Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 12.djvu/67

 was published in 1730, and excited a keen controversy. Conybeare's ‘Defence of Revealed Religion against the Exceptions of [Tindal]’ appeared in 1732, and was praised as one of the four ablest books produced on the occasion, the others being those of James Foster, Leland, and Simon Browne. Warburton called it ‘one of the best-reasoned books in the world.’ Conybeare is a temperate and able writer, but there is little in his book to distinguish it from expositions of the same argument by other contemporary divines of the average type. The Exeter rectorship was a poor one, and soon afterwards Bishop Gibson exerted himself successfully to procure Conybeare's appointment to the deanery of Christ Church. He was installed in January 1733, and on 6 June following married Jemima, daughter of William Juckes of Hoxton Square, London. At Exeter Conybeare effected many reforms, putting a stop to the sale of servants' places and restoring lectures. In 1734 he entertained the Prince of Orange at the deanery. Conybeare seems to have been energetic at Christ Church. In 1735 he published ‘Calumny Refuted, in answer to the personal slander of Dr. Richard Newton,’ who was endeavouring to obtain a charter for Hart Hall, a plan opposed by Conybeare. He afterwards published a few sermons. His hopes of a bishopric were lowered by the death of Charles Talbot, while lord chancellor, in 1737, and by Bishop Gibson's loss of influence at court. In 1750, however, he was appointed to the see of Bristol, in succession to Joseph Butler, translated to Durham, and was consecrated 23 Dec. of that year. His health was broken by gout. He died 13 July 1755, and was buried in the cathedral.

Mrs. Conybeare died 29 Oct. 1747. Two of five children survived him, Jemima (died 1785) and William, afterwards D.D. and rector of St. Botolph's, Bishopsgate. They were left without much provision, and two volumes of sermons were published by subscription for their benefit in 1757. As there were 4,600 subscribers, many of whom took more than one copy, the results must have been satisfactory. A pension of 100l. a year was bestowed upon his daughter Jemima.



CONYBEARE, JOHN JOSIAS (1779–1824), geologist and scholar, was the elder son of Dr. William Conybeare, the rector of Bishopsgate, who was the son of [q. v.] The younger son was [q. v.]

John Josias, born in 1779, entered Christ Church, Oxford, in 1797. He won the university Latin verse prize in 1800. In due course he became vicar of Batheaston, Somerset. From 1803 till his death he was prebendary of York. He was elected to the Anglo-Saxon professorship in 1808, and became the professor of poetry at Oxford in 1812. In 1824 he delivered the Bampton lectures, and published a volume on the ‘Interpretation of Scripture.’ His versatility was remarkable. Notwithstanding his strict attention to his clerical duties, he gave some time to chemistry, and in 1822–3 published a paper ‘On Greek Fire,’ another on ‘Plumbago found in Gas Retorts,’ and an examination of ‘Hatchettin, or Mineral Tallow, a Fossil Resin found in the Coal Measures of Glamorganshire.’ In 1817 he began to publish upon geology; his first paper being ‘Memoranda relative to Clovelly;’ his second, which appeared in the Geological Society's ‘Transactions,’ being ‘On the Porphyritic Veins (locally Elvans) of St. Agnes, Cornwall.’ In 1821 he published a memoir ‘On the Geology of the neighbourhood of Okehampton,’ in 1822 one ‘On the Geology of the Malvern Hills,’ in 1823 another ‘On the Geology of Devon and Cornwall,’ and in 1824 he was associated with Buckland in ‘Observations on the South-west Coal-field of England.’ In June 1824 he died. His devotion to the literature of the Anglo-Saxons was very earnest, and his taste in poetry most refined. In 1826, after his death, his brother, Dean Conybeare, edited and published ‘Illustrations of Anglo-Saxon Poetry, translated by the Vicar of Batheaston,’ which contains large portions of the ‘Song of the Traveller’ and ‘Beowulf.’



CONYBEARE, WILLIAM DANIEL (1787–1857), geologist and divine, younger brother of [q. v.], was born in June 1787, and educated at Westminster and Christ Church. At Oxford he was in the same year as Sir Robert Peel, with whom he took a first in classics and a second in mathematics, being classed with Archbishop Whately. Conybeare continued to reside at the university until he took his M.A. degree.

Among the students of science at the university at the commencement of the 19th century the two brothers Conybeare, Dr.