Richard Neile (or Neale; 1562 – 31 October 1640) was an English churchman, bishop successively of six English

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

s, more than any other man, including the Archdiocese of York from 1631 until his death.

Early life

Neile was born in

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

, and baptised on 11 March 1562 at St Margaret's, Westminster. He was son of a tallow-chandler, though his grandfather had been a courtier and official under

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

, until he was deprived for non-compliance with the Six Articles. He was educated at

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

, under Edward Grant and William Camden. He was sent by Mildred, Lady Burghley (wife of

William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley (13 September 15204 August 1598), was an English statesman, the chief adviser of Elizabeth I, Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State (England), Secretary of State (1550–1553 and ...

), on the recommendation of Gabriel Goodman to

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College, formally the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge, is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch L ...

as a

pensioner A pensioner is a person who receives a pension, most commonly because of retirement from the workforce. This is a term typically used in the United Kingdom (along with OAP, initialism of old-age pensioner), Ireland and Australia where someone of p ...

, matriculating at Easter 1580, graduating B.A. 1584, M.A. 1587, B.D. 1595, D.D. 1600. Ordained deacon and priest at

Peterborough Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...

in 1589, he continued to enjoy the patronage of the Burghley family, residing in their household, and became chaplain to Lord Burghley, and later to his son

Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, (1 June 156324 May 1612) was an English statesman noted for his direction of the government during the Union of the Crowns, as Tudor England gave way to Stuart period, Stuart rule (1603). Lord Salisbury ser ...

. He preached before Queen Elizabeth, and became vicar of

Cheshunt Cheshunt (/ˈtʃɛzənt/ CHEZ-ənt) is a town in the Borough of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, England, situated within the London commuter belt approximately north of Central London. The town lies on the River Lea and Lee Navigation, bordering th ...

, Hertfordshire (1590) and rector of Toddington, Bedfordshire (1598). He was appointed Master of the Savoy in 1602, and in July 1603 Clerk of the Closet, a position he would hold until 1632. On 5 November 1605 he was installed Dean of Westminster, resigning the deanery in 1610.

Bishop

He held successively the bishoprics of Rochester (1608), Lichfield and Coventry (1610), Lincoln (1614), Durham (1617), and

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 N ...

(1628), and the archbishopric of

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

(1631). While at Rochester he appointed

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 of England, Charles I in 1633, Laud was a key advocate of Caroline era#Religion, Charles I's religious re ...

as his chaplain and gave him several valuable preferments. His political activity while bishop of Durham was rewarded with a privy councillorship in 1627. Neile sat regularly in the courts of Star Chamber and High Commission. His correspondence with Laud and with Sir Dudley Carleton and Sir Francis Windebank ( Charles I's secretaries of state) are valuable sources for the history of the time. He was involved in the last burning at the stake for heresy in England, that of the Arian Edward Wightman in 1612. Oliver Cromwell made only one speech during his first stint as a Member of Parliament for

Huntingdon Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by John, King of England, King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver C ...

in the Parliament of 1628–1629, a poorly received attack against Neile, possibly over disagreement with his form of Arminianism.

Family

Neile was the father of

Sir Paul Neile Sir Paul Neile Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (1613 – February 1686) was an English astronomer and politician who sat in the House of Commons of England, House of Commons in 1640 and from 1673 to 1677. Neile was born at Westminster, th ...

, astronomer and politician, and grandfather of William Neile, mathematician. His brother, another William Neile (1560–1624), was a book-collector who left 880 books to his children at his death.Westminster Archives, Commissary Court of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster wills, Camden 27.

References

Attribution

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Neile, Richard 1562 births 1640 deaths 17th-century Anglican archbishops 17th-century Church of England bishops Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Archbishops of York Arminian theologians Arminian ministers Bishops of Durham Bishops of Lichfield Bishops of Lincoln Bishops of Rochester Bishops of Winchester Burials at York Minster Clerks of the Closet Deans of Westminster Doctors of Divinity Lord-lieutenants of Durham Masters of the Savoy People educated at Westminster School, London 1560s births