The Most Reverend andRight Honourable Roger Maynwaring
St Davids Cathedral; Maynwaring served as bishop from 1636 to 1646
Church	Church of England
Diocese	St Davids
In office	1636–1646 (see abolished under the Commonwealth)
Predecessor	Theophilus Feild
Successor	William Lucy (1660)
Orders
Ordination	5 July 1611
Consecration	28 February 1636 by William Laud
Personal details
Born	circa 1589/1590 Church Stretton,Shropshire, England
Died	29 June 1653(1653-06-29) (aged 64) Brecon,Wales
Education	King's School, Worcester
Alma mater	All Souls College, Oxford

Roger Maynwaring (variously spelled Mainwaring or Manwaring;c. 1589/1590 – 29 June 1653) was an English bishop in theChurch of England. He was censured by Parliament in 1628 forsermons perceived as undermining the law and constitution.

Although his exact motivations remain uncertain, Maynwaring was not associated withArminianism, unlike his contemporaryWilliam Laud. Many of his contemporaries speculated that his actions were driven by ambition and a desire for advancement.

In 1636, he was appointedBishop of St Davids. In 1641, theLong Parliament issued a warrant for his arrest, prompting him to flee toIreland. He returned to England in July 1642, shortly before the outbreak of theFirst English Civil War. Deprived of hissee, he retired toBrecon, Wales, where he died in June 1653.

Roger Maynwaring was born inChurch Stretton,Shropshire. His father, Thomas Maynwaring (born 1544), was the younger son of Sir Randall Maynwaring of Carincham inCheshire.

Maynwaring was apparently married twice. While details of his first wife remain unknown, his will mentions three adult daughters, a son, and his second wife, Jane.^[1]

Educated atKing's School, Worcester, Maynwaring attendedAll Souls College, Oxford in 1604, graduating in 1611. He was installed as curate atSt Katharine Cree inLondon and later became therector ofSt Giles in the Fields in 1616.^[1]

The 1620s were marked by ongoing conflict between the monarchy and Parliament. In June 1626,Charles I dissolved Parliament when it refused to fund theSpanish war and imposed "forced loans." Those who refused to pay were imprisoned without trial. WhenChief JusticeSir Randolph Crewe ruled the practice illegal, he was dismissed, and over 70 individuals were jailed.^[2]

Appointed a royal chaplain in 1625, Maynwaring delivered two sermons before Charles I in July 1627, expanding on the principles of thedivine right beyond those stated byJames VI and I. While James acknowledged a king's obligation to consider the welfare of his subjects, Maynwaring argued that a king's interests outweighed those of "millions of subjects," whose sole duty was obedience. He asserted that Parliament existed only to comply with royal commands, whether in raising taxes or approving forced loans, and that refusal to do so risked damnation.^[3]

Robert Sibthorpe,Isaac Bargrave, andMatthew Wren also delivered sermons promoting similar views as part of a campaign coordinated byWilliam Laud (then Bishop of Bath and Wells) to align theChurch of England with royal fiscal policies. As royal chaplains, they preached before Charles and the court, tailoring their messages to this audience.^[4]

The controversy arose from applying the general doctrine of divine right to specific policies, such as taxation.^[5] In the charged political climate, this stance was inflammatory. Maynwaring went further than his colleagues, claiming that disobedience to the king risked eternal damnation, provoking outrage amongCalvinists likeJohn Pym.^[a] His assertion that "kings were gods" was also seen as blasphemous.^[6]

Even Laud advised against publishing the sermon, warning that "many things therein... will be very distasteful to the people."^[7] When Charles insisted on its publication, Maynwaring’s superior,George Montaigne,Bishop of London, ensured that the title page read "At the Royal Command."^[8] Charles also sought to print Sibthorpe’s sermons, butGeorge Abbot, theArchbishop of Canterbury, successfully opposed this.^[9]

In the 17th century, religion and politics were intertwined; "good government" was believed to require "true religion," meaning that changes in one sphere implied changes in the other.^[b] Maynwaring used theology to justify policies widely considered illegal, even by legal authorities such asSir Edward Coke, a former Chief Justice and one of the most respected lawyers of the era.^[11]

The1628 Parliament, which convened in March, established a religious committee that included Pym,Francis Rous, andJohn Hampden. While investigating controversial preachers, the committee was further provoked when Maynwaring repeated his message at St. Giles on 4 June. Many, includingJohn Williams,Bishop of Lincoln, believed ambition, rather than principle, motivated Maynwaring. Nevertheless, the committee thoroughly refuted his arguments. Parliament impeached him for treason and blasphemy, resulting in his imprisonment, a fine, and suspension from ministry on 24 June.^[1]

Despite this, Charles pardoned Maynwaring on 6 July and appointed him to a new parish,Stanford Rivers. He continued to receive promotions, becomingDean of Worcester in 1634 and bishop ofSt Davids in 1636. When Charles was forced to recall Parliament in 1640, Maynwaring’s case was revisited byRobert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex.^[12] The Worcester city council objected to various "Popish innovations" introduced during his tenure, which were added to the charges against him.^[13]

In August 1640, a warrant was issued for his arrest, prompting him to flee to Ireland. When he returned in June 1642, he was recognized inMinehead and brought before magistrates. After a brief imprisonment, he retired toBrecon, which remained aRoyalist stronghold until theFirst English Civil War ended in 1646. On 9 October 1646, Parliament formally deprived him of his bishopric as episcopacy was abolished under theCommonwealth and theProtectorate.^[14][15]

Maynwaring appears to have been left undisturbed under theCommonwealth. He died in Brecon on 29 June 1653.^[1]

• Adamson, John (2007).The Noble Revolt: The Overthrow of Charles I. Orion.ISBN 978-0297842620.
• Atkin, Malcolm (1995).The Civil War in Worcestershire. Sutton Publishing Ltd.ISBN 978-0750910507.
• Baker, John (2002).An Introduction to English Legal History.Butterworths.ISBN 978-0-406-93053-8.
• Barry, John M (2012).Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul: Church, State, and the Birth of Liberty. Viking Press.ISBN 978-0670023059.
• Cust, Richard (1987).The forced loan and English politics, 1626–1628. Clarendon Press.ISBN 978-0198229513.
• Hostettler, John (1997).Sir Edward Coke: A Force for Freedom. Barry Rose Law Publishers.ISBN 1-872328-67-9.
• Keeler, Mary Frear; Janssen Cole, Maija (1997).Proceedings in Parliament, 1628, Volume 4, (Yale Proceedings in Parliament). University of Rochester Press.ISBN 978-1580460095.
• Larminie, Vivienne (2008). "Maynwaring, Roger".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/18011. (Subscription,Wikipedia Library access orUK public library membership required.)
• Maynwaring, Roger (1627).Religion and alegiance [sic] in two sermons preached before the Kings Maiestie, the one on the fourth of Iuly, anno 1627. at Oatlands, the other on the 29. of Iuly the same yeere, at Alderton.
• Perille, Laura (2012). "Harnessing Conscience for the King: Charles I, the Forced Loan Sermons, and Matters of Conscience".Exemplaria.24 (1):161–177.doi:10.1179/1041257311Z.0000000011.S2CID 143875777.
• Pyle, Andrew (2000).The Dictionary of Seventeenth-century British Philosophers, Volume I. Thoemmes Continuum.ISBN 978-1855067042.
• Snapp, Harry (1967). "The Impeachment of Roger Maynwaring".Huntington Library Quarterly.30 (3):217–232.doi:10.2307/3816610.JSTOR 3816610.
• Solt, Leo (1990).Church and State in Early Modern England, 1509-1640. OUP.ISBN 978-0195059793.

• 1590 births
• 1653 deaths
• People from Church Stretton
• Bishops of St Davids
• Alumni of All Souls College, Oxford
• Deans of Worcester
• 17th-century Welsh Anglican bishops

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