William Nicholas Darnell

William Nicholas Darnell (14 March 1776 – 19 June 1865) was an English cleric, academic and antiquarian.

Life He was the son of William Darnell, a wine-merchant of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where he was born on 14 March 1776. He was educated at Newcastle grammar school under Hugh Moises and his nephew Edward Moises. He matriculated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford in 1792, at age 16, elected to the Durham scholarship. He graduated B.A. in 1796, M.A. in 1800, and B.D. in 1808, and became a Fellow and tutor of the college. He was ordained deacon in 1801 and priest in 1802.

Darnell was appointed university examiner in 1801, 1803, and 1804, and select preacher in 1807. Among his pupils at Corpus was John Keble, who in 1847 dedicated to Darnell a volume of sermons "in ever grateful memory of invaluable helps and warnings received from him in early youth."

Darnell died on 19 June 1865. He was buried on 24 June in the churchyard of Durham Cathedral.

Other works In 1816 Darnell issued a volume of sermons dedicated to his patron Shute Barrington; and in 1818 an abridgment of Jeremy Taylor's Great Exemplar of Sanctity. He published an edition of the Book of Wisdom, and in 1839 An Arrangement and Classification of the Psalms.

The first son William (born 1816) became vicar of Bamburgh. He married Frances Thorp, eldest daughter of Archdeacon Charles Thorp. The second, Nicholas (born 1817), was a Catholic convert. Frances Anne (1818–1889), married 1840 the Rev. Henry Fitzhardinge Berkeley Portman (1811–1893). Bryan Henry Darnell (1820–1906) was a founder in 1857 of the Cape Argus. Elizabeth Jane (born 1822). Philip Wheler (1823–1850) was a naval officer. He died at sea and was commemorated by painted windows in St Aidan's Church, Bamburgh. Thomas Charles (born 1824), of the Bengal Army, married in 1853 Emily Jane Fitzgerald. Jane Grace (born 1829).