William James

, Son of Joh. James of Little On in Staffordshire, by Ellen his Wife, Daughter of Will. Bolt of Sanabach in Cheshire, was born at Sandbach, admitted Student of Ch. Ch. in 1559. or thereabouts, and took the degrees in Arts. Afterwards entring into holy Orders, he was admitted to the reading of the Sentences 1571 being then Divinity Reader of Magd. coll. The next year he was elected Master of Vniv. coll. and in 1577. Aug. 27. he became Archdeacon of Coventry, on the death of Thom. Lewes. In 1584. he was made Dean of Ch. Ch. in Oxon, and in 96. June 5. he was installed Dean of Durham, after that place had laid void for some time, upon the promotion of Tob. Mathew to the See of Durham. In 1606. he succeded the said T. Mathew in the Bishoprick of Durham, to which See he was consecrated 7. Sept. the same year. Whereupon Sir Adam Newton, afterwards a Baronet, was installed Dean of Durham 27. of the same month. Which Deanry he keeping till 1620. did for a certain sum of money (i)(i) Camden in Annal Jac. 1. MS. sub an. 1620. resign it, and thereupon Dr. Rich. Hunt Prebendary of Canterbury was installed in his room 29. May the same year. Dr. W. James hath published,

Several Sermons, as, (1) Sermon before the Q. Maj. at Hampton Court, 19. Feb. 1578. on Ezra 4. 1, 2, 3. Lond. 1578. oct. (2) Sermon at Pauls Cross, 9. Nov. 1589. on 1 Cor. 12. 25, 26, 27. Lond. 1590. qu. and others, as ’tis said, which I have not yet seen. He died on the 12. of May in sixteen hundred and seventeen, 1617 and was buried in the Choire of the Cath. Ch. of Durham. He had a younger Brother named Francis James Fellow of Alls. coll. whom I shall mention in the Fasti 1587. and a Son of both his names by his first Wife, (named Katherine an Abendon Woman,) who was Student of Ch. Ch. and Orator of the University, an. 1601. Another Son also he had, named Francis James, begotten on the body of his third Wife, named Isabel; which Francis was Student of Ch. Ch. also, afterwards a Minister and well beneficed. He published A Proclamation to the King, in a Sermon Preached 15. June 1647. before his Maj. on Jonah 3. 7, 8. Lond. 1647. qu. About which time loosing all his Spiritualities, lived poor and bare, till the Kings return, 1660. There was another Fr. James, whom I shall mention in the Fasti 1612.