Hugh Gray (died 1604) was an English churchman and academic, and the second

Gresham Professor of Divinity The Professor of Divinity at Gresham College, London, gives free educational lectures to the general public. The college was founded for this purpose in 1597, when it appointed seven professors; this has since increased to ten and in addition the c ...

Life

He matriculated as a

sizar At Trinity College, Dublin and the University of Cambridge, a sizar is an undergraduate who receives some form of assistance such as meals, lower fees or lodging during his or her period of study, in some cases in return for doing a defined jo ...

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

, in May 1574, was elected scholar, and in 1579 proceeded B.A. He was elected a fellow on 2 October 1581, and commenced M.A. in 1582. On 8 January 1587 he preached an inflammatory sermon at Great St. Mary's, Cambridge, against church music, gambling, "dumb dogs" and mercenary ministers, and the celebration of

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

. For this sermon he was convened before the vice-chancellor and heads of colleges. He afterwards made a public explanation, denying the particular application of the passages excepted against. He proceeded B.D. in 1589, was created D.D. in 1595, and was in December 1596 an unsuccessful candidate for the Lady Margaret Professorship of Divinity in his university, receiving twelve votes, while twenty-eight were recorded for

Thomas Playfere Thomas Playfere (also Playford) (1561? – 2 February 1609) was an English churchman and theologian, Lady Margaret's Professor of Divinity at Cambridge from 1596. Life Born in London about 1561, he was son of William Playfere and Alice, daught ...

. On 9 April 1597 he was elected a senior fellow of his college. On 5 November 1600 he was collated to the prebend of Milton Manor in the cathedral of Lincoln; he also held the rectory of Meon-Stoke in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

. Gray succeeded Anthony Wotton as Gresham professor of divinity, resigning before 6 July 1604. His death took place in the same month. He left money to Trinity College to build a pulpit, and to Gresham College a piece of plate to be in common among all the readers. The lectures which he had read at Gresham College he left to William Jackson, minister of St. Swithin's, London; they do not appear to have been printed.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Hugh Year of birth missing 1604 deaths 16th-century English Anglican priests Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge 16th-century English theologians 17th-century English theologians