Owen Oglethorpe ( – 31 December 1559) was an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ...
academic and
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
* Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
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. The see is in the city of ...
, 1557–1559.
Childhood and Education
Oglethorpe was born in
Tadcaster, Yorkshire, England (where he later founded a
school
A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes co ...
), the third son of George Oglethorpe. He studied at
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the ...
, where he was elected a Fellow in 1524. He completed his
BA in 1525, received his
MA in 1529, and his BTh and
DTh in 1536.
He was reputed to have taken a keen interest in his studies.
Career
Oglethorpe was appointed a Junior
Proctor
Proctor (a variant of '' procurator'') is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another.
The title is used in England and some other English-speaking countries in three principal contexts:
* In law, a proctor is a historical class of lawy ...
at
Oxford University
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 ...
in 1533. He served as President of
Magdalen from 1536 to 1552, 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 and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor ...
of Oxford for 1551–1552, and was again President of Magdalen from 1553 to 1555.
In addition to being one of
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
's chaplains, he was also a
canon of both
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 uniq ...
, and
St. George's Chapel, Windsor (1540–1553). In 1541 he was appointed
Rector of
Romaldkirk
Romaldkirk is a village in Teesdale, in the Pennines of England. The village lies within the historic boundaries of the North Riding of Yorkshire, but has been administered by County Durham since 1974.
It is thought that the name might be deri ...
in the newly created
Diocese of Chester. The exact date is not recorded but he was appointed by Henry VIII himself. He was deprived of the
freehold of the living on 4 August 1559 (just over a month after being deprived of his
See for failing to take the
Oath of Supremacy
The Oath of Supremacy required any person taking public or church office in England to swear allegiance to the monarch as Supreme Governor of the Church of England. Failure to do so was to be treated as treasonable. The Oath of Supremacy was or ...
to
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
Eli ...
).
Oglethorpe was unpopular with the 'reformers' at Oxford, and he was forced to resign his university offices during the reign of
Edward VI
Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. Edward was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour and the first E ...
. His fortunes changed under
Mary I
Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, and as "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant opponents, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain from January 1556 until her death in 1558. She ...
, and was appointed
Dean of Windsor and Registrar of the
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the Georg ...
, serving from 1553 to 1556.
Bishop of Carlisle
Oglethorpe was consecrated
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. The see is in the city of ...
on 15 August 1557 alongside
Thomas Watson, Bishop of Lincoln, and
David Poole, Bishop of Peterborough.
When Mary I died on 17 November 1558, she was succeeded by her half-sister,
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
Eli ...
. Oglethorpe was chosen (for unknown reasons) to celebrate Elizabeth's Christmas Day mass in the
Chapel Royal
The Chapel Royal is an establishment in the Royal Household serving the spiritual needs of the sovereign and the British Royal Family. Historically it was a body of priests and singers that travelled with the monarch. The term is now also appl ...
of
St James's Palace
St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in London, the capital of the United Kingdom. The palace gives its name to the Court of St James's, which is the monarch's royal court, and is located in the City of Westminster in London. Alt ...
. Oglethorpe refused Elizabeth's instruction to not elevate the host at its consecration (an action that implied the
corporeal presence of Christ). According to a letter sent by Don Aloisio Schivenoglia to Ottaviano Vivaldino, the Mantuan ambassador, Oglethorpe remained adamant that he could not alter the service, as it was against both his conscience and his training. So, after the gospel had been read, Elizabeth walked out of the service to avoid witnessing the elevation of the host. It remains unclear as to why Oglethorpe was presiding at the service (the Queen's chaplains usually presided at services in the chapel), especially as the way Schivenoglia describes the event, Elizabeth was pre-warned that Oglethorpe would elevate the host, meaning that she could have found a different presider.
For reasons that scholars have never been able to explain, and despite his 'performance' at the Christmas Day mass, Oglethorpe presided at
Elizabeth's coronation only a few weeks later. As was traditional, the coronation took place in
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...
, on 15 January 1559. Oglethorpe greeted Elizabeth in Westminster Hall, and sprinkled her with holy water. Then, during the service itself, Elizabeth was anointed and invested with the sacred regalia. She was crowned three times: with the crown of St Edward, the imperial state crown, and a third crown (which had likely been made for Mary's coronation). Then she swore the coronation oath, which included the distinctly Protestant promise to rule according to "true profession of the Gospel established in this Kingdom". All of this was administered or performed by Oglethorpe. The service, however, was celebrated by
George Carew, the newly installed Dean of the Royal Chapel. Carew's designation as celebrant was likely to prevent Oglethorpe elevating the host, and to allow the epistle and the gospel to be read in English.
After Parliament passed the
Elizabethan religious settlement
The Elizabethan Religious Settlement is the name given to the religious and political arrangements made for England during the reign of Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Implemented between 1559 and 1563, the settlement is considered the end of the ...
, the Church of England became formally Protestant. Oglethorpe refused to swear the required
Oath of Supremacy
The Oath of Supremacy required any person taking public or church office in England to swear allegiance to the monarch as Supreme Governor of the Church of England. Failure to do so was to be treated as treasonable. The Oath of Supremacy was or ...
, and was deprived of his
See on 26 June 1559.
After his deprivation, Oglethorpe remained in London under loose house arrest. He drew up his will on 10 November 1559, and died on 31 December 1559.
He was buried in
St Dunstan-in-the-West
The Guild Church of St Dunstan-in-the-West is in Fleet Street in the City of London. It is dedicated to Dunstan, Bishop of London and Archbishop of Canterbury. The church is of medieval origin, although the present building, with an octagonal ...
Church, Fleet Street, on 6 January 1560.
References
Sources
* Clark, Margaret.
Oglethorpe, Owen (1502/3–1559). ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''. 2008.
*Norrie, Aidan. �
The Bishop and the Queen; Or, Why Did the Bishop of Carlisle Crown Elizabeth I?�� ''Northern History'' 56, nos. 1–2 (2019): 25–45.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oglethorpe, Owen
1559 deaths
People from Tadcaster
Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford
Bishops of Carlisle
Canons of Windsor
Deans of Windsor
Fellows of Christ Church, Oxford
Fellows of Magdalen College, Oxford
Presidents of Magdalen College, Oxford
Vice-Chancellors of the University of Oxford
16th-century English Roman Catholic bishops
16th-century scholars
Year of birth unknown
Year of birth uncertain