Fell, John, Bishop of Oxford (1625 -1686)

John Fell was the son of Samuel Fell, Dean of Christ Church, Oxford and Margaret, daughter of Thomas Wyld of Worcester. He was admitted to Christ Church in 1636 at the age of 11, took his B.A. in 1640, his M.A. in 1643, was ordained and became a Student of the college. An ardent royalist he was deprived of his Studentship in 1648, but remained in Oxford, reading the Book of Common Prayer to a private congregation of gentleman throughout the period of the Commonwealth. At the Restoration he was appointed Dean of Christ Church. He is best known as the patron of Oxford University Press and the subject of the impromptu "I do not like thee, Dr Fell ...". In 1675 he was made Bishop of Oxford but continued to hold the Deanery in commendam. Fell never married and left all his property to his nephew Henry Jones of Sunningwell who bequeathed many of the books and papers to the Bodleian Library.