Daventry, England/daventry200
Previous | Home | NextThe Priestley plaque. Barely discernible, it reads: "Doddridge Academy
Joseph Priestley L.L.D. F.R.S.
Theological and Man of Science
was a student here 1752-1755."
Dr. Philip Doddridge (1702-1751) was the founder of the Academy which sometimes bears his name. His academy was a Dissenting Academy, which meant it was outside the ordinary sphere of the established Church of England. One could not pursue an education at Oxford or Cambridge unless he professed the creed of the Church of England; hence, an increasing number of Dissenting schools were founded to accommodate those who developing independent religious philosophies.
