Sharp, Thomas

, a younger son of the preceding, was born about 1693. He was admitted of Trinity college, Cambridge, in 1708, and took his degrees of B. A. in 1712, and M. A. 1716. He was also a fellow of his college, and took the degree of D. D. in 1729. He was chaplain to archbishop Dawes; and in July 1720, was collated to the rectory of Rothbury, in the county of Northumberland. He held the prebend of Southwell, and afterwards that of Wistow, in York cathedral. In 1722, he was collated to the archdeaconry of Northumberland; and in 1755, succeeded Dr. Mangey in the officially of the dean and chapter. He died March 6, 175S, and was interred in Durham cathedral, of which also he had held the tenth prebend from the year 1732. He published a “Concio ad Clerum,” when he took his doctor’s decree; and in 1753, “The Rubric in the book of Common Prayer, and the Canons of the church of England, so far as they relate to the Parochial Clergy, considered in a course of visitation | sermons,” 8vo. A volume of his “Sermons on several occasions” was published in 1763, 8vo. Dr. Sharp also engaged, but, as Mr. Jones says, much against his will, in the Hutchinsonian controversy, and published two dissertations concerning the etymology of the Hebrew words Elohim and Berith, and “Discourses on the antiquity of the Hebrew tongue and character.”

Dr. Thomas Sharp left three sons, John, who after various promotions became also archdeacon of Northumberland, and a prebendary of Durham, and died in 1792. He had the merit of arranging and establishing lord Crew’s noble charity for sick and lame seamen at Bamborough, and conducted the institution with the greatest care and humanity. Dr. Sharp’s other sons were William, many years an eminent surgeon in London, who died in Is 10, aged eightyone, and Granville, the subject of the next article. ¹