John Ewer (died 1774) was an English

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 ...

and

bishop of Bangor The Bishop of Bangor is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Diocese of Bangor of the Church in Wales. The Episcopal see, see is based in the city of Bangor where the bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Bangor Cathedral, Cathedral Church of Sa ...

. He is now remembered for an attack on the American colonists, prompted by their indifference to

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

Life

The son of Edward Ewer, born at

Belchamp St Paul Belchamp St Paul is a village and civil parish in the Braintree district of Essex, England. The village is west of Sudbury, Suffolk, and northeast of the county town, Chelmsford. The parish is northwest of Belchamp Otten and Belchamp Walt ...

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

, and matriculated in 1724 at

King's College, Cambridge King's College, formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, is a List of colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college lies beside the River Cam and faces ...

, of which he became Fellow in 1727. He took the degrees of B.A. 1728, M.A. 1733, and D.D. 1756. On leaving college he was appointed assistant-master at Eton. He afterwards become tutor to

John Manners, Marquess of Granby Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom), Lieutenant-General John Manners, Marquess of Granby (2 January 1721 – 18 October 1770) was a British Army officer and politician. The eldest son of John Manners, 3rd Duke of Rutland, as he did not outlive ...

(1721-1770), who presented him to the richly endowed rectory of

Bottesford, Leicestershire Bottesford is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Melton in the ceremonial county of Leicestershire, England. It lies close to the borders of Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. Location Bottesford is about east of Nottingham and nort ...

, in 1735: Ewer went as Lord Granby's tutor on his Grand Tour of 1739-1740. On 1 March 1738 he was appointed by patent to a canonry of Windsor, with which he subsequently held the rectory of

West Ilsley West Ilsley is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. The population of the village at the 2011 United Kingdom Census, 2011 Census was 332. Location and amenities It is situated in West Berkshire, north of Newbury, Berkshire, Newbur ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

. In 1749 he became rector of

Dengie Dengie is a scattered village and civil parish in the Maldon district of Essex, England, with a population of 119 at the 2011 census. It is about 4 km NE of the nearest town (and railway station), Southminster, on the slightly higher ground ...

, and on 4 November 1751 was instituted prebendary of Moreton cum Whaddon in

Hereford Cathedral Hereford Cathedral, formally the , is a Church of England cathedral in Hereford, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Hereford and the principal church of the diocese of Hereford. The cathedral is a grade I listed building. A place of wors ...

. He was raised to the see of Llandaff on 13 September 1761. Ewer took occasion, in a sermon preached before the

Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts United Society Partners in the Gospel (USPG) is a United Kingdom-based charitable organisation (registered charity no. 234518). It was first incorporated under Royal Charter in 1701 as the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Pa ...

, 20 February 1767, to reproach the American colonists because they failed to see any use for bishops or episcopally ordained ministers. He then proceeded to brand them as "infidels and barbarians" living in "dissolute wickedness, and the most brutal profligacy of manners". There were replies from Charles Chauncy of Boston, in ''A Letter to a Friend'', dated 10 December 1767, and in a ''Letter'' to Ewer himself, by

William Livingston William Livingston (November 30, 1723July 25, 1790) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the first governor of New Jersey (1776–1790) during the American Revolutionary War. As a New Jersey representative in the Continental Congr ...

, governor of New Jersey, in 1768. Ewer was translated to Bangor on 20 December 1768. He died on 28 October 1774 at his seat near

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engl ...

. He married on 14 September 1743, Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Barnardiston of Wyverstone, Suffolk, who survived him; he left a daughter, Margaret Frances Ewer.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ewer, John Year of birth missing 1774 deaths Bishops of Bangor Bishops of Llandaff 18th-century Welsh Anglican bishops People educated at Eton College Alumni of King's College, Cambridge Fellows of King's College, Cambridge Canons of Windsor People from Braintree District 18th-century Anglican theologians Teachers at Eton College