Robert Frampton (26 February 1622 – 25 May 1708) was

Bishop of Gloucester The Bishop of Gloucester is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Gloucester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the County of Gloucestershire and part of the County of Worcestershire. The see's centre of governan ...

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 ...

from 1681 to 1691 and later a Non-juror.

Life

Frampton was born in

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...

in February 1622, to Robert and Elizabeth Frampton. He studied at Corpus Christi College and Christ Church, Oxford, where he received his

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in 1641. (He was later awarded the D.D., in 1673). 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 ...

, during which he attempted to remain neutral, he served as master of the free school at

Gillingham, Dorset Gillingham ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Blackmore Vale area of Dorset, England. It lies on the B3095 and B3081 roads, approximately south of the A303 trunk road and northwest of Shaftesbury. It is the most northerly town in the coun ...

, and was privately ordained by Robert Skinner,

bishop of Oxford The Bishop of Oxford is the diocesan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford in the Province of Canterbury; his seat is at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. The current bishop is Steven Croft, following the confirmation of his elect ...

. He then served as minister at Gillingham and later as chaplain to the Earl of Elgin in

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...

. From there he took a position as chaplain to the Levant Company at Aleppo, Syria, in 1655. Following his return from the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

in 1666, he married Mary Canning of Warwickshire in 1667. He returned to Aleppo soon after his marriage and stayed there until 1670. Returning to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in 1671, he was appointed Preacher of the

Rolls Chapel The Maughan Library () is the main university research library of King's College London, forming part of the Strand Campus. A 19th-century neo-Gothic building located on Chancery Lane in the City of London, it was formerly the home to the head ...

and chaplain to the

Lord Keeper The Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England, and later of Great Britain, was formerly an officer of the English Crown charged with physical custody of the Great Seal of England. This position evolved into that of one of the Great Officers of ...

. He was 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 th ...

of Gloucester and Salisbury in 1672 and rector of

Okeford Fitzpaine Okeford Fitzpaine is a village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset, situated in the Blackmore Vale south of the town of Sturminster Newton. It is sited on a thin strip of greensand under the scarp face of the Dorset Downs. In ...

in Dorset. In 1673 he was made

Dean of Gloucester The Dean of Gloucester is the head (''primus inter pares'': first among equals) and chair of the chapter of canons - the ruling body of Gloucester Cathedral - and senior priest of the Diocese of Gloucester. The dean and chapter are based at Glouc ...

and in 1681

. During his years as bishop he preached at

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea. It is the main thoroughfare running south from Trafalgar Square towards Parliament Sq ...

for James II. His preaching against Roman Catholicism incurred the king's displeasure, as did Frampton's decision not to instal the candidate of the Catholic President of Magdalen College, Oxford, to the living of

Slimbridge Slimbridge is a village and civil parish near Dursley in Gloucestershire, England. It is best known as the home of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust's WWT Slimbridge, Slimbridge Reserve which was started by Sir Peter Scott. Canal and Patch Bridg ...

. An opponent of James's ''

Declaration of Indulgence The Declaration of Indulgence, also called Declaration for Liberty of Conscience, was a pair of proclamations made by James II of England and Ireland and VII of Scotland in 1687. The Indulgence was first issued for Scotland on 12 February and t ...

'' in 1688, Frampton was to join Archbishop

William Sancroft William Sancroft (30 January 161724 November 1693) was the 79th Archbishop of Canterbury, and was one of the Seven Bishops imprisoned in 1688 for seditious libel against King James II, over his opposition to the king's Declaration of Indul ...

's delegation that petitioned the king to revoke the Indulgence, but a delay in travel prevented him from being numbered among the Seven Bishops imprisoned in the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is sep ...

. Despite his opposition to James II's Catholic policies, he refused the oaths to William III and Mary II and suffered deprival in 1691. A moderate Non-juror, he joined

Thomas Ken Thomas Ken (July 1637 – 19 March 1711) was an English cleric who was considered the most eminent of the English non-juring bishops, and one of the fathers of modern English hymnody. Early life Ken was born in 1637 at Little Berkhampstead, ...

in strongly opposing the continuance of the Nonjuring schism through the consecration of George Hickes and

Thomas Wagstaffe Thomas Wagstaffe the Elder (13 February 1645 – 17 October 1712) was a clergyman of the Church of England, after the nonjuring schism a bishop of the breakaway church. Early life Wagstaffe was born on 13 February 1645 at Binley in Warwickshire, ...

as bishops of a new nonjuring line. In his retirement he continued officiating at the parish church at Standish, Gloucestershire. He died at his home at Standish on 25 May 1708, being buried on the north side of the altar in the parish church.

References

*T. Evans ''The Life of Robert Frampton, bishop of Gloucester'', (1876) and Robert Cornwall, "Robert Frampton," ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (2004). {{DEFAULTSORT:Frampton, Robert 1622 births 1708 deaths People from Gillingham, Dorset Bishops of Gloucester English nonjuror clergy Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Oxford Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford 17th-century Church of England bishops