Among his pupils at Corpus was John Keble, who in 1847 dedicated to Darnell a volume of sermons "in ever grateful memory of invaluable helps and warnings received from him in early youth.
"[1] In 1809 Darnell left Oxford in 1809, having been presented by Archdeacon Charles Thorp to the rectory of St Mary-le-Bow, Durham, which he held until 1815.
From 1820 to 1827 he was perpetual curate of St Margaret's Church, Durham, and from 1827 to 1831 vicar of Norham; for some years before 1828 he had held the Yorkshire vicarage of Lastingham, a preferment from Lord Eldon.
Phillpotts required a special arrangement with Darnell, to compensate for his financial loss in moving to Exeter.
[1] Darnell edited from the manuscripts in the Dean and Chapter Library the Correspondence of Isaac Basire, published 1831.
[5][6] In 1816 Darnell issued a volume of sermons dedicated to his patron Shute Barrington;[7] and in 1818 an abridgment of Jeremy Taylor's Great Exemplar of Sanctity.
[1] Darnell printed some sermons, including one on the death of his friend and schoolfellow, Henry Burrell of Lincoln's Inn, preached at Bolton Chapel in Northumberland.
A ballad "The King of the Picts and St. Cuthbert" is in James Raine's History of North Durham.