BLUNT

blunt, john james (1794-1855), english divine, was born at newcastle-under-lyme in staffordshire, and educated at st john's college, cambridge, where he took his degree as fifteenth wrangler and obtained a fellowship (1816). he was appointed a wort's travelling bachelor 1818, and spent some time in italy and sicily, afterwards publishing an account of his journey. he proceeded m.a. in 1819, b.d. 1826, and was hulsean lecturer in 1831-1832 while holding a curacy in shropshire. in 1834 he became rector of great oakley in essex, and in 1839 was appointed lady margaret professor of divinity at cambridge. in 1854 he declined the see of salisbury, and he died on the 18th of june 1855. his chief book was _undesigned coincidences in the writings both of the old and new testaments_ (1833; fuller edition, 1847). some of his writings, among them the _history of the christian church during the first three centuries_ and the lectures _on the right use of the early fathers_, were published posthumously. a short memoir of him appeared in 1856 from the hand of william selwyn, his successor in the divinity professorship.