William Fuller

son of Tho. Fuller, was born in London, educated in the Coll. School at Westminster, became a Communer of Magd. Hall in 1626 or thereabouts, aged 18 years, took the degree of Bach. of the Civil Law six years after, as a Member of S. Edm. Hall, having translated himself thither some time before. About that time he entred into holy Orders, was made one of the Chaplains or Petty-Canons of Ch. Ch, and when the K. had taken up his head quarter at Oxon in the time of the Rebellion, he became Chapl. to Edw. L. Littleton L. Keeper of the Gr. Seal there. Afterwards, upon the declension of the Kings Cause, he suffer’d as others did, taught a private School at T [••] ttenham or Twickenham in Middlesex, in the Reigns of Oliv. and Richard, and endeavoured to instil Principles of Loyalty into his scholars. At length upon the restauration of K. Ch. 2. he was nominated Dean of S. Patricks Church near Dublin, and in August the same year he was actually created Doct. of the Civ. Law, as a member of S. Edm. Hall, by vertue of the Chancellours Letters written in his behalf, which say that he is a worthy and learned person and hath suffered much for his Loyalty to his Majesty, &c. Afterwards he went into Ireland, was installed Dean of the said Ch. on the 21 of Oct. following, and continuing in that dignity till 1663, he was made Bish. of Limerick and Ardfert in that Kingdom; to which being consecrated ((*))((*)) Jac. War. ut supra p. 190. on the 20 of March the same year, according to the English accompt, sate there (tho much of his time was spent in England) till 1667, and then upon Dr. B. Laney’s removal to Ely, on the death of Dr. Math. Wren, he was translated to the See of Lincoln (after he had taken a great deal of pains to obtain it) on the 28 of Sept. the same year. He paid his last debt to nature at Kensington near London, on the 22 of Apr. in sixteen hundred seventy and five; whereupon his body being carried to Lincoln, was buried in the Cath. Ch. there. In the afternoon of the very same day that he died, Dr. Tho. Barlow Provost of Qu. Coll, did, by the endeavours of the two ((†))((†)) Hen. Coventry Esq. originally of Qu. Coll, afterwards Fell. of Alls. and Sir Jos. VVilliamson. Secretaries of State, (both formerly of his Coll.) kiss his Majesties hand for that See, and accordingly was soon after consecrated. The said Dr. Fuller did once design to have written the Life of Dr. Joh. Bramhall sometimes Primate of Ireland, and had obtained many materials in his mind for so doing; wherein, as in many things he did, he would without doubt have quitted himself well, as much to the instruction of the living, as honor of the dead: And therefore it was lamented by some, that any thing should divert him from doing so acceptable service. But the providence of God having closed up his much desired life, has deprived us of what he would have said of that most worthy Prelate. See in the beginning of the said Dr. Bramhall’s Life, written by Joh. L. Bish. of Limerick.—Lond. 1677. fol.