William Van Mildert

William Van Mildert

William Van Mildert (6 November 1765 – 21 February 1836) was the last palatine Bishop of Durham (1826–1836), and one of the founders of the University of Durham. His name survives in Van Mildert College, founded in 1965 and the Van Mildert Professor of Divinity.

Life

The son of Cornelius van Mildert, a gin distiller, and his wife Martha née Hill, he was educated at St Saviour's Grammar School, Merchant Taylors' School (then in London) and the Queen's College, Oxford. Loosely attached to the high church party, he was appointed Bishop of Llandaff from 1819 to 1826, a post which he held in commendam with the Deanery of St Paul's between 1820 and 1826, when he was translated to Durham. Prior to this, he had been rector of the church of St. Mary-le-Bow in London and Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford, where he gave the Bampton Lectures for 1814. Van Mildert is often described as a 'stormy petrel' on account of his outspoken expression of his views. He showed little interest in his poorly remunerated Welsh episcopal appointment

As part of the University of Durham's foundation, behind which he was the driving force, he moved his residence from Durham Castle to Lumley Castle. He gifted the castle to the University, where it became the home of University College. In addition, he gifted a large number of buildings on Palace Green, between the Castle and the Cathedral. These are currently in use by various departments of the University (principally law, music and a small portion of the University Library).