Thomas Howell (1588–1650) was a Welsh clergyman who was the

Bishop of Bristol 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 ...

from 1644 to 1646.

Early life and education

Howell was born in Llangamarch, Brecknockshire,

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. He was the older brother of James Howell, and a descendant of

Hywel Dda Hywel Dda, sometimes anglicised as Howel the Good, or Hywel ap Cadell (died 949/950) was a king of Deheubarth who eventually came to rule most of Wales. He became the sole king of Seisyllwg in 920 and shortly thereafter established Deheubart ...

.James Howell. (2000)
''In The Name of Howell'' part 2
He

matriculated Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now. ...

Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship S ...

on 20 November 1607, obtaining his BA degree on 20 February 1609, his MA on 9 July 1612, and his BD degree in July 1630.

Career

After his ordination, he was appointed a royal chaplain by

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

and was also

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

West Horsley West Horsley is a semi-rural village between Guildford and Leatherhead in Surrey, England. It lies on the A246, and south of the M25 and the A3. Its civil parish ascends to an ancient woodland Sheepleas Woods which are on the northern downsl ...

in Surrey, becoming rector of St Stephen Walbrook on 13 April 1635. This appointment provoked a dispute between Charles I (who presented him for the position), the parishioners of the church and the

Grocers' Company The Worshipful Company of Grocers is one of the 110 Livery Company, Livery Companies of the City of London and ranks second in order of precedence. The Grocers' Company was established in 1345 for merchants occupied in the trade of grocer and is ...

(who controlled the church) because Howell refused to live in the parish. Howell was appointed to a

canonry A canon (from the Latin , itself derived from the Greek , , "relating to a rule", "regular") is a member of certain bodies in subject to an ecclesiastical rule. Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a clergy house or, later, i ...

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

in 1636 and the sinecure rectory of Fulham in 1642. He faced difficulties during the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

: although regarded as a "puritanical preacher", he was questioned by the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

on 19 March 1642 over allegations that he had criticized parliament and supported Charles I. Even before that, he had been forced out of his position at St Stephen's Walbrook in 1641 and later forfeited the rectory of West Horsley for non-residence. On the death of

Thomas Westfield Thomas Westfield (1573 – 25 June 1644) was an English churchman, Bishop of Bristol and member of the Westminster Assembly. Life He was born in the parish of St. Mary's, Ely, in 1573, and went to the free school there under Master Spight. He proc ...

in 1644, Howell was appointed Bishop of

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

by Charles I. He was consecrated by Archbishop

James Ussher James Ussher (or Usher; 4 January 1581 – 21 March 1656) was the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland between 1625 and 1656. He was a prolific scholar and church leader, who today is most famous for his ident ...

in August 1644, and was the last bishop to be consecrated in England for sixteen years. However, Prince Rupert surrendered Bristol to

Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron (17 January 161212 November 1671), also known as Sir Thomas Fairfax, was an English politician, general and Parliamentary commander-in-chief during the English Civil War. An adept and talented command ...

on 10 September 1645 and Howell was ejected. He is not known to have attended the Westminster Assembly and is not named in the

List of the Westminster Divines The members of the Westminster Assembly of Divines, sometimes known collectively as the Westminster Divines, are those clergymen who participated in the Assembly that drafted the Westminster Confession of Faith. The Long Parliament's initial ord ...

, probably taking the same views of its relevance as Ralph Brownrigg, Bishop of Exeter, who did not attend either. Brownrigg is named however, the brevity of Howell's Bishopric, being the cause of non-naming on the list. He was deprived of his See by Parliament on 9 October 1646, as episcopacy was abolished for the duration of the Commonwealth and the

Protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over most of its int ...

Personal life

His whereabouts thereafter until his death (between 20 March and 22 April 1650 are unknown) but his will left the lease of a property in

Frogmore Frogmore is an estate within the Home Park, adjoining Windsor Castle, in Berkshire, England. It comprises , of primarily private gardens managed by the Crown Estate. It is the location of Frogmore House, a royal retreat, and Frogmore Cottage. ...

, Windsor to his ten youngest children. His wife died shortly before him in childbirth. He was buried in

Bristol Cathedral Bristol Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is the Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England. Founded in 1140 and consecrated in 1148, it was originally St Augustine's Abbey but after the Dissolu ...

, his memorial stating ''Expergiscar'' ("I shall awake").

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howell, Thomas 1588 births 1650 deaths People from Brecknockshire Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford Bishops of Bristol 17th-century Church of England bishops Canons of Windsor