Life

A Fellow of Wadham College, Oxford at the time of the Parliamentary visitation of 1648, he compromised sufficiently to retain his position, and was appointed chaplain to John Lovelace, 2nd Baron Lovelace.^[1] Later he succeeded John Wilkins as Warden of Wadham College from 1659 to 1665.^[2] He was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford in 1662,^[3] and succeeded in establishing a degree of calm after the turbulence that had accompanied the Restoration of 1660.^[4]

He became Bishop of Oxford in November 1665 (his appointment being the first announcement in the first edition of the Oxford Gazette, later the London Gazette),^[5] and Bishop of Worcester in 1671. He was also appointed Clerk of the Closet in 1668 (until 1669) and Dean of the Chapel Royal in 1669, serving until 1675.

He also had a distinguished series of positions as chaplain, first with John Lord Lovelace. He served as chaplain to Sir Edward Hyde, later the Earl of Clarendon and highly influential statesman. He was also one of the bishops brought into the household of Hyde's daughter, Anne, Duchess of York. Following in this position George Morley, Blandford had no more success than others in heading off the Duchess's ultimate conversion to Catholicism.^[4]^[6]

References

Attribution

Cooper, Thompson (1886). "Blandford, Walter" . In Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 5. London: Smith, Elder & Co. p. 201.

Academic offices Preceded byJohn Wilkins Warden of Wadham College, Oxford 1659–1665 Succeeded byGilbert Ironside Preceded byRichard Baylie Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford 1662–1664 Succeeded byRobert Say Church of England titles Preceded byWilliam Paul Bishop of Oxford 1665–1671 Succeeded byNathaniel Crew Preceded byRobert Skinner Bishop of Worcester 1671–1675 Succeeded byJames Fleetwood

Bishops of Oxford

Early modern

Late modern

v t e Bishops of Worcester
Early medieval	Bosel Oftfor Egwin of Evesham Wilfrith (I) Milred Waermund Tilhere Heathured Denebeorht Heahbeorht Ealhhun Werferth Æthelhun Wilfrith (II) Koenwald Dunstan Oswald Ealdwulf
High medieval	Wulfstan (I) Leofsige Beorhtheah Lyfing Ælfric Puttoc Lyfing Ealdred Wulfstan (II) Samson Theulf Simon John de Pageham Alured Roger Baldwin of Forde William of Northall Robert FitzRalph Henry de Sully John of Coutances Mauger Randulf of Evesham Walter de Gray Sylvester William de Blois Walter de Cantilupe Nicholas of Ely Godfrey Giffard
Late medieval	John St German William Gainsborough Walter Reynolds Walter Maidstone Thomas Cobham Wulstan Bransford Adam Orleton Simon Montacute Thomas Hemenhale Wulstan Bransford John of Thoresby Reginald Brian John Barnet William Whittlesey William Lenn Walter Lyghe Henry Wakefield Robert Tideman of Winchcombe Richard Clifford Thomas Peverel Philip Morgan Thomas Polton Thomas Brunce Thomas Bourchier John Carpenter ("Bishop of Worcester and Westbury") John Alcock Robert Morton Giovanni de' Gigli
Early modern	Silvestro de' Gigli Girolamo Ghinucci Hugh Latimer John Bell Nicholas Heath John Hooper, Bishop of Worcester and Gloucester Nicholas Heath Richard Pate Edwin Sandys Nicholas Bullingham John Whitgift Edmund Freke Richard Fletcher Thomas Bilson Gervase Babington Henry Parry John Thornborough John Prideaux Episcopacy abolished (Commonwealth) George Morley John Gauden John Earle Robert Skinner Walter Blandford James Fleetwood William Thomas Edward Stillingfleet William Lloyd John Hough Isaac Maddox James Johnson Brownlow North Richard Hurd
Late modern	Folliott Cornewall Robert Carr Henry Pepys Henry Philpott John Perowne Charles Gore Huyshe Yeatman-Biggs Ernest Pearce Arthur Perowne William Wilson Cash Mervyn Charles-Edwards Robin Woods Philip Goodrich Peter Selby John Inge

v t e Deans of the Chapel Royal
Late Medieval	John de Wodeford John de Leek Thomas de Lynton John Boor Richard Kyngeston Richard Prentys Edmund Lacy Robert Gilbert Richard Praty John Croucher Robert Ayscogh William Say William Dudley John Gunthorpe William Chauntre Richard Hill Thomas Jane Richard Nikke Geoffrey Simeon
Early modern	William Atwater John Vesey Richard Sampson Thomas Thirlby George Carew James Montague Lancelot Andrewes William Laud Richard Steward Gilbert Sheldon George Morley Herbert Croft Walter Blandford Henry Compton Nathaniel Crew Henry Compton (again) John Robinson William Talbot Edmund Gibson

v t e Clerks of the Closet
17th century	Richard Neile William Juxon Matthew Wren Richard Steward Gilbert Sheldon John Earle John Dolben Walter Blandford Nathaniel Crew Thomas Sprat Sir Edward Petre John Tillotson Thomas Burnet John Montagu
18th century	William Graham Samuel Pratt Charles Trimnell Richard Willis Henry Egerton Joseph Butler John Gilbert John Thomas William Buller Richard Hurd
19th century	William Jackson George Pelham Robert Carr Edward Stanley John Graham Henry Philpott Randall Davidson
Since 1900	William Boyd Carpenter Hubert Burge Thomas Strong Cyril Garbett Percy Herbert Roger Wilson Gordon Fallows John Bickersteth John Waine Jonathan Bailey Christopher Hill James Newcome Richard Jackson

Authority control databases
International	FAST VIAF
National	United States
Other	SNAC