John Green (bishop)
Encyclopedia
John Green was a British clergyman and academic.
Green was born at Beverley
in Yorkshire
in 1706.
Having been schooled in his home town, he was admitted to St John’s College, Cambridge
in 1724. Green graduated B.A.
in 1728 and was awarded a fellowship in 1730.
Green joined the priesthood in 1731 and became vicar of Hinston, Cambridgeshire
. He was eventually made domestic chaplain to the Duke of Somerset
who was Chancellor
of the University of Cambridge. In 1748, the Duke died and was succeeded by the Duke of Newcastle
who quickly saw to it that Green was appointed Regius Professor of Divinity
, the most senior chair in the University.
In 1750, was appointed as Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
despite the fact he had no links with the college.
In 1756 Green was appointed to the Deanery of Lincoln at which point he resigned the professorship. He was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge
between 1756-1757.
Through Newcastle, Green was appointed Bishop of Lincoln
in 1761 and he resigned his other ecclesiastical appointments and then in 1764 the Mastership of Corpus
.
Green campaigned against the practices of Methodists writing two pamphlets called "The Principles and Practices of Methodists Considered" but was dissuaded from writing a third by the Archbishop of Canterbury
, Thomas Secker
.
He began to lose the approval of the court when he voted in favour of a Bill in the House of Lords
for the relief of Protestant dissenters
. The King, George III is reported to have said “Green, Green, he shall never be translated”.
He was never promoted again and died unmarried in Bath on the 25th April 1779.
Green was born at Beverley
Beverley
Beverley is a market town, civil parish and the county town of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, located between the River Hull and the Westwood. The town is noted for Beverley Minster and architecturally-significant religious buildings along New Walk and other areas, as well as the Beverley...
in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
in 1706.
Having been schooled in his home town, he was admitted to St John’s College, Cambridge
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....
in 1724. Green graduated B.A.
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 1728 and was awarded a fellowship in 1730.
Green joined the priesthood in 1731 and became vicar of Hinston, Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
. He was eventually made domestic chaplain to the Duke of Somerset
Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset
Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset , sometimes referred to as the "Proud Duke". The son of Charles Seymour, 2nd Baron Seymour of Trowbridge, and Elizabeth Alington , he succeeded his brother Francis Seymour, 5th Duke of Somerset, to the dukedom when the latter was shot in 1678...
who was Chancellor
Chancellor
Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...
of the University of Cambridge. In 1748, the Duke died and was succeeded by the Duke of Newcastle
Duke of Newcastle
Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne is a title which has been created three times in British history while the title of Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne has been created once. The title was created for the first time in the Peerage of England in 1664 when William Cavendish, 1st Marquess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne...
who quickly saw to it that Green was appointed 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...
, the most senior chair in the University.
In 1750, was appointed as Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Corpus Christi College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It is notable as the only college founded by Cambridge townspeople: it was established in 1352 by the Guilds of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary...
despite the fact he had no links with the college.
In 1756 Green was appointed to the Deanery of Lincoln at which point he resigned the professorship. He was Vice-Chancellor of the University of 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...
between 1756-1757.
Through Newcastle, Green was appointed Bishop of Lincoln
Bishop of Lincoln
The Bishop of Lincoln is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury.The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. The Bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral...
in 1761 and he resigned his other ecclesiastical appointments and then in 1764 the Mastership of Corpus
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Corpus Christi College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It is notable as the only college founded by Cambridge townspeople: it was established in 1352 by the Guilds of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary...
.
Green campaigned against the practices of Methodists writing two pamphlets called "The Principles and Practices of Methodists Considered" but was dissuaded from writing a third by 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...
, Thomas Secker
Thomas Secker
Thomas Secker , Archbishop of Canterbury, was born at Sibthorpe, Nottinghamshire.-Early life and studies:In 1699, Secker went to Richard Brown's free school in Chesterfield, staying with his half-sister and her husband, Elizabeth and Richard Milnes...
.
He began to lose the approval of the court when he voted in favour of a Bill 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....
for the relief of Protestant dissenters
English Dissenters
English Dissenters were Christians who separated from the Church of England in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.They originally agitated for a wide reaching Protestant Reformation of the Established Church, and triumphed briefly under Oliver Cromwell....
. The King, George III is reported to have said “Green, Green, he shall never be translated”.
He was never promoted again and died unmarried in Bath on the 25th April 1779.