John Williams | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop of York | |
 Portrait byGilbert Jackson | |
| Installed | 1641 |
| Term ended | 1646 (episcopacy abolished) |
| Predecessor | Richard Neile |
| Successor | Accepted Frewen (1660) |
| Other post(s) | Bishop of Lincoln (1621–1641) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 March 1582 |
| Died | 25 March 1650(1650-03-25) (aged 68) Gwydir, Wales |
| Buried | Llandygai Church |
| Nationality | Welsh |
| Denomination | Anglicanism |
| Education | Ruthin School |
| Alma mater | St John's College, Cambridge |
John Williams (22 March 1582 – 25 March 1650) was aWelsh clergyman and political advisor to KingJames I. He served asDean of Westminster 1620–1644,Bishop of Lincoln 1621–1641,Lord Keeper of the Great Seal 1621–1625, andArchbishop of York 1641–1646. He was the last bishop to serve as lord chancellor.
John Williams,Bishop of Lincoln, and laterArchbishop of York, was born inConwy,Wales, the second son of Edmund Williams and Mary Wynn.[1] At a time when many bishops came from rather humble backgrounds, Williams prided himself on belonging to an "ancient family". He attendedRuthin School before graduating fromSt John's College, Cambridge BA 1601, MA 1605, BD 1613, and DD 1616.[2] He became a fellow in 1603 and was a University Proctor in 1611–12. He entered the clergy and he first impressed the king with a sermon he preached in 1610. He became theking's chaplain in 1617.
In 1620 he was madeDean of Westminster and was swiftly elevated by KingJames I to theBishopric of Lincoln in 1621, as well as being madeLord Keeper of the Great Seal. Throughout his political career, Williams was identified as a strong supporter of King James, who, it has been said, valued him as a man "who knew his mind and would do his bidding"[3] and with whom personally he had much in common. He alienated the Prince of Wales, the futureCharles I by disapproving of his ill-fated expedition with theDuke of Buckingham toMadrid. WhenJames I died and was succeeded byCharles I in 1625, Williams was quickly removed from the office ofLord Chancellor, and was prevented from attending Parliament. Though Williams managed to survive Buckingham, who was assassinated in 1628, he remained out of favour; he incurred the enmity ofWilliam Laud,Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633 and his powerful allyThomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, both of whom had great influence with Charles I.
Williams's liberal attitudes toward thePuritans led to a legal battle with theCourt of the Star Chamber. Laud's biographer refers to the original charge against him, of revealingState secrets, as frivolous;[4] but Williams, in his efforts to clear himself, laid himself open to a charge ofsubornation of perjury, which was proved, and he was suspended from his benefices in 1636, fined, and imprisoned in theTower of London until 1640.[5][6] Laud had assumed that the conviction would force Williams' resignation as Bishop of Lincoln; but to his fury, Williams refused to resign and no machinery existed to remove him.[7] Until his imprisonment, Williams remained defiantly at his episcopal palace,Buckden, lavishing hospitality on his neighbours.
In 1640 the Lords forced the King to release him, and Williams resumed his offices and tried to steer a course between the extreme wings of the Church. He showed little pity for either Laud or Strafford, supporting theimpeachment of both men. In the case of Laud, there is no evidence that he approved of Laud's eventual execution; but it was otherwise with Strafford. He fatally weakened Strafford's cause in theHouse of Lords by arguing successfully that the bishops should absent themselves in cases involving thedeath penalty,[8] and later specifically urged the King not to spare Strafford's life, arguing that in his public role he was discharged from his private promise to that effect.[9] He was re-imprisoned by Parliament in 1641, but was released on bail in 1642 and went to be with the King in Yorkshire, as well as be enthroned as Archbishop of York, a position to which he had been appointed the previous year.[10][11]
1646 would see Williams change sides and decide to support the Parliamentarians as evident in the attack onConwy Castle. His stay in Yorkshire was brief, and he spent the last years of his life in his native north Wales, initially supporting the royalist cause, but eventually coming to an accommodation with the local parliamentarian commander in 1646. He was deprived of his See by Parliament on 9 October 1646, as episcopacy was abolished for the duration of theCommonwealth and theProtectorate.[12] Always on speaking terms withOliver Cromwell, Williams wrote to him after the attacks on Conwy requesting the return of landowners' goods and that the troops be removed from Conwy as they were eating too much! While the request was granted by Cromwell, Williams was viewed by some as a traitor for his actions during the English Civil War. Williams had been convinced that the King's cause was lost and consequently negotiated with Parliamentary forces, even participating in the battle at Conwy. He was, however, deeply affected by the execution of the monarch in 1649.[13]
Williams died ofquinsy in 1650 whilst staying with his kinsfolk, theWynns ofGwydir, and was buried at the parish church ofLlandygai. He had repurchased the family estate, which passed to his nephew Sir Griffith Williams. Through his niece Elizabeth Dolben he was the grand-uncle of a later Archbishop of York,John Dolben.
Details of Williams' Civil War activities in North Wales are contained in Norman Tucker's bookPrelate at Arms (Llandudno, 1937). He is also the central character in Tucker's fictional workCastle of Care, (London 1937) as well as playing a significant role in one of Tucker's later novels,Restless we roam (London 1950).
The Royalists suffered major defeats over the next two years and in 1646 at a secret meeting with Parliamentarian generals at Gwydir, John Williams changed sides. He now supported the Parliamentarians. The attack on Conwy began...
Finally, Sir John Owen surrendered and the town fell to the Parliamentarians. "Mitton allowed Williams, to his great relief, to return all the goods secured in the castle. Williams wrote to Cromwell asking if the troops could be removed from Conwy as they were eating too much! They were removed..."He was deeply upset by King Charles's death and fainted when he heard," said Ms Macdonald. "He got up at midnight each night to pray for the King's soul.
| Political offices | ||
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| In commission Title last held by The Lord Verulam | Lord Keeper of the Great Seal 1621–1625 | Succeeded by |
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| Preceded by | Bishop of Lincoln 1621–1641 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Archbishop of York 1641–1646 | Vacant Title next held by Accepted Frewen |
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