John Bancroft

, Son of Christ [〈…〉] (by Andrey Andrews his Wife) eldest Son of [〈…〉] of Farnworth in Lancashire, by Mary his Wife, daughter of John Curwyn, brother to Hugh Curcoyn, sometimes Bishop of Oxford, was born in little Village called Astell or E [•] well, lying between [〈◊〉] and [〈…〉] was admitted a Student of [〈…〉] more, took the degrees in Arts, holy Orders, and became a Preacher for some years in [〈…〉] being newly admitted to proceed in Divinity, was by the endeavours of his Uncle Dr. Rich. Bancroft Archb. of Cant. (a younger Son of John Bancroft before-mentioned.) elected Master of Vniversity college, where he continued above 20 years: In which time, he was at great pains and expence to recover and settle the antient Lands belonging to that foundation. In 1632. he was, upon the translation of Dr. Corbet to Norwych, nominated Bishop of Oxford; whereupon being elected by the Dean and Chapter in April the same year, had the temporalities of that See given (*)(*) Pat. 8. Car. 1. p. 13. to him on the 6. of June following, being about that time consecrated. In 1640. when the Long Parliament began, and proceeded with great vigour against the Bishops, he was possessed so much with fear (having always been an Enemy to the Puritan) that without little or no sickness, he surrendred up his last breath in his lodging at Westminster. Afterwards his body was carried to Cudesden in the diocess of Oxon, and was buried near to, and under the, south wall of the Chancel of the Church there, on the twelfth day of Febr. in sixteen hundred and forty,1640-1. leaving then behind him the character (†)(†) See in Canterburies Doom, printed in fol. 1646. p. 353. among the Puritans or Presbyterians then dominant of a corrupt unpreaching Popish Prelate. The Reader is now to know that before this Mans time, the Bishops of Oxford had no house left belonging to their Episcopal See, either in City or Country, but dwelt at their Parsonage-houses which they held in Commendam, tho Dr. Jo. Bridges, who had no Commendam in his diocess, lived for the most part in hired houses in the City. For, as I have before told you in Dr. Rob. Kynge, tho at the foundation of the Bishoprick of Oxford in the Abbey of Osney, the King appointed Gloucester coll. for the Bishops Pallace, yet when that foundation was inspected into by K. Edw. 6. and a recital thereupon made of the foundation thereof done by his Father, that place was left out of the Charter, as being designed then for another use. So that from that time till this Man (Dr. Bancroft) came to be Bishop, there being no settled House or Pallace for him or his Successors, he did resolve by the perswasions of Dr. Laud Archb. of Cant. to build one. Wherefore in the first place the impropriate Parsonage of Cudesden before-mentioned, five miles distant from Oxon, which belonged to the Bishop in right of his See, he let the lease thereof run out without any more renewing, that in the end it might be made an improvement to the slender Bishoprick. The Vicaridge also of his own donation falling void in the mean time, he procured himself to be legally instituted and inducted thereunto. All which being done, he, thro the power and favour of Dr. Laud before-mentioned, obtained an annexation of it to the See Episcopal, (the design of bringing in the impropriation going forward still) and soon after began, with the help of a great deal of timber from the Forest of Shotover, given to him by his Majesty, to build a fair Pallace; which, with a Chappel in it, being compleatly finished, an. 1635. was, then out of curiosity visited by the said Dr. Laud; which he remits into his diary thus. Sept. 2. an. 1635. I was in attendance with the King at Woodstock, and went thence to Cudsden, to see the house which Dr. Jo. Bancroft then Lord Bishop of Oxford had there built to be a house for the Bishops of that See for ever; he having built that house at my perswasion. But this house or Pallace (which cost three thousand and five hundrend pounds) proved almost as short liv’d as the Founder, being burn’d down by Col. Will. Legg during the short time that he was Governour of the Garrison of Oxford, in the latter end of 1644. for fear it might be made a Garrison by the Parliament Forces, tho with as much reason and more piety (as one (*)(*) Dr. P. Heylin in his History of the life and death of Dr. Will. Laud, lib. 3. part. 1. observes) he might have garrison’d it for the King, and preserved the house. Being thus ruined, it laid so till Dr. Joh. Fell became Bishop of Oxon, and then with monies out of his own purse, and the help of timber, which one of his Predecessors named Dr. Will. Paul had laid in in his life-time for that purpose, did rebuild it upon the old foundation, with a Chappel in it, as before. The outside of which being finished in 1679. the inside followed soon after.