Francis Davies (14 March 1605 – 14 March 1675) was a Welsh clergyman who was

Bishop of Llandaff The Bishop of Llandaff is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Llandaff. Area of authority The diocese covers most of the County of Glamorgan. The bishop's cathedra, seat is in the Llandaff Cathedral, Cathedral Chu ...

from 1667 until his death.

Life

Davies was born in

Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

and educated at

Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship ...

matriculating Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term ''matriculation'' is seldom used no ...

in November 1621. He was awarded his BA in 1625, his MA in 1628 and a BD degree in 1640. He is also said to have become a

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

of Jesus College before taking his BD degree, but he is not included in the list of fellows in Ernest Hardy's history of the college. He took the degree of DD in 1661. After being ordained, he was rector of

Pentyrch Pentyrch (sometimes ; ) is a village and community located on the western outskirts of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The village gives its name to a Cardiff local authority electoral ward, Pentyrch, which covers the village and immediate ...

and

Radyr Radyr (; ) is an outer suburb of Cardiff, about northwest of Cardiff city centre. Radyr is part of Radyr and Morganstown Community, for which the 2011 Census recorded a population of 6,417. Morganstown is north of Radyr, on the other sid ...

in Glamorgan (1630 onwards), and of

Llangan Llangan () is a small village and community (Wales), community in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. It is located approximately outside the market town of Cowbridge. As a community it contains the settlements of St Mary Hill, Treoes and Llangan itsel ...

with Llantrithyd (1638 onwards), surrendering Llantrithyd soon after becoming a

prebendary A prebendary is a member of the Catholic Church, Catholic or Anglicanism , Anglican clergy, a form of canon (priest) , canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in part ...

Llandaff Cathedral Llandaff Cathedral () is a Church in Wales cathedral and parish church in Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales. It is the seat of the Bishop of Llandaff, head of the Church in Wales Diocese of Llandaff. It is dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul, and ...

in 1639. His opposition to church reforms led to his losing his parishes at some point between 1646 and 1650, although he received some concessions such as payment of some tithes to him or his brothers. He supplemented his income by running a school and, later, moving to London to become chaplain to the wife of the royalist

Henry Mordaunt, 2nd Earl of Peterborough Henry Mordaunt, 2nd Earl of Peterborough (15 November 1621 – 19 June 1697) was an English soldier, peer and courtier. Early life Styled Lord Mordaunt from 1628, he was the eldest son of John Mordaunt, 1st Earl of Peterborough. He was educ ...

. After the Restoration of Charles II, Davies became Archdeacon of Llandaff in 1660, and

in 1667. Whilst bishop, he restored the cathedral library and installed the largest bell in the bell-tower. Having never married, he left his small estate to his brother, other relations and his servants. He died on his seventieth birthday in 1675 and was buried in front of the cathedral altar. His gravestone was found after the cathedral was bombed in 1941 during the Second World War.

References

1605 births 1675 deaths 17th-century Welsh Anglican bishops Bishops of Llandaff Archdeacons of Llandaff People from Glamorgan Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford Fellows of Jesus College, Oxford Burials at Llandaff Cathedral {{Wales-bio-stub