William Harrison (c.1553–1621) was an English

Roman Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...

. He was the third and last

archpriest The ecclesiastical title of archpriest or archpresbyter belongs to certain priests with supervisory duties over a number of parishes. The term is most often used in Eastern Orthodoxy and the Eastern Catholic Churches and may be somewhat analogous ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Life

Born in

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

circa 1553, he entered the English College, Douai in 1575. Ordained a deacon, he afterwards went to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. The records of the English College, Rome contain an entry to the effect that ''"Pater Gulielmus Harrison"'', then aged 25 years, and a priest studying

Theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

in the College, took the mission oath on 23 April 1578. He left the College for England on 26 March 1581, having previously, as usual on such occasions, had an audience with the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

. From 1581 to 1587, he served the English mission, and in the last named year, went to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

and became Licentiate in civil and

canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

. In 1590, he was entrusted by Father Robert Persons with the government of a small school for

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 ide ...

in Eu, Normandy, and remained there until it was broken up by civil war, in 1593. Harrison then became the Procurator of the English College at

Reims Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...

, took his degree of Doctor in Theology in 1597. Having returned to Douai when the college was restored there, he took his doctorate in divinity, in 1597, in that university, and was professor of theology at the English College until 1603. He then went to Rome for five years, where he gained wide experience in ecclesiastical affairs. Harrison returned to Douai on 29 October 1608, and left it on 19 June 1609, when he set out on his way back to the mission in England., ''The Episcopal Succession in England, Scotland and Ireland, volume 3'', p. 67. Following the death of George Birkhead in 1614, Harrison was appointed

of England by Pope Paul V on 23 February 1615. His

brief Brief, briefs, or briefing may refer to: Documents * A letter * A briefing note * Papal brief, a papal letter less formal than a bull, sealed with the pope's signet ring or stamped with the device borne on this ring * Design brief, a type of educ ...

was dated 11 July 1615. Besides the usual faculties, Pope Paul V granted to Harrison ''"Facultates pro archipresbytero Angliæ, in regnis Angliæ, Scotiæ, Hiberniæ, Monæ, et aliis locis dominii regis Magnæ Britanniæ, ac pro personis eorundum regnorum et dominiorum tantum"'' on 23 July 1615. On 9 March 1617, Harrison issued a prohibition wherein secular priests under his jurisdiction were forbidden to attend plays by common players upon common stages, under penalty of losing their ecclesiastical faculties. In 1621 he sanctioned a protest sent to Rome by ten representatives of the secular regarding the institute established by

Mary Ward Mary Ward may refer to: Scientists and academics * Mary Ward (nurse) (1884–1972) English nurse to the boat people on the waterways * Mary Ward (scientist) (née King, 1827–1869) Irish amateur scientist, was killed by an experimental steam car ...

as being opposed to the decrees of the

Council of Trent The Council of Trent ( la, Concilium Tridentinum), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trento, Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italian Peninsula, Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation ...

.Lux-Sterritt, Laurence. "Mary Ward et sa Compagnie de Jésus au féminin dans l'Angleterre de la Contre-Réforme", ''Revue de l’histoire des religions'', vol. volume 225, no. 3, 2008, pp. 393-414
/ref> His general policy was to restore peace between the

secular clergy In Christianity, the term secular clergy refers to deacons and priests who are not monastics or otherwise members of religious life. A secular priest (sometimes known as a diocesan priest) is a priest who commits themselves to a certain geogra ...

and the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

while endeavouring to secure the independence of the former. To this end he aided Dr

Matthew Kellison Matthew Kellison (c. 1560 – 21 January 1642) was an English Roman Catholic theologian and controversialist, and a reforming president of the English College, Douai. Life Born about 1560 at Harrowden, Northamptonshire, he was son of a servant ...

, president of the English College, Douai, in lessening the influence of the Jesuits there. He also aimed at restoring episcopal government in England. His influence ultimately secured this, though he himself died on 11 May 1621, just as his envoy was setting out for Rome.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Harrison, William 1550s births 1621 deaths People from Derbyshire 16th-century English Roman Catholic priests 17th-century English Roman Catholic priests English College, Douai alumni English College, Rome alumni