a pension offered to him by Lord Melbourne was declined. He retained his three Yorkshire preferments until his death at Settrington rectory on 24 Dec 1845. He was buried in the chancel of his church where a monument of plain white marble commemorates him; a stained-glass window was put by the clergy in the tower at the west end of the church. The epitaph also commemorates his wife, Anne Dixon, who died at Settrington rectory on 14 April 1844, aged 78. They left several daughters, the baptisms of whom, between 1792 and 1801, are printed in the ‘Canterbury Cathedral Registers’ (Harl. Soc.), pp. 39–41.
A miniature of the archdeacon was stealthily painted by a lady. From a sketch of him, taken in 1822, a painting was made by Joseph Smith and placed in Magdalen College school. A few years before his death he presented to the college his collection of books relating to Milton.
Todd possessed great industry with a retentive memory, and was devoted to literary study throughout his life. He edited in 1798 ‘Comus: a Mask by John Milton,’ dedicated to Rev. F. H. Egerton, afterwards Earl of Bridgewater. This led to Todd's edition of ‘Poetical Works of Milton,’ 1801, 6 vols.; reprinted in 1809, 1826, 1842, and 1852. Incorporating the notes of Warton and others, it became the standard edition. The first volume was issued separately as ‘Account of the Life and Writings of John Milton,’ and it was republished, as modified by new information, in 1809 and 1826. It is a laborious but heavy piece of work, now superseded by Professor David Masson's monumental ‘Life.’ Professor Charles Dexter Cleveland based his ‘Complete Concordance’ to Milton's poems on Todd's verbal index, which he found full of mistakes. For the first edition the publishers paid Todd the sum of 200l. Todd's edition of ‘The Works of Edmund Spenser’ (1805, 8 vols.; reproduced in 1852 and 1866) was severely reviewed by Sir Walter Scott in the ‘Edinburgh Review,’ October 1805, pp. 203–17, and did not enhance Todd's reputation. He also edited ‘Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language, with numerous corrections and the addition of several thousand words,’ 1818, 4 vols. This edition was often reissued, and Latham's edition of ‘Johnson's Dictionary’ was founded on it.
Todd's original published works included: 1. ‘Some Account of the Deans of Canterbury; with a catalogue of the MSS. in the Church Library,’ 1793; the author afterwards printed an additional page of corrections. 2. ‘Catalogue of Books, both manuscript and printed, in the Library of Christ Church, Canterbury’ [anon.], 1802; 160 copies printed not for sale. 3. ‘Illustrations of Lives and Writings of Gower and Chaucer,’ 1810. 4. ‘Accomplishment of Prophecy in Jesus Christ: a Treatise by Dean Abbadie’ (edited by Todd), 1810. 5. ‘Catalogue of Manuscripts at Lambeth Palace,’ 1812, one hundred copies for private circulation. 6. ‘History of the College of Bonhommes at Ashridge,’ 1812; 2nd ed. 1823; privately printed by the Earl of Bridgewater. 7. ‘Original Sin, Free-will, and other Doctrines, as maintained by our Reformers,’ 1818. 8. ‘Vindication of our Authorised Translation and Translators of the Bible,’ 1819; 2nd ed. 1834. 9. ‘Observations on the Metrical Versions of the Psalms by Sternhold, Hopkins, and others,’ 1822. 10. ‘Memoirs of Bishop Brian Walton, with notices of his coadjutors on the London Polyglot Bible,’ 1821, 2 vols.; the concluding labour ‘of the years passed delightfully in Lambeth Library.’ 11. ‘Account of Greek MSS., chiefly Biblical, in the possession of the late Professor Carlyle, but the greater part now at Lambeth Palace’ [1823], privately printed. 12. ‘Hints to Medical Students on a Future Life’ [anon.], York, 1823. 13. ‘Prayers for Family Worship,’ Malton [1825]. 14. ‘Cranmer's Defence of the True and Catholick Doctrine of the Sacrament, with introduction vindicating his character from Lingard and others,’ 1825. The vindication was published separately in 1826. 15. ‘Reply to Lingard's Vindication of his History of England concerning Cranmer,’ 1827. 16. ‘Letter to Archbishop of Canterbury on the authorship of the Icon Basilike,’ 1824; in reply to Christopher Wordsworth's treatise ‘Who wrote Icon Basilike?’ 1824. Wordsworth retorted to this pamphlet by Todd, and then came 17. ‘Bishop Gauden, the author of the Icon Basilike, further shown in answer to Dr. Wordsworth,’ 1829. 18. ‘Of Confession, and Absolution, and the Secrecy of Confession,’ 1828. 19. ‘Life of Archbishop Cranmer,’ 1831, 2 vols. 20. ‘Collections relating to Benefices in the Archdeaconry of Cleveland,’ 1833. 21. ‘On Proposals for reviving Convocation,’ 2nd ed. 1837. 22. ‘Selections from Metrical Paraphrases on the Psalms, with Memoir,’ 1839. Todd was also the author of several sermons and charges. He contributed largely to Hasted's ‘Kent’ (1798 ed. vi. 192) and the ‘Gentleman's Magazine,’ and wrote a preface to ‘Bibliotheca Reediana,’ 1807, the sale catalogue of Isaac Reed's library.
[Jefferson's Cumberland, ii. 18–19; Gent. Mag. 1844 i. 669, 1846 i. 322–4, 659; Nichols's Illustr. of Lit. vi. 620, 681–6, vii. 54, 58–9; Nichols's
