William Nicolson
Encyclopedia
William Nicolson was an English
divine and antiquary.
After visiting Leipzig
to learn German
he was ordained as a deacon in 1679 and made Vicar of Torpenhow in 1681.He was also made prebendary
of Carlisle Cathedral
in 1681, and archdeacon
in 1682. Twenty years later he was appointed bishop of Carlisle
, and he served as Lord High Almoner
to George I of Great Britain
from 1716-1718. He was translated to Derry
in 1718. In 1727 he was nominated archbishop of Cashel and Emly
, but died in Derry before he could assume charge. He was buried in De Cathedral.
He had been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in November 1705.
He had married Elizabeth, daughter of John Archer of Oxenholme, near Kirby Kendal, Westmoreland.
Nicolson is remembered by the impulsiveness of his temperament, which led him into a good deal of strife as a bishop; he quarreled with Hugh Todd, who ended up excommunicated. He showed real zeal in collecting and guarding manuscripts and other official documents. For this purpose he had special rooms built at Derry.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
divine and antiquary.
Life
He was born in Plumbland, Cumberland, the son of Joseph Nicolson, Rector of Plumbland and educated at the school in nearby Dovenby. He went up to Queen's College, Oxford and obtained a BA in 1676, an MA in 1679 and became a Fellow, (1679–1682).After visiting Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
to learn German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
he was ordained as a deacon in 1679 and made Vicar of Torpenhow in 1681.He was also made prebendary
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 Carlisle Cathedral
Carlisle Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, otherwise called Carlisle Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Carlisle. It is located in Carlisle, in Cumbria, North West England...
in 1681, and archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
in 1682. Twenty years later he was appointed bishop of Carlisle
Bishop of Carlisle
The Bishop of Carlisle is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Carlisle in the Province of York.The diocese covers the County of Cumbria except for Alston Moor and the former Sedbergh Rural District...
, and he served as Lord High Almoner
Royal Almonry
The Royal Almonry is a small office within the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, headed by the Lord High Almoner, an office dating from 1103. The almoner is responsible for distributing alms to the poor....
to George I of Great Britain
George I of Great Britain
George I was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death, and ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire from 1698....
from 1716-1718. He was translated to Derry
Bishop of Derry
The Bishop of Derry is an episcopal title which takes its name after the city of Derry in Northern Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with another bishopric.-History:...
in 1718. In 1727 he was nominated archbishop of Cashel and Emly
Archbishop of Cashel
The Archbishop of Cashel is an archiepiscopal title which takes its name after the town of Cashel, County Tipperary in Ireland. The title is still in use in the Roman Catholic Church, but in the Church of Ireland it was downgraded to a bishopric in 1838....
, but died in Derry before he could assume charge. He was buried in De Cathedral.
He had been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in November 1705.
He had married Elizabeth, daughter of John Archer of Oxenholme, near Kirby Kendal, Westmoreland.
Nicolson is remembered by the impulsiveness of his temperament, which led him into a good deal of strife as a bishop; he quarreled with Hugh Todd, who ended up excommunicated. He showed real zeal in collecting and guarding manuscripts and other official documents. For this purpose he had special rooms built at Derry.