Donald Spence Jones

{{Short description|British Anglican priest (1836–1917)}}

{{other people|Donald Jones|Donald Jones (disambiguation)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{British barrelled name|Spence Jones (after 1904)|Jones}}

{{Portal|Christianity}}Henry Donald Maurice Spence (Spence Jones from 1904; 14 January 1836 – 2 November 1917) was an Anglican dean and author in the last decades of the 19th century and the start of the 20th.Obituary The Dean Of Gloucester. The Times Saturday, Nov 03, 1917; pg. 8; Issue 41626; col E“Who was Who” 1897-1990 London, A & C Black, 1991 {{ISBN|0-7136-3457-X}}

The son of George Spence {{post-nominals|country=GBR|MP|QC}}, Spence was born at Pall Mall, London and educated at Westminster School and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, winning the Carus Prize in 1862 and 1866, and the Scholefield Prize in 1866, and graduating B.A. 1865, M.A. 1868, D.D. 1887.{{acad|id=SPN861HD|name=Spence (post Spence-Jones), Henry Donald Moritz (or Maurice)}} He was ordained deacon in 1865 and priest in 1866."The Clergy List, Clerical Guide and Ecclesiastical Directory" London, Hamilton & Co 1889

In his academic career, Spence was Professor of English Literature and Modern Languages, and Hebrew

Lecturer at St David's College Lampeter 1865–1870; Principal of Gloucester Theological College 1875–1877; and Professor of Ancient History at the Royal Academy from 1906.

In the church, he was Rector of St Mary de Crypt Church, Gloucester 1870–1877,[http://www.mithra.com/gbbr/images/glm2.jpg Photo of church] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714102515/http://www.mithra.com/gbbr/images/glm2.jpg |date=July 14, 2011 }} then Vicar and Rural Dean of St Pancras 1877–1886,[http://carmarthenshirehistorian.org/cgi-bin/twiki/view/Historian/PantglasAndTheJonesFamilies The Carmarthenshire Historian] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725141651/http://carmarthenshirehistorian.org/cgi-bin/twiki/view/Historian/PantglasAndTheJonesFamilies |date=2011-07-25 }} when he became Dean of Gloucester, a post he held until his death. As Dean, he banned performances of Edward Elgar's choral work The Dream of Gerontius from Gloucester Cathedral from 1900 until 1910 because of Roman Catholic references in its text.Lewis, Geraint, [http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page/September%202008/50/1000541/ "A Cathedral in Sound"], Gramophone, September 2008, p. 50

On 11 April 1871, Spence married Louise Madeline Maria, daughter of David Jones {{post-nominals|country=GBR|MP}}. He adopted the additional surname Jones (his wife's maiden name) in 1904.