George Morley, 27 February 1598 to 29 October 1684, was a senior member of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Brit ...

from

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, who served as

Bishop of Worcester A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

from 1660 to 1662, and of

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

from 1662 to 1684.

Early life

Morley was born in London, England, in February 1598, to Francis Morley and Sarah Denham, and educated at

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

and

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniq ...

. He graduated BA, 1618, and MA, 1621. Throughout the 1620s and 1630s he moved in the illustrious intellectual political circles of Lucius Cary, 2nd Viscount Falkland at Great Tew. During these years, he served as domestic chaplain to

Robert Dormer, 1st Earl of Carnarvon Sir Robert Dormer of Wing, 2nd Baronet, 1st Earl of Carnarvon, 1st Viscount Ascott, 2nd Baron Dormer of Wing r Wenge'' (c. 1610 – 20 September 1643) was an English peer. He was the son of Sir William Dormer, and thus a grandson of Robert Dor ...

. In 1640, he was presented to the sinecure living of

Hartfield, Sussex Hartfield is a village and civil parish in the Wealden district of East Sussex, England. The parish also includes the settlements of Colemans Hatch, Hammerwood and Holtye, all lying on the northern edge of Ashdown Forest. Geography The ma ...

, and in the following year he was made canon of

and exchanged Hartfield for the rectory of

Mildenhall, Wiltshire Mildenhall ( ) is a village and civil parish in the Kennet Valley in Wiltshire, England, immediately east of the market town of Marlborough. The village is about east of the centre of Marlborough, on the minor road which follows the River Ken ...

Civil Wars and Interregnum

He preached before the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

in 1642, but his sermon gave offence, and when in 1647 he took a prominent part in resisting the parliamentary visitation of Oxford University he was deprived of his canonry and living. Leaving England, he joined the court of Charles II, and became one of the leading clergy at

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...

. Shortly before the Restoration he came to England on a highly successful mission to gain for Charles the support of the

Presbyterians Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their n ...

. In 1660, he regained his canonry, and soon became Dean of Christ Church. In the same year, he became

. He was elected to the See on 9 October, confirmed 23 October, and consecrated a bishop on 28 October. At the Savoy Conference of 1661 he was chief representative of the bishops. He was translated to the

See of Winchester The Diocese of Winchester forms part of the Province of Canterbury of the Church of England. Founded in 676, it is one of the older dioceses in England. It once covered Wessex, many times its present size which is today most of the historic enla ...

in 1662 and made

Dean of the Chapel Royal The Dean of the Chapel Royal, in any kingdom, can be the title of an official charged with oversight of that kingdom's chapel royal, the ecclesiastical establishment which is part of the royal household and ministers to it. England In England, ...

in 1663, a position he held until dismissed by Charles II in 1668.

Works

His works are few and chiefly polemical, e.g. ''The Bishop of Worcester's to a friend for Vindication of himself from the Calumnies of Mr.

Richard Baxter Richard Baxter (12 November 1615 – 8 December 1691) was an English Puritan church leader, poet, hymnodist, theologian, and controversialist. Dean Stanley called him "the chief of English Protestant Schoolmen". After some false starts, ...

''.

References

Sources

* * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Morley, George 1597 births 1684 deaths Anglican clergy from London People educated at Westminster School, London Westminster Divines Deans of Christ Church, Oxford Bishops of Worcester Deans of the Chapel Royal Bishops of Winchester 17th-century Church of England bishops Participants in the Savoy Conference Fellows of the Royal Society Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford