Ford Lectures

[2] Ford was educated at King's School, Canterbury, and matriculated at Trinity College, Oxford, in 1797.

In his will, Ford left a number of bequests, some of which were held in trust for the support of his surviving siblings.

After they had all died, Oxford University received his bequest of £2,000 to fund a professorship of English history, which was to be established when the principal had grown to support payment of £100 per year.

The first Ford's Lecturer in English History was S. R. Gardiner, elected for the academic year beginning in 1896.

[citation needed] As the lectures may be given in either the Michaelmas or Hilary terms (or partly in both), confusion can arise on publication because either calendar year may be stated.