Life

He was the eldest son of Owen Owens (died 1593) or John Owen, a Welsh-born Archdeacon of Anglesey, and Jane, his second wife. The son John was baptised at Burton-Latimer on 8 November 1580, and graduated B.A. from Christ's College, Cambridge

Christ's College, Cambridge

Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.With a reputation for high academic standards, Christ's College averaged top place in the Tompkins Table from 1980-2000 . In 2011, Christ's was placed sixth.-College history:...

, in 1597. He subsequently became Fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge

Jesus College, Cambridge

Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The College was founded in 1496 on the site of a Benedictine nunnery by John Alcock, then Bishop of Ely...

, and proceeded M.A. in 1600 and D.D. in 1618. He was incorporated M.A. at Oxford on 16 July 1600. He remained at Cambridge for some years, and appears as taxor there in 1608. In 1608 he succeeded to the rectory of Burton-Latimer and was appointed chaplain to Prince Charles

Charles I of England

Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...

. In 1625 he received the rectories of Carlton, Northamptonshire, and of Cottingham

Cottingham, Northamptonshire

Cottingham is a village and civil parish in Northamptonshire in the English midlands that can trace its history back to Roman times. Cotingeham is listed in the Domesday Book and is also mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. It is located north-west of the town of Corby and is administered as...

 in the same county.

Owen was in favour with William Laud

William Laud

William Laud was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633 to 1645. One of the High Church Caroline divines, he opposed radical forms of Puritanism...

, and was liked by Charles I; on 18 August 1629, he was elected bishop of St Asaph. He was consecrated at Croydon on 20 September, instituted on 23 September, and had his temporalities restored on 26 September 1629. In the same month, on 15 September, he received a grant to hold in commendam the archdeaconry of St Asaph and other benefices within his diocese, and the archdeaconry of Bangor to a value not exceeding £150 per annum. In his diocese, he boasted, he was connected by descent with every family of quality. He was active in the pastoral work of his bishopric and was the first to institute a series of Welsh sermons to be preached in the parish church the first Sunday of each month by members of the parish who derived a portion of their income from its tithes. He superintended improvements in the structure of the cathedral, including the building of a new organ in 1635. Owen held six rectories with his bishopric, mostly in commendam.

In the First English Civil War

First English Civil War

The First English Civil War began the series of three wars known as the English Civil War . "The English Civil War" was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations that took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1651, and includes the Second English Civil War and...

 he suffered for his loyalty to the king. Having joined in the petition of the eleven bishops on 30 December 1641, he was impeached of high treason and imprisoned in the Tower of London

Tower of London

Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...

. On 6 April following, when his bishopric was sequestrated, he was allowed by parliament £500 per annum. The sequestration of his rectories, the sale of his episcopal property and desecration of his palace followed. Owen died on 15 October 1651, at Perth Kinsey, and was buried in the cathedral church of St. Asaph, under the bishops' throne (21 October).

Family

Owen married, first: Sarah Hodelow of Cambridgeshire, by whom he had a son, Robert Owen, fellow of All Souls College, Oxford

All Souls College, Oxford

The Warden and the College of the Souls of all Faithful People deceased in the University of Oxford or All Souls College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England....

, B.C.L. on 3 Dec. 1660, and shortly after chancellor of the diocese of St. Asaph; and a daughter, married to Dr. William Griffith, chancellor of Bangor and St. Asaph. The first wife was buried at Burton-Latimer in February 1621. Owen's second wife was Elizabeth Gray; and his third wife, Elin, daughter of Robert Wyn of Conway.