John Thornborough

Son of Giles Thornborough, was born within the City of Salisbury, became a Semi-Com or Demie of S. Mary Magd. Coll. in the year 1570 aged 18 years, took the degrees in Arts, holy Orders, and was made Chaplain to the Earl of Pembroke, with whom continuing for some time, that Count bestowed upon him the Rectory of Chilmark in Wilts, and thereby became the first that planted him in the Church of Christ. Soon after he became Chaplain in Ordinary to Qu. Elizabeth, by the endeavours of the said Count, and beneficed in Yorkshire: so that being put into the road of Preferment, he had the Deanery of York confer’d on him, (upon the promotion of Dr. Mathew Hutton to the See of Durham to which being elected 28 Oct. 1589, was soon after install’d. In 1593 he was made Bishop of Limerick in Ireland, where pe [•] forming many signal services for the Crown of England, he was translated to the See of Bristow, in 1603, with liberty then given to him to keep his Deanery of York in commendam. But as for his Benefices in Yorkshire, which were the Rectories of Brandesburton and Misperton alias Kirkby over Carr, they were bestowed on Peter Rollocke Bishop of Dunkell, in the month of Aug. the same year. On the 17 Feb. 1616, was translated to Worcester: whereupon his Deanery was given to Dr. George Meriton Dean of Peterborough, (elected thereunto 25 Mar. 1617) and his Bishoprick of Bristow to Dr. Nich. Felton Master of Pemb. Hall in Cambridge, to which being consecrated 14 Dec. 1617, sate there till the 14 March 1618, on which day he was translated to Ely. As for Thornborough he was a person well furnish’d with Learning, Wisdom, Courage, and other as well episcopal as temporal, Accomplishments, beseeming a Gentleman, a Dean and a Bishop. But above all he was much commended for his great skill in Chymistry, a study but seldom followed in his time: And ’tis thought that by some helps from it, it was that he attained to so great an age. A most learned ((a))((a)) Arth. Dee in his Preface to the Students in Chymistry, to his Fasciculus Chimicus, &c. Chymist of this mans time tells us, that “he knew a Bishop whose fame in Chymistry being celebrated of many, he visited, and after he had seen a little chymical tract, written with his own hand, he took him labouring in our gold, whence he studied to extract Vitriol, which he held his only secret; whereupon he left him, for that he knew that he had neither before him the proper matter, nor the manner of working, according to the doctrine of Philosophers, &c. ” But who this Bishop was, unless our Author Thornborough, or a Bishop in Germany, whom he met in his Travels, I know not, nor doth it signifie much. His writings are these;

The joyful and blessed reuniting the two mighty and famous Kingdoms of England and Scotland into their ancient name of Great Britain. Oxon. 1605. qu. published under the name of John Bristoll. But several things therein being conceived to be derogatory to the honor of both Houses of Parliament, the Author was complained of only in the upper house, which was soon after passed over. In 1604 was printed at London, A Treatise of Union of the two Realms of England and Scotland: said in the title page to be written by J. H.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 : sive Nihil, Aliquid, Omnia, in gratiam eorum, qui artem auriferam physico-chymicè & pie profitentur. Oxon. 1621. qu.

The last will and testament of Jesus Christ touching the blessed Sacrament of the body and blood, &c. Oxon. 1630. qu.

A discourse shewing the great happiness that hath, and may still accrue to his Maj. Kingdoms of Engl. and Scotland by reuniting them into one Great Britaine, in two parts. Lond. 1641. in tw. published under the name of Joh. Bristoll, but ’tis not the same with the former. ’Twas afterwards printed at Edenburgh in the Latin Tongue.

Pax vobis, concerning the Unity and Peace of the Church.—This I think is not printed, nor other things that he had lying by him at the time of his death. He departed this mortal life in the Castle called Hartilborough in Worcestershire (after he had been twice married) on the ninth day of July, in sixteen hundred forty and one, and was buried on the north side of the Chappel behind the east end of the choire belonging to the Cath. Chur. of Worcester, 1641. near to a fair alabaster monument which he had fourteen years before erected for himself, with his Statua in his episcopal Robes curiously carved in stone, lying thereon. On the Canopy over his head, I find this written on the side of it, Denarius Philosophorum dum spiro spero. And on the north side is this. In uno, 20, 32, 41, 10. non spirans spero. Over his head is this, Qui dormis attolle caput, quia in infirmitate virtus, in morte vita, in tenebris lux. And over his feet, mors nubecula transiens laborum finis, vitae janua, scala coeli, mihi lucrum. Besides these Sentences, is a large Inscription painted on a table hanging above his feet, which for brevity sake I now omit. See more in Hist. & Antiq. Univ. Oxon. lib. 2. p. 200 b. He had issue by his first wife, Sir Benj. Thornborough Kt. and Edw. Thornborough Archdeacon of Worcester, who died in 1645; and by his second named Elizab. Bayles of Suffolk, Sir Tho. Thornborough of Elmeley Lovet in Worcestershire Kt. &c. He had also a Brother named Giles, who was Subdean and one of the Canons of Sarum in the latter end of Qu. Elizabeth, as also Rector of Orcheston S. George in Wilts, who died in 1637, leaving a Relict behind him named Jane. He had also a nephew of the same name, Preb. of Worcester in 1629, who dying in 1663, one Will. Owen M. A. was installed in his place 13 Feb. the same year. A little before this Bishops death, he told his Maj. K. Ch. 1. that he had outlived several that had expected to succeed him in the See of Worcester, and now, said he, I am afraid I shall outlive my Bishoprick, which almost had come to pass.