Thomas Winniff

a grave, learned and moderate Divine, was born, as ’tis said, at Shirebourne in Dorsetshire, admitted a Batler or Sojournour of Exeter Coll. in Lent term, an. 1593 aged 18 years, elected Prob. fellow thereof, 30 June 1595, admitted Master of Arts in 1601, and about that time entring into holy Orders, he became a noted Preacher and a Tutour. In 1609 he left the College, because he had an Ecclesiastical Benefice confer’d on him, but the name of it I know not, unless Lambourne in Essex, which he enjoyed many years, and at length bought the advowson thereof of Rob. Taverner Gent, which he afterwards by his will gave to his Nephew Peter Mews. About that time he was Chaplain to Pr. Henry, and afterwards to Pr. Charles, which last he much displeased in two matters, first that in a certain harangue which he occasionally delivered in the beginning of Apr. 1622 he compared ((a))((a)) Gul. Camden in Annal. Reg. Jac. 1. MS sub an. 1622. Frederick King of Bohemia to a Lamb, and Count Spinola to a bloody Wolf, which also displeased the King; and secondly that in some little particulars, he expressed himself an enemy to his marriage with the Infanta of Spain. For these matters he had like to have lost his Spiritualities, had not his Maj. K. Jam. 1. highly valued him for his learning. In 1624 Nov. 10. he was installed Dean of Glocester in the place of Dr. Rich. Senhouse promoted to the See of Carlile, and after the said Kings death being made Chaplain to his Successor Ch. 1. had the Deanery of S. Pauls Cathedral confer’d on him, an. 1631. Afterwards upon the translation of Dr. Williams to York in 1641 he was nominated by the King Bishop of Lincoln purposely to please the Puritan, and was soon after consecrated. But the rebellion breaking out the next year, occasion’d by a prevalent party in both Houses of Parliament, who silenced the Bishops and caused their Lands to be sold, this holy Bishop received little or no profit from the Lands belonging to his See, only trouble and vexation as a Bishop. Afterwards he retired to Lambourne, spent there for the most part the remainder of his days and justly obtained this character from a ((b))((b)) Dr. John Gauden in his Suspiria Eccles. Anglicanae, &c. Lond. 1659. fol. p. 614. learned Bishop that none was more mild, modest and humble, yet learned, eloquent and honest, than Bishop Winniffe. He died in the summer time in sixteen hundred fifty and four,1654 and was buried in the Church at Lambourne. Soon after was erected a comly monument over his grave, on which ’tis said, that he was made Bishop of Lincoln 1642 Ex eorum numero Episcoporum, quibus incumbebat nutantis episcopatus molem, pietatis ac probitatis suae fulcimine sustentare, &c.