Gilbert Berkeley (1501–1581) was an English churchman, a

Marian exile The Marian exiles were English Protestants who fled to Continental Europe during the 1553–1558 reign of the Catholic monarchs Queen Mary I and King Philip.Christina Hallowell Garrett (1938) ''Marian Exiles: A Study in the Origins of Elizabethan ...

during the reign of

Bloody Mary Bloody Mary originally referred to: * Mary I of England (1516–1558), Queen of England and Ireland, so called because of her persecution of Protestants Bloody Mary may also refer to: Film * '' Urban Legends: Bloody Mary'', a 2005 horror fil ...

, and then

Bishop of Bath and Wells The Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the overwhelmingly greater part of the (ceremonial) county of Somerset and a small area of D ...

Life

He took the degree of B.D. at Oxford about 1539, according to

Anthony à Wood Anthony Wood (17 December 1632 – 28 November 1695), who styled himself Anthony à Wood in his later writings, was an English antiquary. He was responsible for a celebrated ''Hist. and Antiq. of the Universitie of Oxon''. Early life Anthony W ...

. He was rector of

Attleborough Attleborough is a market town and civil parish located on the A11 between Norwich and Thetford in Norfolk, England. The parish is in the district of Breckland and has an area of . The 2001 Census recorded the town as having a population of 9, ...

in 1544, according to 19th-century sources, though the ''

Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'' doubts that there is evidence of his early preferments. During the reign of

Mary I of England Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, and as "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant opponents, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain from January 1556 until her death in 1558. She ...

he was in exile at

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its ...

. After the deprivation of

Gilbert Bourne Gilbert Bourne (date of birth unknown; d. 10 September 1569 at Silverton, Devon) was the last Roman Catholic Bishop of Bath and Wells, England. Life to the death of Mary I Bourne was son of Philip Bourne, of Worcestershire. Entering the Unive ...

, bishop of Bath and Wells, license of election was granted 11 January 1560. Berkeley was elected to the see 29 January, the royal assent was given 20 March, he was consecrated at Lambeth 24 March, and received the temporalities 10 July. He received the degree of D.D. ''per gratiam'' in 1563. His dean at

Wells Wells most commonly refers to: * Wells, Somerset, a cathedral city in Somerset, England * Well, an excavation or structure created in the ground * Wells (name) Wells may also refer to: Places Canada * Wells, British Columbia England * Wel ...

was William Turner, another Marian exile but less conformist and with the dissenters in the

Vestments controversy The vestments controversy or vestarian controversy arose in the English Reformation, ostensibly concerning vestments or clerical dress. Initiated by John Hooper's rejection of clerical vestments in the Church of England under Edward VI as des ...

; Berkeley admonished him, and then in 1565 complained of his conduct to Archbishop

Matthew Parker Matthew Parker (6 August 1504 – 17 May 1575) was an English bishop. He was the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Church of England from 1559 until his death in 1575. He was also an influential theologian and arguably the co-founder (with a ...

John Strype John Strype (1 November 1643 – 11 December 1737) was an English clergyman, historian and biographer from London. He became a merchant when settling in Petticoat Lane. In his twenties, he became perpetual curate of Theydon Bois, Essex and l ...

gives him a high reputation but records that in 1564 he licensed Thomas, son of John Harington, to the living of

Kelston Kelston is a small village and civil parish in Somerset, north west of Bath, and east of Bristol, on the A431 road. It is situated just north of the River Avon, close to the Kelston and Saltford locks. The parish has a population of 248. ...

when only eighteen years of age. In 1574 the burgesses of Wells applied for a renewal of their ancient corporation, but Berkeley resisted their claim. In 1578 he successfully resisted an attempt made by

William Paulet, 3rd Marquess of Winchester William Paulet, 3rd Marquess of Winchester ( – 24 November 1598) was an English nobleman, the son of John Paulet, 2nd Marquess of Winchester and his first wife, Elizabeth Willoughby. His maternal grandfather was Robert Willoughby, 2nd Baro ...

to impropriate the tithes of the living of

West Monkton West Monkton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated north east of Taunton in the Somerset West and Taunton district. The parish includes the hamlets of Monkton Heathfield, Bathpool, and Burlinch and the western parts of Co ...

, of which he was patron. He died 2 November 1581. He had written to the lord treasurer urging that appointments might be made to fill sees, but the diocese of Bath and Wells was left without a bishop for nearly three years.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Berkeley, Gilbert 1501 births 1581 deaths Bishops of Bath and Wells Marian exiles 16th-century Church of England bishops Alumni of the University of Oxford