Francis Turner

D.D. A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ra ...

(23 August 1637 – 2 November 1700) was

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 (with the exception of the Soke of Peterborough), together with a section of nort ...

, one of the seven bishops who petitioned against the

Declaration of Indulgence The Declaration of Indulgence, also called Declaration for Liberty of Conscience, was a pair of proclamations made by James II of England and Ireland and VII of Scotland in 1687. The Indulgence was first issued for Scotland on 12 February and t ...

and one of the nine bishops who refused to take the oath of allegiance to

William III William III or William the Third may refer to: Kings * William III of Sicily (c. 1186–c. 1198) * William III of England and Ireland or William III of Orange or William II of Scotland (1650–1702) * William III of the Netherlands and Luxembourg ...

Family and education

Turner was the eldest son of Thomas Turner, the

Dean of Canterbury The Dean of Canterbury is the head of the Chapter of the Cathedral of Christ Church, Canterbury, England. The current office of Dean originated after the English Reformation, although Deans had also existed before this time; its immediate precur ...

, by Margaret (died 25 July 1692, aged 84), daughter of Sir

Francis Windebank Sir Francis Windebank (1582 – 1 September 1646) was an English politician who was Secretary of State under Charles I. Biography Francis was the only son of Sir Thomas Windebank of Hougham, Lincolnshire, who owed his advancement to the Cecil ...

. He was born on 23 August 1637, probably in

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

. Thomas Turner (1645–1714), the president of

Corpus Christi College, Oxford Corpus Christi College (formally, Corpus Christi College in the University of Oxford; informally abbreviated as Corpus or CCC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1517, it is the 12th ...

, was his younger brother. Francis married (1676) Anna Horton, who pre-deceased him. From

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of the ...

, where he was elected scholar in 1651, Francis proceeded to

New College, Oxford New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as its feeder school, New College is one of the oldest colleges at th ...

, where he was admitted probationer fellow on 7 November 1655, and graduated

B. A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

on 14 April 1659 and

M. A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

on 14 January 1663.

Ecclesiastical and academic preferment

Turner's preferments were mainly due to the favour of the

Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was Du ...

, to whom he was chaplain. On 30 December 1664 he was instituted to the rectory of

Therfield Therfield is both a small village of approximately 4,761 acres (19 km²) and a civil parish which sits upon the chalk range, three miles southwest of Royston, and six miles (10 km) northeast of Baldock and within the English county of ...

, in

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

, succeeding

John Barwick John Barwick (1612–1664) was an early 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 (later his biog ...

. 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 St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corpo ...

, to which the patronage of

Peter Gunning Peter Gunning (1614 – 6 July 1684) was an English Royalist church leader, Bishop of Chichester and Bishop of Ely. Life He was born at Hoo St Werburgh, in Kent, and educated at The King's School, Canterbury and Clare College, Cambridge, wher ...

, the Regius Professor of Divinity, attracted him. He compounded BD and

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

on 6 July 1669. On 7 December 1669 he was collated to the

prebend A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the ...

of Sneating in

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

. On 11 April 1670 he succeeded Gunning as Master of St John's, Cambridge; he was

vice-chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth and former Commonwealth n ...

in 1678, and resigned his mastership, "because of a faction," at Christmas 1679. In 1683 he became rector of Great Haseley,

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

, and on 20 July of that year he was installed

Dean of Windsor The Dean of Windsor is the spiritual head of the canons of St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, England. The dean chairs meetings of the Chapter of Canons as ''primus inter pares''. The post of Dean of Wolverhampton was assimilated to the deane ...

. He was consecrated

Bishop of Rochester The Bishop of Rochester is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Rochester in the Province of Canterbury. The town of Rochester has the bishop's seat, at the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was foun ...

, at Lambeth on 11 November 1683, holding his deanery ''

in commendam In canon law, commendam (or ''in commendam'') was a form of transferring an ecclesiastical benefice ''in trust'' to the ''custody'' of a patron. The phrase ''in commendam'' was originally applied to the provisional occupation of an ecclesiastical ...

'', with the office of

Lord High Almoner The Royal Almonry is a small office within the Royal Households 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. The Lord High Almoner is usually a ...

. On 16 July 1684 he was translated to

Ely Ely or ELY may refer to: Places Ireland * Éile, a medieval kingdom commonly anglicised Ely * Ely Place, Dublin, a street United Kingdom * Ely, Cambridgeshire, a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England ** Ely Cathedral Ely Cathedral, formal ...

(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

James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, 1st Duke of Buccleuch, KG, PC (9 April 1649 – 15 July 1685) was a Dutch-born English nobleman and military officer. Originally called James Crofts or James Fitzroy, he was born in Rotterdam in the Netherlan ...

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 bishops against the king's declaration for liberty of conscience. He also declined the oath of allegiance to

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

and

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

, and hence incurred suspension on 1 August 1689; his diocese was administered by a commission consisting of Henry Compton,

Bishop of London A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

, and William Lloyd,

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 loca ...

; on 1 February 1690 he was

deposed Deposition by political means concerns the removal of a politician or monarch.
ORB: The Online Reference for Med ...

. He was in correspondence with James; two unsigned letters to James and his

queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

, 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 (30 January 161724 November 1693) was the 79th Archbishop of Canterbury, and was one of the Seven Bishops imprisoned in 1688 for seditious libel against King James II, over his opposition to the king's Declaration of Indulge ...

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 George Hickes may refer to: * George Hickes (divine) (1642–1715), English divine and scholar * George Hickes (Manitoba politician) (born 1946), Canadian politician * George Hickes (Nunavut politician) George Hickes, Jr. is a Canadian politi ...

and

Thomas Wagstaffe Thomas Wagstaffe the Elder (13 February 1645 – 17 October 1712) was a clergyman of the Church of England, after the nonjuring schism a bishop of the breakaway church. Early life Wagstaffe was born on 13 February 1645 at Binley in Warwickshire, ...

suffragans A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdiction ...

Thetford Thetford is a market town and civil parish in the Breckland District of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road between Norwich and London, just east of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, covering an area of , in 2015 had a population of 24,340 ...

and

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

, the object being to continue a succession in the Jacobite interest.

Henry Hyde, 2nd Earl of Clarendon Henry Hyde, 2nd Earl of Clarendon, PC (2 June 163831 October 1709) was an English aristocrat and politician. He held high office at the beginning of the reign of his brother-in-law, King James II. Early life He was the eldest son of Edward Hyde ...

, 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 Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the centre of Paris. Inhabitants are called ''Saint-Germanois'' or ''Saint-Ge ...

in attendance on James, a proposal which James approved but did not carry out. In December 1696 Turner was arrested, as the nonjuror

Samuel Grascome Samuel Grascome (1641–1708) was a clergyman of the Church of England, then, after the nonjuring schism, a member of the breakaway church. Early life The son of John Grascome of Coventry, he was educated at Coventry grammar school, and was admitt ...

was sought, but then discharged (15 December) on condition of leaving the country. On 26 December he was rearrested. With

John Somers, Baron Somers John Somers, 1st Baron Somers, (4 March 1651 – 26 April 1716) was an English Whigs (British political party), Whig jurist and statesman. Somers first came to national attention in the trial of the Seven Bishops where he was on their defence ...

arguing for him, he survived.

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

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ove ...

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 granddaughter of a later Richard Gulston of Wyddial Hall, and of the Tindal-Carill-Worsley family.''Burke's Landed Gentry'', 1868, 'Harrison of Ramsey' and 'Tindal of Chelmsford' Besides single sermons (1681–5) Turner published: *''Animadversions on a Pamphlet entituled "The Naked Truth"'' (1676, anonymously; against

Herbert Croft, Bishop of Hereford Herbert Croft (1603–1691) was an English churchman, bishop of Hereford from 1661. Life Croft was born on 18 May 1603 at Great Milton, Oxfordshire, his mother being then on a journey to London, the third son of Sir Herbert Croft and his wife M ...

). *''Letters to the Clergy of the Diocese of Ely'' (1686). A portrait of Turner, painted probably by

Mary Beale Mary Beale (; 26 March 1633 8 October 1699) was an English portrait painter. She was part of a small band of female professional artists working in London. Beale became the main financial provider for her family through her professional work � ...

, was transferred from the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

to the National Portrait Gallery in 1879. He also figures in the anonymous portrait of the seven bishops in the same gallery.

Works by Bishop Turner

* MacDonogh, Rev. T. M. (Terence Michael). ''Brief Memoirs of

Nicholas Ferrar Nicholas Ferrar (22 February 1592 – 4 December 1637) was an English scholar, courtier and businessman, who was ordained a deacon in the Church of England. He lost much of his fortune in the Virginia Company and retreated with his extended fami ...

: founder of a Protestant religious establishment at Little Gidding, Huntingdonshire. Chiefly collected from a Narrative by the Right Rev. Dr, Turner, Formerly Lord Bishop of Ely; And now edited, with Additions''. Second Edition. London: Jacob Nisbet, 1837.
Internet Archive downloadable pdfGoogle Books downloadable pdf
* ''A sermon preached before Their Majesties K. James II, and Q. Mary, : at their coronation in Westminster-abby, 23 April 1685.'' (1685
Internet Archive downloadable pdf

References

External links

St Mary's Church, Therfield

Turner Epitaphs at Therfield
published in the

Gentleman's Magazine ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' was a monthly magazine founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1922. It was the first to use the term ''magazine'' (from the French ''magazine'' ...

Turner Monument
St Mary's Church,

, Hertfordshire {{DEFAULTSORT:Turner, Francis 1637 births 1700 deaths People educated at Winchester College Alumni of New College, Oxford Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Fellows of St John's College, Cambridge Vice-Chancellors of the University of Cambridge Deans of Windsor Bishops of Rochester Bishops of Ely 17th-century Church of England bishops British nonjuror bishops English Jacobites People from Southwark People from Reading, Berkshire Masters of St John's College, Cambridge