Background
His father, George Huddesford, was the President of Trinity College, Oxford.
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William Huddesford
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He himself attended Trinity College.
Career
Huddesford is credited with reinventing the Museum"s reputation. Huddesford was baptized at Street Mary Magdalen, Oxford, on 15 August 1732. William earned his Bachelor of Divinity in 1767, and he was proctor of Oxford University in 1765.
In 1755, Huddesford took over from his father as keeper of the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford.
Huddesford improved the Museum"s reputation. His scholarship and his ability to take advice are cited as reasons for his success.
Huddesford cleared out many of the collections to ensure that all the exhibits were essential. Amongst the discarded items were two dodos.
These ended up at the University Museum and they inspired Lewis Carroll to include a dodo in the opening chapters of Alice in Wonderland.
Huddesford had been ordained in 1758 and in 1761 he was made the vicar of Bishop"s Tachbrook in Warwickshire. Huddesford died unexpectedly at Oxford on 6 October 1772.
