Hung for Fashion

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I have been quite fascinated by the Rev. William Dodd for some time and have written about him on a now defunct site. With members of my family moving to Bourne, in Lincolnshire, I was able to dig a little deeper into his history as the town is his birthplace. Dodd's father, also the Rev. William Dodd, was vicar of Bourne Abbey until his death in 1756. He is buried inside the Abbey. There was no vicarage until after senior's death, so I have, so far, been unable to find exactly where the son was born in 1729. Dodd completed his education at Cambridge, in 1750, and moved to London where his spendthrift ways left him in debt and an impulsive marriage did nothing to ease his money worries. In 1751 he was ordained and proved popular eventually becoming chaplain to King George III. Fuelled by £1000 won in a lottery he continued his spendthrift ways and become rather fashionable and was called the Macaroni parson after the outlandish fashions of the time, which is why Yankee Doodle called sticking a feather in his hat 'macaroni'. After attempting bribery to gain a lucrative church post, he left the country until the scandal had died down. Desperate for money he forged a bond for £4200, but was discovered and admitted his guilt, asking for time to repay. He was tried and sentenced to death, being hung at notorious Tyburn in 1777. Now his grave is lost in Cowley churchyard, not far from Heathrow Airport.