John King (died 30 March 1621) was the

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 ...

in 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 Britain ...

from 1611 to 1621.

Life

King was born in

Worminghall Worminghall is a village and civil parish in the Buckinghamshire district of the ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire, England. The village is beside a brook that forms most of the eastern boundary of the parish. The brook joins the River Thame ...

, Buckinghamshire, to Philip King and Elizabeth (née Conquest). After an early education 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 ...

, he matriculated at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

, in 1577, taught under Dr Thomas Holland, graduating B.A. in 1580 and M.A. in 1583.P. E. McCullough
‘King, John (d. 1621)’
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Jan 2008, accessed 26 Jan 2009 A chaplain to bishop

John Piers John Piers (Peirse) (1522/3 – 1594) was Archbishop of York between 1589 and 1594. Previous to that he had been Bishop of Rochester and Bishop of Salisbury. Life He was born at South Hinksey, near Oxford, and was educated at Magdalen Colleg ...

, King became preacher to the city of York before becoming domestic chaplain to Thomas Egerton in London. As Rector of St Andrews, Holborn in 1597 and prebend of Sneating in St Paul's in 1599, King became a well-known Calvinist anti-Catholic preacher. Appointed a chaplain in ordinary to

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) *James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) *James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu *James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...

, James then made John King

dean of Christ Church The Dean of Christ Church is the dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford and head of the governing body of Christ Church, a constituent college of the University of Oxford. The cathedral is the mother church of the Church of England Diocese of ...

in August 1605. He was

Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford is the chief executive and leader of the University of Oxford. The following people have been vice-chancellors of the University of Oxford (formally known as The Right Worshipful the Vice-Chancel ...

from 1607 until 1610. He was consecrated Bishop of London on 8 September 1611. In 1617, according to

Samuel Purchas Samuel Purchas ( – 1626) was an England, English Anglican cleric who published several volumes of reports by travellers to foreign countries. Career Purchas was born at Thaxted, Essex, England, Essex son of an English yeoman. He graduated fr ...

, while

Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of ...

was in London King entertained her "with festival state and pomp beyond what I have seen in his greate hospitalitie afforded to other ladies". King died on 30 March 1621 (Good Friday), seemingly of

gall stones A gallstone is a stone formed within the gallbladder from precipitated bile components. The term cholelithiasis may refer to the presence of gallstones or to any disease caused by gallstones, and choledocholithiasis refers to the presence of mi ...

or kidney stones. Roman Catholic propagandists' claims that he converted to their church on his deathbed were denied in a sermon preached by his son, Henry King, the following November.

Family

King married Joan Freeman and had eight children; their eldest son was Henry King, a poet and

Bishop of Chichester The Bishop of Chichester is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the counties of East and West Sussex. The see is based in the City of Chichester where the bishop's seat ...

. The second son John King was a Canon of Windsor and

Canon of Westminster The Dean and Chapter of Westminster are the ecclesiastical governing body of Westminster Abbey, a collegiate church of the Church of England and royal peculiar in Westminster, Greater London. They consist of the dean and several canons meeting in ...

. The fifth and youngest son was Philip King. Their daughter Elizabeth married Edward Holte, second son of Sir

Thomas Holte Sir Thomas Holte, 1st Baronet (c. 1571 – 14 December 1654) was an English landowner, responsible for building Aston Hall, in the parish of Aston in Warwickshire. The "Holte End" stand of Villa Park, the stadium of Aston Villa Football Club ...

, and had a son Sir Robert Holte. His father disapproved of the marriage, causing a family feud which was never mended.

Memorials

There was a memorial brass to him at

Old St Paul's Cathedral Old St Paul's Cathedral was the cathedral of the City of London that, until the Great Fire of London, Great Fire of 1666, stood on the site of the present St Paul's Cathedral. Built from 1087 to 1314 and dedicated to Paul of Tarsus, Saint Paul, ...

. King Street, Hammersmith's main street, is named after him.

References

External links

* 16th-century births 1621 deaths Deans of Christ Church, Oxford Bishops of London 16th-century English clergy 17th-century Church of England bishops Archdeacons of Nottingham {{ChurchofEngland-bishop-stub

Life

Family

Memorials

See also

References

External links