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

diocese In 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 provinces were administratively associat ...

s, more than any other man, including the Archdiocese of York from 1631 until his death. He was involved in the last burning at the stake for heresy in England, that of the Arian

Edward Wightman Edward Wightman (1566 – 11 April 1612) was an English Radical Reformation, radical Anabaptist Minister (Christianity), minister, executed at Lichfield on charges of heresy. He was the last person to be Execution by burning, burned at the stake ...

in 1612.

Early life

Neile was born in

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buck ...

, and baptised on 11 March 1562 at

St Margaret's, Westminster The Church of St Margaret, Westminster Abbey, is in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, London, England. It is dedicated to Margaret of Antioch, and forms part of a single World Heritage Site with the Palace of 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 best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagr ...

, 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 derives from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the 1066 Norman Conquest, as d ...

, under Edward Grant and

William Camden William Camden (2 May 1551 – 9 November 1623) was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and herald, best known as author of ''Britannia'', the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, and the ''Ann ...

. He was sent by Mildred, Lady Burghley (wife of

Lord Burghley William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley (13 September 15204 August 1598) was an English statesman, the chief adviser of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State (1550–1553 and 1558–1572) and Lord High Treasurer from 1 ...

), on the recommendation of Gabriel Goodman to

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corporation established by a charter dated 9 April 1511. Th ...

as a poor scholar, matriculating at Easter 1580, graduating B.A. 1584, M.A. 1587, B.D. 1595,

D.D. A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

1600. Ordained deacon and priest at

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

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. He preached before

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022 ...

, and became vicar of

Cheshunt Cheshunt ( ) is a town in Hertfordshire, England, north of London on the River Lea and Lee Navigation. It contains a section of the Lee Valley Park, including much of the River Lee Country Park. To the north lies Broxbourne and Wormley, Waltha ...

, Hertfordshire (1590) and rector of

Toddington, Bedfordshire Toddington is a large village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the county of Bedfordshire, England. It is situated 5 miles north-north-west of Luton, north of Dunstable, south-west of Woburn, Bedfordshire, Woburn, and 35&nbs ...

(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 The Dean of Westminster is the head of the chapter at Westminster Abbey. Due to the Abbey's status as a Royal Peculiar, the dean answers directly to the British monarch (not to the Bishop of London as ordinary, nor to the Archbishop of Canterbu ...

, resigning the deanery in 1610.

Bishop

He held successively the bishoprics of

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

(1608), Lichfield and Coventry (1610), Lincoln (1614), Durham (1617), and Winchester (1628), and the archbishopric of

York York is a cathedral city with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many hist ...

(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 in 1633, Laud was a key advocate of Charles I's religious reforms, he was arrested by Parliament in 16 ...

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 The Star Chamber (Latin: ''Camera stellata'') was an Kingdom of England, English court that sat at the royal Palace of Westminster, from the late to the mid-17th century (c. 1641), and was composed of Privy Council of England, Privy Counsellors ...

and High Commission. His correspondence with Laud and with

Sir Dudley Carleton Dudley Carleton, 1st Viscount Dorchester (10 March 1573 – 15 February 1632) was an English art collector, diplomat and Secretary of State (England), Secretary of State. Early life He was the second son of Anthony Carleton of Brightwell Baldw ...

and Sir Francis Windebank (

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

's secretaries of state) are valuable sources for the history of the time. 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 in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver Cromwell was born there ...

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

Arminianism Arminianism is a branch of Protestantism based on the theological ideas of the Dutch Reformed theologian Jacobus Arminius (1560–1609) and his historic supporters known as Remonstrants. Dutch Arminianism was originally articulated in the ' ...

Family

Neile was the father of Sir Paul Neile, 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

* Morrill, John (1990). "The Making of Oliver Cromwell", in Morrill, John (ed.), ''Oliver Cromwell and the English Revolution'' (Longman), .

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