John Piers | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop of York | |
| Installed | 1589 |
| Term ended | 1594 |
| Predecessor | Edwin Sandys |
| Successor | Matthew Hutton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1522/23 |
| Died | 1594 |
| Buried | York Minster |
| Nationality | English |
| Denomination | Church of England |
John Piers (Peirse) (1522/3 – 1594) wasArchbishop of York between 1589 and 1594. Previous to that he had beenBishop of Rochester andBishop of Salisbury.
He was born atSouth Hinksey, near Oxford, and was educated atMagdalen College School. He became ademy ofMagdalen College in 1542, and graduated B.A. in 1545, M.A. 1549, B.D. 1558, and D.D. 1565–6. He was elected probationer-fellow of Magdalen in 1545, and full fellow in 1546. In the following year he became a senior student ofChrist Church, Oxford, on the condition of returning to his old college if at the end of twelve months he desired to do so. This he did, and was re-elected fellow in 1548–9.
He took holy orders, and in 1558 was instituted to the rectory ofQuainton, Buckinghamshire. There, according toAnthony à Wood, he fell into the habit of drinking in alehouses, he was weaned of the habit by a clerical friend. He was rector of Langdon inEssex from 1567 to 1573. On his return he took a leading place in the university, and his course of promotion was steady and rapid. In 1570 he was elected Master ofBalliol College, holding also the college living ofFillingham inLincolnshire.
In 1567 he was appointed to the deanery of Chester, to which, in May 1571, he added that of Salisbury. At Salisbury, by command of the Queen, he brought the ritual and statutes of his cathedral into conformity with the spirit of the Reformation, with changes away from Catholic practice. In the same year (1571) he received from the crown the deanery of Christ Church, Oxford, with licence to hold his other deaneries and livingsin commendam. Chester he resigned in 1573, and Salisbury in 1578. On the elevation ofEdmund Freake to Norwich he was elected bishop of Rochester, and was consecrated 15 April 1576. He held the bishopric of Rochester little more than a year, being translated to Salisbury onEdmund Gheast's death in November 1577.
Elizabeth made him in 1576lord high almoner In this capacity he had a dispute with theGeorge Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury respectingdeodands, which was settled amicably. In January 1583 he was employed by Elizabeth to signify toGrindal that he should resign his archbishopric on account of failing health and increasing blindness. The archbishop's death in July of that year put an end to the negotiation. In 1585 he was consulted by Elizabeth whether she could legitimately assist the Low Countries in their struggle withPhilip II of Spain, and gave a long affirmative reply. In 1585, again, he was one of the prelates before whomEdward Gellibrand, fellow of Magdalen, was cited as being the ringleader of thePresbyterian party in Oxford. Two years laterRobert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester made an ineffectual attempt to obtain his translation to Durham. On the defeat of theSpanish Armada, he was appointed by Elizabeth to preach at the thanksgiving service atSt. Paul's Cathedral on 24 November 1588.
His translation to the archbishopric of York was as Sandys's successor in 1589. His tenure of the primacy was short. He died atBishopthorpe on 28 September 1594, aged 71. He was unmarried. He was buried at the east end ofYork Minster, with a long epitaph.
| Church of England titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Bishop of Rochester 1576–1578 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Bishop of Salisbury 1577–1589 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Archbishop of York 1589–1594 | Succeeded by |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by | Master of Balliol College, Oxford 1570 | Succeeded by |