Christopher Potter (1591 – 3 March 1646) was an English academic and clergyman, Provost of

The Queen's College, Oxford The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassical architecture, ...

, controversialist and prominent supporter of

William Laud William Laud (; 7 October 1573 – 10 January 1645) was a bishop in the Church of England. Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by Charles I in 1633, Laud was a key advocate of Charles I's religious reforms, he was arrested by Parliament in 1640 ...

Life

He was born in Westmoreland, the nephew of

Barnaby Potter Barnaby Potter (1577–1642) was a Church of England priest, Bishop of Carlisle from 16 March 1628-9 to 1642. He was educated at The Queen's College, Oxford, where he graduated MA in 1602 and DD in 1615. He was elected a fellow in 1604 and s ...

. He matriculated at Queen's on 11 July 1606, aged 15, having entered the college in the previous Easter term. He was elected taberdar (pauper puer) on 29 October 1609. He graduated B.A. on 30 April 1610 and M.A. on 8 July 1613, became chaplain on 5 July 1613, and fellow on 22 March 1614–15. He was magister puerorum in 1620, and senior bursar in 1622; graduated B.D. and received a preacher's licence on 9 March 1621, and proceeded D.D. on 17 February 1627. He was in early life a follower of

Henry Airay Henry Airay (6 October 1616), was an Anglican priest, theologian, and academic. Airay was born at Kentmere, near Kendal, Westmorland. His date of birth is uncertain. His father was William Airay, a favored servant of Bernard Gilpin, "the apostle ...

, opponent of Laud, and held a lectureship at Abingdon where he was a popular preacher. On his uncle's resignation of the headship of Queen's (17 June 1626), he was elected Provost. He now attached himself to Laud, and was made chaplain in ordinary to Charles I. In the first year of his provostship, with the assistance of Sir Thomas Coventry, Viscount Doncaster, and Sir George Goring, vice-chamberlain to Queen

Henrietta Maria Henrietta Maria (french: link=no, Henriette Marie; 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland from her marriage to King Charles I on 13 June 1625 until Charles was executed on 30 January 1649. She was ...

, he obtained the

advowson Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a ...

of three rectories and three vicarages in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

for the college. He himself received the rectory of Strathfieldsaye in 1627, and after the death of William Cox in 1632 was made precentor of Chichester. He received the rectory of Bletchington,

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primaril ...

, in 1631. During Laud's chancellorship of the university, Potter was a frequent correspondent. He was a disciplinarian in his college, and instituted expositions of the creed on Sundays in chapel and English sermons on Thursdays. In 1631, on the death of John Rawlinson, principal of St. Edmund Hall, he successfully asserted the rights of his college against the claim of the chancellor to nominate a principal, and Laud admitted and confirmed the right. He had now attracted notice as a prominent

Arminian Arminianism is a branch of Protestantism based on the theological ideas of the Dutch Reformed theologian Jacobus Arminius (1560–1609) and his historic supporters known as Remonstrants. Dutch Arminianism was originally articulated in the '' ...

, and was attacked in a violent sermon written under the influence probably of John Prideaux. He also engaged in controversy the Jesuit Edward Knott over his work ''Charity Mistaken'', by the king's command, in a pamphlet.''Want of Charity justly charged on all such Romanists as dare affirm that Protestancy destroyeth Salvation'' (Oxford, 1633). Potter took much the same line as Laud had taken in his reply to

John Fisher John Fisher (c. 19 October 1469 – 22 June 1535) was an English Catholic bishop, cardinal, and theologian. Fisher was also an academic and Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. He was canonized by Pope Pius XI. Fisher was executed by o ...

. A second edition (London, 1634) was revised by Laud, whose suggested alterations later formed one of the charges brought against him at his trial. To Knott's reply, ''Mercy and Truth'', William Chillingworth's ''Religion of Protestants'' was an answer, and Potter was asked by Laud to revise the latter work. He became pro-vice-chancellor on 13 July 1639, and was appointed vice-chancellor on 28 July 1640. It was to him that Laud's letter of resignation of his office was addressed. On 4 December 1640 he found it necessary, with the other university officials, to issue a notice denying that they knew or suspected "any member of the university to be a papist, or popishly inclined". He had been promoted, by Laud's influence, as

Dean of Worcester The Dean of Worcester is the head of the Chapter of Worcester Cathedral in Worcester, England. The current dean is Peter Atkinson, who lives at The Deanery, College Green, Worcester. Crockford's on-line accessed by subscription Tuesday 11 June ...

in 1636, and he received the rectory of Great Haseley,

, 1642. On the outbreak of the

First English Civil War The First English Civil War took place in England and Wales from 1642 to 1646, and forms part of the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. They include the Bishops' Wars, the Irish Confederate Wars, the Second English Civil War, the Angl ...

he contributed £400 to the king in July 1642, in addition to £800 given by the college. He left Oxford, but returned before Christmas 1642; he preached at the

Treaty of Uxbridge The Treaty of Uxbridge was a significant but abortive negotiation in early 1645 to try to end the First English Civil War. Background Parliament drew up 27 articles in November 1644 and presented them to Charles I of England at Oxford. Much inpu ...

. In January 1646 the king nominated him to the deanery of Durham, but he died, before his installation, on 3 March.

Personal life

Potter married Elizabeth, daughter of Dr. Charles Sonnibanke, canon of Windsor. They had a son Charles Potter (1634–1663), courtier, born in the college in 1634. Charles became a Roman Catholic, and at the Restoration was made an usher to Queen Henrietta Maria. In May 1662 he was repaid £2,000 which his father had lent to Charles I. Elizabeth afterwards married Gerard Langbaine, the next Provost of Queen's.

References

Additional sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Potter, Christopher 1591 births 1646 deaths 17th-century English Anglican priests Arminian ministers Arminian theologians Provosts of The Queen's College, Oxford