Tobias Matthew (also Tobie and Toby; 13 June 154629 March 1628), was an Anglican

bishop 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 ...

who was

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

St John's College, Oxford St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded as a men's college in 1555, it has been coeducational since 1979.Communication from Michael Riordan, college archivist Its founder, Sir Thomas White, intended to pr ...

, from 1572 to 1576, before being appointed

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 University from 1579 to 1583, and Matthew would then become Dean of Durham from 1583 to 1595. All three positions, plus others, were appointed to Matthew by

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 ...

. Eventually, he was appointed

Archbishop of York The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers ...

in 1606 by Elizabeth's successor,

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 ...

Early life

He was the son of Sir John Matthew of Ross in

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouths ...

, England, and of his wife Eleanor Crofton of

Ludlow Ludlow () is a market town in Shropshire, England. The town is significant in the history of the Welsh Marches and in relation to Wales. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road which bypasses the town. The ...

. Tobias was born at

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...

on 13 June 1546. Matthew was educated at Wells, Somerset, and then in succession at

University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...

and

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 ...

. He proceeded BA in 1564, and MA in 1566.

Ties to Elizabeth I

He attracted the favourable notice of

, and his rise was steady though not quite rapid. He was first appointed a public orator in

Oxford 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 1569, and then President of St John's in 1572, Dean of Christ Church in 1576,

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-Chan ...

in 1579, Dean of Durham in 1583,

Bishop of Durham The Bishop of Durham is the Anglican bishop responsible for the Diocese of Durham in the Province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler has been the Bishop of Durham ...

in 1595, and

in 1606.

Years as Archbishop

In 1581, Matthew had a controversy with the

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

Edmund Campion Edmund Campion, SJ (25 January 15401 December 1581) was an English Jesuit priest and martyr. While conducting an underground ministry in officially Anglican England, Campion was arrested by priest hunters. Convicted of high treason, he was h ...

, and published at Oxford his arguments in 1638 under the title, ''Piissimi et eminentissimi viri Tobiae Matthew, archiepiscopi olim Eboracencis concio apologetica adversus Campianam''. While in the north he was active in forcing the

recusant Recusancy (from la, recusare, translation=to refuse) was the state of those who remained loyal to the Catholic Church and refused to attend Church of England services after the English Reformation. The 1558 Recusancy Acts passed in the reign ...

s to conform to the

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, preaching hundreds of sermons and carrying out thorough visitations. In 1617, he delegated his trusted lieutenant

Phineas Hodson Phineas Hodson (died before 28 November 1646) was Chancellor of York Minister from 1611 to 1646. Hodson lived during a period of religious factionalism in Britain; as a prebendary in the Church of England he confronted the proliferation of disse ...

to advise

Roger Brearley Roger Brereley (Brearley, Brierley etc.) (1586–1637) was an English clergyman, known as the founder of the Grindletonian sect. His actual views are known from surviving sermons, perhaps reconstituted from notes; those held by the Grindletonians ...

, who had founded the

Grindletonian The Grindletonians were a Puritan sect that arose in the town of Grindleton in Lancashire, England, in around 1610. The sect remained active in the North of England until the 1660s. Its most notable leader was Roger Brearley (or Brereley). Grindle ...

nonconformist sect and been accused of heresy as a result, on how he might reconcile with the Church of England.

Final years and death

During his later years he was to some extent in opposition to the administration of

King James I James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until hi ...

. He was exempted from attendance in the parliament of 1625 on the ground of age and infirmities. His wife, Frances, was the daughter of William Barlow,

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 sea ...

. His son,

Tobie Matthew Sir Tobie Matthew (also sometimes spelt Mathew; 3 October 157713 October 1655), born in Salisbury, was an English member of parliament and courtier who converted to Roman Catholicism and became a priest. He was sent to Spain to promote the p ...

was an MP and later a convert to Roman Catholicism. Tobias died at Cawood on 29 March 1628 at 81 years old; he was buried in the Lady Chapel of York Minster. Matthew left his fortune not to his sons or the church but to his wife Frances Matthew. Amongst his possessions were 600 books and they were valued then at £300 and Frances give them all to York Minster. These books are the basis of the library (now at Old Palace, York). Frances had been his wife for over fifty years and she died the following year was she was buried in York Minster's lady chapel.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Matthew, Tobias 1546 births 1628 deaths Clergy from Bristol Alumni of University College, Oxford Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Archbishops of York Bishops of Durham Deans of Durham Deans of Christ Church, Oxford Presidents of St John's College, Oxford Vice-Chancellors of the University of Oxford Archdeacons of Bath 16th-century Church of England bishops 17th-century Anglican archbishops