Robert Some (Soame) (1542–1609) was an English churchman and academic. Master of

Peterhouse, Cambridge Peterhouse is the oldest constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England, founded in 1284 by Hugh de Balsham, Bishop of Ely. Today, Peterhouse has 254 undergraduates, 116 full-time graduate students and 54 fellows. It is quite ...

from 1589, Some played a prominent part in the ecclesiastical controversies of his time, taking a middle course, hostile alike to extreme

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Catholic Church, Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become m ...

s and

Anglicans Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the l ...

Life

He was born at Lynn Regis in 1542, one of the sons of Thomas Soame, of Betely alias

Beetley Beetley is a village and civil parish in the Breckland district of Norfolk, England. According to the 2011 census the parish had a population of 1,396. The village is situated four miles (6 km) north of East Dereham. History Beetley w ...

, Norfolk (Launditch Hundred), and his first wife Anne, sister and heir of Francis Knighton of Little Bradley, Suffolk, and widow of Richard le Hunt of Little Bradley. He matriculated as a pensioner from

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 ...

, in May 1559, became a scholar on 27 July 1559, graduated B.A. in 1561–2, and proceeded M.A. in 1565, B.D. in 1572, and D.D. in 1580. He was elected fellow of

Queens' College, Cambridge Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the oldest colleges of the university, founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. The college spans the River Cam, colloquially referred to as the "light s ...

, in 1562, and vice-president in 1572. When

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". El ...

visited Cambridge in 1564 he was one of the two B.A.s selected to compose Latin verses in her honour; he also welcomed her with a Latin speech at Queens'. In 1570 he preached in St. Mary's Church against pluralities and non-residence, and on 18 April 1573 became rector of Girton, near Cambridge. In 1583 he describes himself as chaplain to the

Earl of Leicester Earl of Leicester is a title that has been created seven times. The first title was granted during the 12th century in the Peerage of England. The current title is in the Peerage of the United Kingdom and was created in 1837. Early creatio ...

. On 11 May 1589 he was made master of Peterhouse on the recommendation of John Whitgift. In the early days of his mastership he joined the party opposed to

Peter Baro Peter Baro (1534–1599) was a French Huguenot minister, ordained by John Calvin, but later in England a critic of some Calvinist theological positions. His views in relation to the Lambeth Articles cost him his position as Lady Margaret's Profess ...

and his friends, and offended Whitgift by interfering while the proceedings against

William Barret William Barret ('' fl''. 1595) was an English divine. Life He matriculated as a pensioner of Trinity College, Cambridge, on 1 February 1579–80. He proceeded to his M.A. degree in 1588, and was soon afterwards elected fellow of Caius College. ...

were in progress. After Whitgift had reproved him, he preached a sermon which many thought to have been directed against Whitgift and the

court of high commission The Court of High Commission was the supreme ecclesiastical court in England. Some of its powers was to take action against conspiracies, plays, tales, contempts, false rumors, books. It was instituted by the Crown in 1559 to enforce the Act of U ...

. For this he was convened before the heads of colleges in July 1595, but in the end the difficulty was smoothed over. In July 1599 he look part in a disputation as to

Christ's descent into hell In Christian theology, the Harrowing of Hell ( la, Descensus Christi ad Inferos, "the descent of Christ into Hell" or Hades) is an Old English and Middle English term referring to the period of time between the Crucifixion of Jesus and his ...

, and opposed John Overall, the regius professor of divinity, on this and other matters. He also interposed in the Marprelate controversy. He was answered by

John Penry John Penry (1563 – 29 May 1593), who was executed for high treason during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, is Wales' most famous Protestant Separatist martyr. Early life He was born in Brecknockshire, Wales; Cefn Brith, a farm near Llangammarc ...

; and Some rejoined.''A Defence of such Points in R. Some's last Treatise as Mr. Penry hath dealt against'', London, 1588. He was Vice-chancellor of the University of Cambridge in 1590, 1591, 1599, and 1608. He died while in office, on 14 January 1609, and was buried at Little St. Mary's Church.

Notes

;Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:Some, Richard 1542 births 1609 deaths 16th-century English Anglican priests Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Masters of Peterhouse, Cambridge Fellows of Queens' College, Cambridge People from King's Lynn 16th-century scholars 17th-century scholars Vice-Chancellors of the University of Cambridge