George Morley, (27 February 1598 - 29 October 1684) was a senior member of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

from

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, who served as Bishop of Worcester from 1660 to 1662, and of Winchester from 1662 to 1684.

Early life

Morley was born in London, England, in February 1598, to Francis Morley and Sarah Denham, and educated at

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

and Christ Church, Oxford. He graduated BA, 1618, and MA, 1621. Throughout the 1620s and 1630s he moved in the illustrious intellectual political circles of

Lucius Cary, 2nd Viscount Falkland Lucius Cary, 2nd Viscount Falkland PC (c. 1610 – 20 September 1643) was an English author and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1642. He fought on the Royalist side in the English Civil War and was killed in action at the ...

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. During these years, he served as domestic chaplain to

Robert Dormer, 1st Earl of Carnarvon Sir Robert Dormer of Wing, 2nd Baronet, 1st Earl of Carnarvon, 1st Viscount Ascott, 2nd Baron Dormer of Wing r Wenge'' (c. 1610 – 20 September 1643) was an English peer. He was the son of Sir William Dormer, and thus a grandson of Robert Dor ...

. In 1640, he was presented to the sinecure living of Hartfield, Sussex, and in the following year he was made

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

of Christ Church, Oxford and exchanged Hartfield for the rectory of Mildenhall, Wiltshire.

Civil Wars and Interregnum

He preached before the

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in 1642, but his sermon gave offence, and when in 1647 he took a prominent part in resisting the parliamentary visitation of Oxford University he was deprived of his canonry and living. Leaving England, he joined the court of Charles II, and became one of the leading clergy at

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. Shortly before the

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he came to England on a highly successful mission to gain for Charles the support of the Presbyterians. In 1660, he regained his canonry, and soon became

Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

of Christ Church. In the same year, he became Bishop of Worcester. He was

elected Elected may refer to: * "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973 * ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008 *The Elected, an American indie rock band See also *Election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population ...

to the See on 9 October,

confirmed In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...

23 October, and consecrated a bishop on 28 October. At the

Savoy Conference The Savoy Conference of 1661 was a significant liturgical discussion that took place, after the Restoration of Charles II, in an attempt to effect a reconciliation within the Church of England. Proceedings It was convened by Gilbert Sheldo ...

of 1661 he was chief representative of the bishops. He was translated to the

See of Winchester The Diocese of Winchester forms part of the Province of Canterbury of the Church of England. Founded in 676, it is one of the older dioceses in England. It once covered Wessex, many times its present size which is today most of the historic enla ...

in 1662 and made

Dean of the Chapel Royal The Dean of the Chapel Royal, in any kingdom, can be the title of an official charged with oversight of that kingdom's chapel royal, the ecclesiastical establishment which is part of the royal household and ministers to it. England In England, ...

in 1663, a position he held until dismissed by Charles II in 1668.

Works

His works are few and chiefly polemical, e.g. ''The Bishop of Worcester's to a friend for Vindication of himself from the Calumnies of Mr.

Richard Baxter Richard Baxter (12 November 1615 – 8 December 1691) was an English Puritan church leader, poet, hymnodist, theologian, and controversialist. Dean Stanley called him "the chief of English Protestant Schoolmen". After some false starts, he ...

''.

References

Sources

* * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Morley, George 1598 births 1684 deaths Anglican clergy from London People educated at Westminster School, London Westminster Divines Deans of Christ Church, Oxford Bishops of Worcester Deans of the Chapel Royal Bishops of Winchester 17th-century Church of England bishops Participants in the Savoy Conference Fellows of the Royal Society Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford 17th-century Anglican theologians