Roger Manwaring

was born at Stretton in Shropshire, educated in Grammar learning in the Kings School at Worcester under Hen. Bright, entred a Student in this University in the beginning of the year 1604, and soon after was made one of the Clerks of Alls. Coll. After he had run through the usual courses of Logick and Philosophy, he took the degrees in Arts, being about that time, as I conceive, one of the Chaplains of that House. At length being made Vicar of S. Giles in the fields near London, he took the degrees in Divinity, and was made Chaplain in Ordinary to K. Ch. 1, before whom, while he was in his attendance at Oatlands, he preached two Sermons in July 1627, entit. Religion and Allegiance, on Eccles. 8.2. Lond. 1627. qu. and about the same time preached them at his Country cure. In the year following, on the fourth of May, he preached on the same subject in his Church of S. Giles before mention’d; for which, as also for his former Sermons, he was the same year, June 14, censur’d in Parliament to be imprisoned, fined 1000 l, to make submission and to be disinabled to have or enjoy any preferment or office. At that time John Pym, a busie Man in the House of Commons, brought into the House a charge against him that he endeavoured to destroy the King and Kingdom by his Divinity, &c. On the 21 of the said month he made his submission, and in the next month following he was presented by the King to the rich rectory of Stanford Rivers in Essex (void by the promotion of Dr. Richard Mountague to the See of Chichester) with license to hold it and his other Living with it. On the 9. of Jan. following he procured his pardon, which in the next month made some stir in the Session of Parliament that then was. In the month of May 1633 he was made Dean of VVorcester, in the place of Dr. VVill. Juxon promoted to the See of Hereford, where he made some alterations for the better in that Church; and in Dec. 1635 he was nominated Bishop of S. David, on the translation of Dr. Theoph. Field to Hereford. On the 28 of February following he was consecrated thereunto by Dr. Laud Archb. of Canterbury and his Assistants in the Chap. at Lambeth, where he sate till his function was silenced. On the 22. Feb. 1640 were several complaints made against him in the Long Parliament, but not for the present prosecuted, because the members thereof were employed on greater matters. Afterwards the rebellion breaking out, he was imprison’d, violently persecuted from place to place, lost all his Spiritualities, and had only some small temporal Estate left to maintain him and his Family. He was a person that had some curiosity in learning, but greater zeal for the Church of England: He was of a pious life and conversation, charitable, and tho (with Sibthorpe) accounted a Sycophant by the Puritans, yet by the Royallists he was esteemed worthy of the function of a Bishop. He finished his course at Caermerthen, after he had endured many miseries, on the first day of July in sixteen hundred fifty and three,1653. and was buried in the Collegiat Church of Brecknock near to the high altar, leaving then behind him some things fit for the press, as I have been informed by one of his near Relations. It is said that he was much resolved on three things, 1. The redemption of Captives. 2. The conversion of Recusants. 3. The undeceiving of seduced Sectaries, and that he kept three diaries, one for the transactions of his own life, another for the publick affairs of the Church and Kingdom, and a third for the remarkable passages of providence that hapned in the World. The see of S. David continuing void till after the restauration of K. Ch. 2, it was then supplied by Dr. Will. Lucy, as I shall tell you under the year 1677.