Daniel Dumaresq

Who was Daniel Dumaresq?

Daniel Dumaresq FRS was an educational consultant to Russian and Polish monarchs

Duraresq came from Trinity, Jersey in the Channel Islands. His father was Jurat Elie Dumaresq, Seigneur of Augrès. He attended Abingdon School and in 1730 entered Pembroke College and was a Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford. He became curate at Merton on Otmoor, Oxfordshire then chaplain at the English Factory at St Petersburg. During that time he was elected to the St Petersburg Academy of Sciences, became fluent in Russian and was chaplain to Sir Charles Hanbury, British Ambassador to St Petersburg. He translated a book: An Account of that part of America which is nearest to Kamchatka, extracted from the Description by Professor Krasheninncoff, printed at Petersburg in 1759, and translated by the Rev. D. Dumaresq. In his capacity as chaplain to the ambassador he employed a secretary, Stanislaus Poniatowski, who later became king of Poland.

Upon his return to England he took the rectory of Yeovilton with neighbouring Limington. From there he was called upon to return to Russia and Poland to advise Catherine the Great of Russia and Stanislaus II King of Poland on educational matters.