Francis Turner (bishop)
Encyclopedia
Francis Turner D.D. (1637–1700) was Bishop of Ely
, one of the seven bishops
who petitioned against the Declaration of Indulgence
and one of the nine bishops
who refused to take the oath of allegiance to William III
.
, the Dean of Canterbury
, by Margaret (d. 25 July 1692, aged 84), daughter of Sir Francis Windebank
. He was born on 23 August 1637, probably in Southwark
or Reading
. Thomas Turner
(1645–1714), the President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford
, was his younger brother. Francis married (1676) Anna Horton, who pre-deceased him.
From Winchester College
, where he was elected scholar in 1651, Francis proceeded to New College, Oxford
, where he was admitted probationer fellow on 7 November 1655, and graduated B. A. on 14 April 1659 and M. A. on 14 January 1663.
, to whom he was chaplain. On 30 December 1664 he was instituted to the rectory of Therfield
, in Hertfordshire
, succeeding John Barwick
. On 17 February 1664-5 he was incorporated at Cambridge, and on 8 May 1666 he was admitted fellow commoner in St. John's College, Cambridge, to which the patronage of Peter Gunning
, the Regius Professor of Divinity
, attracted him. He compounded B.D.
and D.D. at Oxford on 6 July 1669. On 7 December 1669 he was collated to the prebend
of Sneating in St. Paul's Cathedral. On 11 April 1670 he succeeded Gunning as Master of St. John's, Cambridge; he was vice-chancellor in 1678, and resigned his mastership, "because of a faction," at Christmas 1679. In 1683 he became rector of Great Haseley, Oxfordshire
, and on 20 July of that year he was installed Dean of Windsor
. He was consecrated Bishop of Rochester
, at Lambeth on 11 November 1683, holding his deanery in commendam
, with the office of Lord High Almoner. On 16 July 1684 he was translated to Ely
(confirmed 23 August) in succession to Gunning, who had made him one of his literary executors. He preached the sermon at James II's
coronation (23 April 1685); in the following July he prepared Monmouth
for his execution.
against the king's declaration for liberty of conscience. He also declined the oath of allegiance
to William
and Mary
, and hence incurred suspension on 1 August 1689; his diocese was administered by a commission consisting of Henry Compton, Bishop of London
, and William Lloyd, Bishop of St Asaph
; on 1 February 1690 he was deposed
. He was in correspondence with James; two unsigned letters to James and his queen
, dated 31 December 1690, and seized on the arrest of John Aston, are certainly his. He professes to write "in behalf of my elder brother, and the rest of my nearest relations, as well as for myself" (meaning William Sancroft
and the other nonjuring bishops). A proclamation for his arrest was issued on 5 February 1691, but he kept out of the way.
On 24 February 1693 he joined the nonjuring bishops, William Lloyd and Thomas White
, in consecrating George Hickes
and Thomas Wagstaffe as suffragans
of Thetford
and Ipswich
, the object being to continue a succession in the Jacobite
interest. Henry Hyde, 2nd Earl of Clarendon
, was present at the ceremony, which took place at White's lodging. In 1694 it was proposed that Turner, who was in easy circumstances, should be invited to St. Germains
in attendance on James, a proposal which James approved but did not carry out. In December 1696 Turner was arrested, but discharged (15 December) on condition of leaving the country. On 26 December he was rearrested.
at Therfield. His intestacy gave all his effects to his daughter Margaret (died 25 December 1724), wife of Richard Gulston of Wyddial Hall
, Hertfordshire
, thus disappointing the expectation of bequests to St. John's College, of which he had already been a benefactor.
Turner is an ancestor of Henrietta Euphemia Tindal (née Harrison), a 19th century poet , who was the great grand-daughter of a later Richard Gulston of Wyddial Hall, and of the Tindal-Carill-Worsley family
.
Besides single sermons (1681-5) Turner published:
A portrait of Turner, painted probably by Mary Beale
, was transferred from the British Museum
to the National Portrait Gallery in 1879. He also figures in the anonymous portrait of the seven bishops in the same gallery.
Bishop of Ely
The Bishop of Ely is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire , together with a section of north-west Norfolk and has its see in the City of Ely, Cambridgeshire, where the seat is located at the...
, one of the seven bishops
Seven Bishops
thumb|200px|A portrait of the Seven Bishops.The Seven Bishops of the Church of England were those imprisoned and tried for seditious libel over their opposition to the second Declaration of Indulgence issued by James II in 1688...
who petitioned against the Declaration of Indulgence
Declaration of Indulgence
The Declaration of Indulgence was two proclamations made by James II of England and VII of Scotland in 1687. The Indulgence was first issued for Scotland on 12 February, and then for England on 4 April 1687...
and one of the nine bishops
Nonjuring schism
The nonjuring schism was a split in the Church of England in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution of 1688, over whether William of Orange and his wife Mary could legally be recognised as King and Queen of England....
who refused to take the oath of allegiance to William III
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
.
Family and education
Turner was the eldest son of Thomas TurnerThomas Turner (dean)
-Life:He was born at Reading, Berkshire in 1591, the son of Thomas Turner of Heckfield in Hampshire, mayor of Reading. He matriculated at St. John's College, Oxford, on 26 June 1610, graduating B.A. on 6 June 1614 and M.A. on 9 May 1618. He was elected a fellow, took the degree of B.D. on 20 July...
, the Dean of Canterbury
Dean of Canterbury
The Dean of Canterbury is the head of the Chapter of the Cathedral of Christ Church, Canterbury, England. The office of dean originated after the English Reformation, and its precursor office was the prior of the cathedral-monastery...
, by Margaret (d. 25 July 1692, aged 84), daughter of Sir Francis Windebank
Francis Windebank
Sir Francis Windebank was an English politician who was Secretary of State under Charles I.The only son of Sir Thomas Windebank of Hougham, Lincolnshire, who owed his advancement to the Cecil family, Francis entered St John's College, Oxford, in 1599, coming there under the influence of the...
. He was born on 23 August 1637, probably in Southwark
Southwark
Southwark is a district of south London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated east of Charing Cross, it forms one of the oldest parts of London and fronts the River Thames to the north...
or Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
. Thomas Turner
Thomas Turner (President of Corpus)
Thomas Turner was an English churchman and academic, Archdeacon of Essex and President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford.-Life:The second son of Thomas Turner, Dean of Canterbury, he was born at Bristol on 19 or 20 September 1645; he was a younger brother of Francis Turner...
(1645–1714), the President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom...
, was his younger brother. Francis married (1676) Anna Horton, who pre-deceased him.
From Winchester College
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
, where he was elected scholar in 1651, Francis proceeded to New College, Oxford
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
, where he was admitted probationer fellow on 7 November 1655, and graduated B. A. on 14 April 1659 and M. A. on 14 January 1663.
Ecclesiastical and academic preferment
Turner’s preferments were mainly due to the favour of the Duke of YorkJames II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
, to whom he was chaplain. On 30 December 1664 he was instituted to the rectory of Therfield
Therfield
Therfield is both a small village of approximately 4,761 acres and a civil parish which sits upon the chalk range, three miles southwest of Royston, and six miles northeast of Baldock) and within the English county of Hertfordshire.-Ancient history:The name Therfield is a variation of Tharfield...
, in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, succeeding John Barwick
John Barwick
John Barwick was an English royalist churchman and Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral.-Early life:He was born at Witherslack, in Westmorland. John was the third of five sons, and he and his brother Peter Barwick were the ones given an education. After time at local grammar schools John was sent to...
. On 17 February 1664-5 he was incorporated at Cambridge, and on 8 May 1666 he was admitted fellow commoner in St. John's College, Cambridge, to which the patronage of Peter Gunning
Peter Gunning
Peter Gunning was an English Royalist church leader, Bishop of Chichester and later of Ely.-Life:He was born at Hoo St Werburgh, in Kent, and educated at The King's School, Canterbury, and Clare College, Cambridge, where he became a fellow in 1633. Having taken orders, he advocated the Royalist...
, the Regius Professor of Divinity
Regius Professor of Divinity
The Regius Professorship of Divinity is one of the oldest and most prestigious of the professorships at the University of Oxford and at the University of Cambridge.Both chairs were founded by Henry VIII...
, attracted him. He compounded B.D.
Bachelor of Divinity
In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies....
and D.D. at Oxford on 6 July 1669. On 7 December 1669 he was collated to the prebend
Prebendary
A prebendary is a post connected to an Anglican or Catholic cathedral or collegiate church and is a type of canon. Prebendaries have a role in the administration of the cathedral...
of Sneating in St. Paul's Cathedral. On 11 April 1670 he succeeded Gunning as Master of St. John's, Cambridge; he was vice-chancellor in 1678, and resigned his mastership, "because of a faction," at Christmas 1679. In 1683 he became rector of Great Haseley, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, and on 20 July of that year he was installed Dean of Windsor
Dean of Windsor
The Dean of Windsor is the spiritual head of the Canons of St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. The Dean chairs meetings of the Chapter of Canons as primus inter pares.-List of Deans of Windsor:* William Mugge, 1348* Walter Almaly, 1380...
. He was consecrated Bishop of Rochester
Bishop of Rochester
The Bishop of Rochester is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Rochester in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers the west of the county of Kent and is centred in the city of Rochester where the bishop's seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin...
, at Lambeth on 11 November 1683, holding his deanery in commendam
In Commendam
In canon law, commendam was a form of transferring an ecclesiastical benefice in trust to the custody of a patron...
, with the office of Lord High Almoner. On 16 July 1684 he was translated to Ely
Diocese of Ely
The Diocese of Ely is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury. It is headed by the Bishop of Ely, who sits at Ely Cathedral in Ely. There is one suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon. The diocese now covers Cambridgeshire and western Norfolk...
(confirmed 23 August) in succession to Gunning, who had made him one of his literary executors. He preached the sermon at James II's
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
coronation (23 April 1685); in the following July he prepared Monmouth
James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth
James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, 1st Duke of Buccleuch, KG, PC , was an English nobleman. Originally called James Crofts or James Fitzroy, he was born in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, the eldest illegitimate son of Charles II and his mistress, Lucy Walter...
for his execution.
Religious and political controversy
Turner's obligations to James did not prevent him from joining in the petitionary protest (18 May 1688) of the seven bishopsSeven Bishops
thumb|200px|A portrait of the Seven Bishops.The Seven Bishops of the Church of England were those imprisoned and tried for seditious libel over their opposition to the second Declaration of Indulgence issued by James II in 1688...
against the king's declaration for liberty of conscience. He also declined the oath of allegiance
Nonjuring schism
The nonjuring schism was a split in the Church of England in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution of 1688, over whether William of Orange and his wife Mary could legally be recognised as King and Queen of England....
to William
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
and Mary
Mary II of England
Mary II was joint Sovereign of England, Scotland, and Ireland with her husband and first cousin, William III and II, from 1689 until her death. William and Mary, both Protestants, became king and queen regnant, respectively, following the Glorious Revolution, which resulted in the deposition of...
, and hence incurred suspension on 1 August 1689; his diocese was administered by a commission consisting of Henry Compton, Bishop of London
Bishop of London
The Bishop of London is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 458 km² of 17 boroughs of Greater London north of the River Thames and a small part of the County of Surrey...
, and William Lloyd, Bishop of St Asaph
Bishop of St Asaph
The Bishop of St Asaph heads the Church in Wales diocese of St Asaph.The diocese covers the counties of Conwy and Flintshire, Wrexham county borough, the eastern part of Merioneth in Gwynedd and part of northern Powys. The Episcopal seat is located in the Cathedral Church of St Asaph in the town of...
; on 1 February 1690 he was deposed
Deposition (politics)
Deposition by political means concerns the removal of a politician or monarch. It may be done by coup, impeachment, invasion or forced abdication...
. He was in correspondence with James; two unsigned letters to James and his queen
Mary of Modena
Mary of Modena was Queen consort of England, Scotland and Ireland as the second wife of King James II and VII. A devout Catholic, Mary became, in 1673, the second wife of James, Duke of York, who later succeeded his older brother Charles II as King James II...
, dated 31 December 1690, and seized on the arrest of John Aston, are certainly his. He professes to write "in behalf of my elder brother, and the rest of my nearest relations, as well as for myself" (meaning William Sancroft
William Sancroft
William Sancroft was the 79th Archbishop of Canterbury.- Life :Sancroft was born at Ufford Hall in Fressingfield, Suffolk, son of Francis Sandcroft and Margaret Sandcroft née Butcher...
and the other nonjuring bishops). A proclamation for his arrest was issued on 5 February 1691, but he kept out of the way.
On 24 February 1693 he joined the nonjuring bishops, William Lloyd and Thomas White
Thomas White (bishop)
-Life:He was educated at St John's College, Cambridge. Having been a vicar of the Church of St. Mary Magdalene, Newark-on-Trent since 1660, he was chosen bishop of Peterborough in 1685...
, in consecrating George Hickes
George Hickes
George Hickes was an English divine and scholar.-Biography:Hickes was born at Newsham, near Thirsk, Yorkshire, in 1642...
and Thomas Wagstaffe as suffragans
Suffragan bishop
A suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop. He or she may be assigned to an area which does not have a cathedral of its own.-Anglican Communion:...
of Thetford
Bishop of Thetford
The Bishop of Thetford is an episcopal title which takes its name after the market town of Thetford in Norfolk, England. The title was originally used by the Normans in the 11th century, and is presently used by a Church of England suffragan bishop....
and Ipswich
Bishop of Ipswich
The Bishop of Ipswich was an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Norwich, in the Province of Canterbury, England....
, the object being to continue a succession in the Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
interest. Henry Hyde, 2nd Earl of Clarendon
Henry Hyde, 2nd Earl of Clarendon
Henry Hyde 2nd Earl of Clarendon PC was an English aristocrat and politician. He held high office at the beginning of the reign of James II of England, who had married his sister.-Early life:...
, was present at the ceremony, which took place at White's lodging. In 1694 it was proposed that Turner, who was in easy circumstances, should be invited to St. Germains
Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye
The Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye is a royal palace in the commune of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in the département of Yvelines, about 19 km west of Paris, France. Today, it houses the Musée d'Archéologie Nationale ....
in attendance on James, a proposal which James approved but did not carry out. In December 1696 Turner was arrested, but discharged (15 December) on condition of leaving the country. On 26 December he was rearrested.
Death and posterity
No more is heard of Turner till his death, which occurred in London on 2 November 1700. He was buried on 5 November in the chancelChancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
at Therfield. His intestacy gave all his effects to his daughter Margaret (died 25 December 1724), wife of Richard Gulston of Wyddial Hall
Wyddial
Wyddial is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, near Buntingford. It is located at and lies due north of Greenwich on the Prime Meridian....
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, thus disappointing the expectation of bequests to St. John's College, of which he had already been a benefactor.
Turner is an ancestor of Henrietta Euphemia Tindal (née Harrison), a 19th century poet , who was the great grand-daughter of a later Richard Gulston of Wyddial Hall, and of the Tindal-Carill-Worsley family
Tyndall
Tyndall is the name of an English family taken from the land they held as tenants in chief of the Kings of England and Scotland in the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries: Tynedale, or the valley of the Tyne, in Northumberland...
.
Besides single sermons (1681-5) Turner published:
- Animadversions on a Pamphlet entituled "The Naked Truth" (1676, anonymously; against Herbert Croft, Bishop of Hereford).
- Letters to the Clergy of the Diocese of Ely (1686).
A portrait of Turner, painted probably by Mary Beale
Mary Beale
Mary Beale was an English portrait painter. She became one of the most important portrait painters of 17th century England, and has been described as the first professional female English painter.-Life and work:...
, was transferred from the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
to the National Portrait Gallery in 1879. He also figures in the anonymous portrait of the seven bishops in the same gallery.