James Stephen Hodson

Life

He was born in Clifton, Bristol around 1816 the son of Rev George Hodson (1787-1855), Archdeacon of Stafford and Chancellor of Lichfield Cathedral. His mother was Mary Stephen. His younger brother was William Stephen Raikes Hodson (later Major Hodson), who adopted a military career and founded Hodsons Horse Regiment. James studied Divinity at Balliol College in Oxford.

He originally worked as a minister at Sanderstead in Croydon. He moved to Longstone in Derbyshire around 1847. During this period he is listed as a member of the British Archaeological Association.

He succeeded Rev John Hannah FRSE (1818-1888) as Rector of Edinburgh Academy in 1855. For his entire time as Rector of Edinburgh Academy he was living at 62 Great King Street (the former home of Dr Robert Graham) in Edinburgh’s Second New town.

In 1855 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh his proposer being James Russell. He resigned in 1873.

He was succeeded as Rector in 1869 by Thomas Harvey FRSE (1823-1901). From 1867 to 1870 he served as Chaplain to the Bishop of Edinburgh. In 1870 he left Edinburgh to take on the role of Headmaster of St Andrews College in Berkshire (later renamed Bradfield).

In 1872 he became vicar of Steventon, Oxfordshire (then in Berkshire). In 1877 he took on his final role, as vicar of South Luffenham in Rutland.

He died in Croydon in Surrey on 20 November 1890 aged 74.

Publications

Family

He married Elizabeth Dorrill Vernon (second daughter of Rev B J Vernon) in 1840 at St Mary le Strand in London. Elizabeth was born in 1820 in St Helena. They had six children: Sibella Vernon Hudson (died in infancy), Vernon James Hodson (1842-1864), Edoth Hodson (b.1844), Sibella Mary Hodson (1846-1910), Hubert Courtney Hodson (1847-1924), and Arthur Vernon Hodson (died in infancy). Vernon, served as a Lieutenant in the European Light Cavalry during the Indian Mutiny, and died in Dinapore in India aged only 21.