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William Overton (c. 1525– 9 April 1609) was an English bishop.


Life

He was born in
Clerkenwell Clerkenwell () is an area of central London, England. Clerkenwell was an ancient parish from the mediaeval period onwards, and now forms the south-western part of the London Borough of Islington. The well after which it was named was redisco ...
,
Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...
, England. He became a Fellow of
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 s ...
, in 1551, and rector of
Balcombe Balcombe is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. It lies south of London, north of Brighton, and east north east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby towns include Crawley to the north west and H ...
(
Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
) and vicar of
Eccleshall Eccleshall is a town and civil parish in the Stafford district, in the county of Staffordshire, England. It is located seven miles northwest of Stafford, and six miles west-southwest of Stone. Eccleshall is twinned with Sancerre in France. His ...
(
Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...
) in 1553. He was also made a
prebendary A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the ...
at
Chichester Chichester () is a cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. It is the only ci ...
, Winchester, and Salisbury. He became
Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry The Bishop of Lichfield is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lichfield in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers 4,516 km2 (1,744 sq. mi.) of the counties of Powys, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire and West M ...
in 1580, and remained in post until his death in 1609.


Glassmaking

He was responsible for developing glassmaking in Staffordshire, importing artisans of French origin and supplying firewood from the episcopal estates. The glassworks he established near Eccleshall continued in production after his death, but were affected by legislation which forbade the use of wood for the furnace.


Personal life

His first wife was Margaret Barlow (1533 - 1601), daughter of Bishop William Barlow and Agatha (Wellesbourne) Barlow, and they had Susan (Barlow) Playsted and Valentine Barlow (1565 - 1646).


Legacy

While he was still alive, he made arrangements for his tomb which survives. It is in Holy Trinity Church in Eccleshall, a small town where the bishops had a residence,
Eccleshall Castle Eccleshall Castle is located in Eccleshall, Staffordshire, England (). It was originally built in the 13th century. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a Grade II* listed building. Origins The land was reputedly granted to St Chad, the mediev ...
. Overton was interested in increasing the income of his diocese, which had been affected by the
price revolution The Price Revolution, sometimes known as the Spanish Price Revolution, was a series of economic events that occurred between the second half of the 15th century and the first half of the 17th century, and most specifically linked to the high rate o ...
, but he had little success in improving the overall finances.


Further reading

* Russell Fox (1982), ''William Overton and Glassmaking in Buriton''


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Overton, William 1525 births 1609 deaths Bishops of Lichfield Burials in Staffordshire Fellows of Magdalen College, Oxford 17th-century Church of England bishops 16th-century Church of England bishops Clergy from Staffordshire