus Christ to mankind. He remained aProtestant, in name at least, until the accession ofJames II. Soon after this event he became aRoman Catholic, opening a Catholic chapel at University College,[3] and he advised the new king with regard to affairs in Oxford, being partly responsible for the tactless conduct of James in forcing a quarrel with the fellows ofMagdalen College.Mass was said in his residence, and later a chapel was opened in the college for Catholic worship; he and others received a royal licence to absent themselves from the services of theChurch of England, and he obtained another to supervise the printing of Roman Catholic books.
In spite of growing unpopularity, he remained loyal to James, and when the king fled from England, Walker left Oxford, doubtless intending to join his master abroad. But in December 1688, he was arrested atSittingbourne and was imprisoned; then, having lost his mastership, he was charged at the bar of theHouse of Commons with changing his religion and with other offences. Early in 1690, he was released from his confinement, and spent his last years subsisting largely on the charity of his friend and former pupil at University College, DrJohn Radcliffe. Radcliffe gave Walker an east window for his chapel at the College and also a pension.[4]
Walker was responsible for the statue of King James II on the tower in the main quad at University College, one of only two in England.[5] Theother statue is located inTrafalgar Square,London.
He died in 1699 and is buried inOld St Pancras Churchyard, London.[6]
Walker's principal writings are:Of education, especially of young gentlemen (Oxford, 1673, and six other editions)Ars rationis ad mentem nominalium libri tres (Oxford, 1673)Greek and Roman History illustrated by Coins and Medals (London, 1692).
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Walker, Obadiah".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 28 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.| Academic offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Master of University College, Oxford 1676–1688 | Succeeded by |
