George Coke
Encyclopedia
George Coke (3 October 1570 – 10 December 1646) was successively the Bishop of Bristol
and Hereford
. After the battle of Naseby
in 1645, Hereford was taken and Coke was arrested and taken to London. He avoided charges of High Treason
in January 1646 and died in Gloucestershire that year.
, Derbyshire
. His mother was the heiress of Thomas Sacheverell of Kirkby-in-Ashfield
, Nottinghamshire
, and his brother was to become Sir John Coke
, Secretary of State
.
Coke was educated at St John's College
, Cambridge
. He took his BA
in 1593 and proceeded MA 1596. He then obtained a fellow
ship at Pembroke College
in 1597, became a lecturer in rhetoric
in 1602 and in 1605 he was Junior Taxor
of the university. He was ordained both deacon
and priest
on 30 November 1602 by the Bishop of Ely
. In 1608 he became the rector
of Bygrave
in Hertfordshire
, which was then described as "a lean village (consisting of but three houses) maketh a fat living", as it provided a considerable income of almost £300 a year. Coke resigned his fellowship in late 1609, and by 9 January 1610 he had married Jane Heigham, and they had five sons: Richard, John and William all entered the church and had associations with Herefordshire. Their fourth son, Thomas, died young, while the last, Robert, was "killed in action in Newport".
Following his brother's elevation to high office in 1625, Coke was collated to the prebend of Finsbury
on 19 January 1626, making him one of the canons
of St Paul's Cathedral
, and he was made a Doctor of Divinity
in 1630. On 10 February 1633, Coke was consecrated Bishop of Bristol
. In June 1635 he was instituted as rector of Maiden Newton
, Dorset
, to which he was presented by Martin White and Sir John Windham despite the opposition of Sir John Strangeways who believed the advowson
was his. In July 1636 he was translated to Hereford
, resigning Bygrave and his prebendary. The appointments to both Bristol and Hereford seem to have had the support of the Archbishop of Canterbury
, William Laud
, but during Coke's time at Hereford, he was rebuked by Laud after Coke had appointed one of his own son's as Precentor
of Hereford Cathedral
. The son had been apprenticed but ran away to sea, seeing a severe storm as a sign from God, he then sought ordination from his father. Laud believed the son to have insufficient learning for a cathedral post. Coke replaced his own son with his nephew, Francis, son of Coke's eldest brother, Sir Francis. Coke bought the estate of Lower Moor in Herefordshire
from Henry, 5th Earl of Worcester
. This house was to remain in the Coke family until the 1930s.
together with eleven other bishops in order to weaken the Royalist party in the House of Lords
. Coke retired to Hereford, and was there in 1643 when it was first captured by parliamentary forces
, but the articles of surrender protected his position.
After Naseby, the city was captured for the second time, the forces this time led by Colonel John Birch
. Birch and Colonel Morgan took a number of people captive on 8 December 1645, including Coke, Judge Jenkins, Sir Henry Bedingfield, Sir Walter Blunt, Sir Henry Miller, Sir Marmaduke and Sir Francis Lloyd, Giles Mompesson
, Sir Nicholas Throgmorton, and others who were initially taken to Gloucester
. On 3 January 1646, Coke and others were ordered to London
by the Commons and many were sent to the Tower
on the 22nd to answer charges of high treason
. Birch rifled the bishop's palace and afterwards took up his habitation there until the Restoration
. Moreover, he had a great part of the revenues of the diocese to his own use, and John Walker
complained in 1714 that "to this day, the manor of Whitborn, by the sorry compliance of some who might have prevented it, continues in his family". Coke's estate of Queest Moor was sequestred
on 13 August 1646, and despite his always frugal habits, he was forced to rely on the charity of other family members. Bishop Coke died on 10 December 1646, at either Quedgeley
, Gloucestershire
, or Eardisley
and was buried in Eardisley
parish church. After the Restoration of 1660, a handsome cenotaph
was erected to his memory in Hereford Cathedral
, which was much altered in the 19th century.
Bishop of Bristol
The Bishop of Bristol heads the Church of England Diocese of Bristol in the Province of Canterbury, in England.The present diocese covers parts of the counties of Somerset and Gloucestershire together with a small area of Wiltshire...
and Hereford
Bishop of Hereford
The Bishop of Hereford is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Hereford in the Province of Canterbury.The see is in the City of Hereford where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary and Saint Ethelbert which was founded as a cathedral in 676.The Bishop's residence is...
. After the battle of Naseby
Battle of Naseby
The Battle of Naseby was the key battle of the first English Civil War. On 14 June 1645, the main army of King Charles I was destroyed by the Parliamentarian New Model Army commanded by Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell.-The Campaign:...
in 1645, Hereford was taken and Coke was arrested and taken to London. He avoided charges of High Treason
High treason
High treason is criminal disloyalty to one's government. Participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplomats, or its secret services for a hostile and foreign power, or attempting to kill its head of state are perhaps...
in January 1646 and died in Gloucestershire that year.
Biography
Coke was the son of Richard and Mary Coke of TrusleyTrusley
Trusley is a parish and small village in South Derbyshire.The manor was given to Henry de Ferrers together with many villages in Derbyshire for his contribution to the Norman Conquest. More recently the hall and manor house have been the homes of the Coke family...
, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
. His mother was the heiress of Thomas Sacheverell of Kirkby-in-Ashfield
Kirkby-in-Ashfield
Kirkby-in-Ashfield is a market town in Nottinghamshire, England, with a population of 25,265 . It is a part of the Mansfield Urban Area. The Head Offices of Ashfield District Council are located there....
, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, and his brother was to become Sir John Coke
John Coke
Sir John Coke was an English politician.Coke, the son of Richard and Mary Coke of Trusley, Derbyshire, was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge...
, Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
.
Coke was educated at St John's College
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. He took his BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1593 and proceeded MA 1596. He then obtained a fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
ship at Pembroke College
Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college has over seven hundred students and fellows, and is the third oldest college of the university. Physically, it is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from almost every century since its...
in 1597, became a lecturer in rhetoric
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
in 1602 and in 1605 he was Junior Taxor
Taxor
A Taxor was a representative of the University of Cambridge who exercised the University's rights to intervene in trade in the town of Cambridge, England. One senior and one junior taxor was elected each year, and each had to be an MA of the University...
of the university. He was ordained both deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
and priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
on 30 November 1602 by the Bishop of Ely
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...
. In 1608 he became the rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of Bygrave
Bygrave
For the Bygrave position line slide rule, see Bygrave slide ruleBygrave is a village and civil parish in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England, about 2 miles north-east of Letchworth. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 271...
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...
, which was then described as "a lean village (consisting of but three houses) maketh a fat living", as it provided a considerable income of almost £300 a year. Coke resigned his fellowship in late 1609, and by 9 January 1610 he had married Jane Heigham, and they had five sons: Richard, John and William all entered the church and had associations with Herefordshire. Their fourth son, Thomas, died young, while the last, Robert, was "killed in action in Newport".
Following his brother's elevation to high office in 1625, Coke was collated to the prebend of Finsbury
Finsbury
Finsbury is a district of central London, England. It lies immediately north of the City of London and Clerkenwell, west of Shoreditch, and south of Islington and City Road. It is in the south of the London Borough of Islington. The Finsbury Estate is in the western part of the district...
on 19 January 1626, making him one of the canons
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
of St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
, and he was made a Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
in 1630. On 10 February 1633, Coke was consecrated Bishop of Bristol
Bishop of Bristol
The Bishop of Bristol heads the Church of England Diocese of Bristol in the Province of Canterbury, in England.The present diocese covers parts of the counties of Somerset and Gloucestershire together with a small area of Wiltshire...
. In June 1635 he was instituted as rector of Maiden Newton
Maiden Newton
Maiden Newton is a village and civil parish in west Dorset, England, north of Dorchester. Located on the River Frome, the village has a population of 952 , of whom 29.7% are retired. Maiden Newton railway station, which serves the village, is situated on the Heart of Wessex Line...
, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, to which he was presented by Martin White and Sir John Windham despite the opposition of Sir John Strangeways who believed the advowson
Advowson
Advowson is the right in English law of a patron to present or appoint a nominee to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a process known as presentation. In effect this means the right to nominate a person to hold a church office in a parish...
was his. In July 1636 he was translated to Hereford
Bishop of Hereford
The Bishop of Hereford is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Hereford in the Province of Canterbury.The see is in the City of Hereford where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary and Saint Ethelbert which was founded as a cathedral in 676.The Bishop's residence is...
, resigning Bygrave and his prebendary. The appointments to both Bristol and Hereford seem to have had the support of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
, William Laud
William Laud
William Laud was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633 to 1645. One of the High Church Caroline divines, he opposed radical forms of Puritanism...
, but during Coke's time at Hereford, he was rebuked by Laud after Coke had appointed one of his own son's as Precentor
Precentor
A precentor is a person who helps facilitate worship. The details vary depending on the religion, denomination, and era in question. The Latin derivation is "præcentor", from cantor, meaning "the one who sings before" ....
of Hereford Cathedral
Hereford Cathedral
The current Hereford Cathedral, located at Hereford in England, dates from 1079. Its most famous treasure is Mappa Mundi, a mediæval map of the world dating from the 13th century. The cathedral is a Grade I listed building.-Origins:...
. The son had been apprenticed but ran away to sea, seeing a severe storm as a sign from God, he then sought ordination from his father. Laud believed the son to have insufficient learning for a cathedral post. Coke replaced his own son with his nephew, Francis, son of Coke's eldest brother, Sir Francis. Coke bought the estate of Lower Moor in Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
from Henry, 5th Earl of Worcester
Henry Somerset, 1st Marquess of Worcester
Henry Somerset, 1st Marquess of Worcester was an English aristocrat, inheriting the title Earl of Worcester from his father Edward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worcester, in 1628. He was a prominent and financially important royalist....
. This house was to remain in the Coke family until the 1930s.
Civil war
During the civil war he was one of the protesting bishops, and was imprisoned on that account. On the 30 December 1641 he was impeached by the House of CommonsHouse of Commons of England
The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...
together with eleven other bishops in order to weaken the Royalist party in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. Coke retired to Hereford, and was there in 1643 when it was first captured by parliamentary forces
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
, but the articles of surrender protected his position.
After Naseby, the city was captured for the second time, the forces this time led by Colonel John Birch
John Birch (soldier)
Colonel John Birch was a soldier in the English civil war and later Member of parliament for Leominster and Weobley, Herefordshire....
. Birch and Colonel Morgan took a number of people captive on 8 December 1645, including Coke, Judge Jenkins, Sir Henry Bedingfield, Sir Walter Blunt, Sir Henry Miller, Sir Marmaduke and Sir Francis Lloyd, Giles Mompesson
Giles Mompesson
Giles Mompesson was an English malefactor and, officially, "notorious criminal" whose career was one based on speculation and graft. He has come to be regarded as a synonym for graft and official corruption due to his use of nepotism to gain positions of licensing businesses and pocketing the fees...
, Sir Nicholas Throgmorton, and others who were initially taken to Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
. On 3 January 1646, Coke and others were ordered to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
by the Commons and many were sent to the Tower
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
on the 22nd to answer charges of high treason
High treason
High treason is criminal disloyalty to one's government. Participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplomats, or its secret services for a hostile and foreign power, or attempting to kill its head of state are perhaps...
. Birch rifled the bishop's palace and afterwards took up his habitation there until the Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
. Moreover, he had a great part of the revenues of the diocese to his own use, and John Walker
John Walker (clerical historian)
John Walker was an English clergyman and ecclesiastical historian, known for his biographical work on the Church of England priests during the English Civil War and Interregnum.-Life:...
complained in 1714 that "to this day, the manor of Whitborn, by the sorry compliance of some who might have prevented it, continues in his family". Coke's estate of Queest Moor was sequestred
Sequestration (law)
Sequestration is the act of removing, separating, or seizing anything from the possession of its owner under process of law for the benefit of creditors or the state.-Etymology:...
on 13 August 1646, and despite his always frugal habits, he was forced to rely on the charity of other family members. Bishop Coke died on 10 December 1646, at either Quedgeley
Quedgeley
Quedgeley is a suburb and civil parish of Gloucester, England, situated southwest of the city. It is the only civil parish in Gloucester, and a has a population of 11,800.-See also:*RAF Quedgeley, a large RAF logistics site which closed in 1995...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, or Eardisley
Eardisley
Eardisley is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire about south of the centre of Kington. Eardisley is in the Wye valley in the northwest of the county, close to the border with Wales....
and was buried in Eardisley
Eardisley
Eardisley is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire about south of the centre of Kington. Eardisley is in the Wye valley in the northwest of the county, close to the border with Wales....
parish church. After the Restoration of 1660, a handsome cenotaph
Cenotaph
A cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...
was erected to his memory in Hereford Cathedral
Hereford Cathedral
The current Hereford Cathedral, located at Hereford in England, dates from 1079. Its most famous treasure is Mappa Mundi, a mediæval map of the world dating from the 13th century. The cathedral is a Grade I listed building.-Origins:...
, which was much altered in the 19th century.
External links
- Actions by George Coke as Bishop of Bristol from the Clergy of the Church of England DatabaseClergy of the Church of England databaseThe Clergy of the Church of England database is an online database of clergy of the Church of England between 1540 and 1835.The database project began in 1999 with funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council, and is ongoing as a collaboration between King's College London, the University...
. - Actions by George Coke as Bishop of Hereford from the Clergy of the Church of England DatabaseClergy of the Church of England databaseThe Clergy of the Church of England database is an online database of clergy of the Church of England between 1540 and 1835.The database project began in 1999 with funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council, and is ongoing as a collaboration between King's College London, the University...
.