Francis Clerke

, or Clarke, was originally of Oxon, but making little stay there, he retired to Doctors Commons in London, and for about 40 years practiced the Civil Law in the most famous Courts in England, as in the Court of Arches, Admiralty, Audience, Prerogative, and Consistoral of the Bishop of London, besides his employment divers times in the Ecclesiastical Causes of the delegated Power of the King, and chief Commissioners. In 1594. he having then practiced his Faculty 35 years at [〈◊〉] , had the degree of Bach. of Civil Law conferred upon him, by the venerable Convocation of Doctors and Masters, not by way of creation, but, as the Register saith, by admission to the reading of the imperial institutions, tho no exercise he did for it in this University. The reason for this their Civility, was, that he had performed the part of chief Proctor for the said University, by vertue of Letters and their common Seal, in all their concerns in the aforesaid Courts. He hath written,

Praxis tam jus dicentibus, quam aliis omnibus, qui in foro Ecclesiastico versantur, apprime utilis. This book was finished by the Author, and made ready for the press, in April 1596.Clar. 1596. but what diverted him from the publication thereof (unless death) I know not. Afterwards several imperfect Copies of it flying abroad, one, supposed to be true, came into the hands of Tho. Bladen, D. D. Dean of Ardfort in Ireland and Chaplain to the Duke of Ormond, who caused it to be printed at Dublin in 1666. qu.

Praxis curiae Admiralitatis Angliae. Dubl. 1666. qu. published by the said Doctor. But the Copy from whence that Edition was published, being, as ’twas pretended, false in many matters, a better Copy was published at London, 1667. in 8vo. by E. S. One Sir Franc. Clerke of Bedfordshire Knight, was a benifactor to Sydney Col. in Cambridge, tho not educated there, whom I take to be the same with Sir Francis Clerk of Merton Priory or Abby in Surrey (Son of Barthol. Clerk mentioned in the Fasti under the year 1574.) quite different from the Writer.