John Still
Encyclopedia
John Still bishop of Bath and Wells
enjoyed considerable fame as a preacher and disputant. He was formerly reputed to be the author of the early English comedy drama Gammer Gurton's Needle (see below).
he became a student at Christ's College, Cambridge
, where he graduated with a BA
in 1562, MA in 1565, and DD
degree in 1575. In 1561 he became a fellow of his college and took holy orders
. He was appointed in 1570 Lady Margaret's Professor of Divinity
, subsequently held livings in Suffolk
and Yorkshire
, and was master successively of St John's College
(1574) and of Trinity College
(1577). Still was vice-chancellor of his university in 1575/6 and again in 1592/3, and was raised to the bishopric of Bath and Wells in 1593. In 1604 he purchased the manor of Hutton
, Somerset, east of Wells and to the west of the Mendip Hills
, with its residence of Hutton Court. He died on 26 February 1608, leaving a large fortune from lead mines discovered in the Mendips. There is a fine monument to Still in the north transept
of Wells Cathedral
, erected by his son Nathaniel.
, properly so called. Still, whose reputation as a serious churchman cannot easily be reconciled with the buffoonery in A Ryght Pithy, Pleasaunt and merie Comedie: Intytuled Gammer Gurtons Nedle, was first credited with its authorship by Isaac Reed
in his 1782 edition of Biographia dramatica. The title-page of the piece, which was printed by Thomas Colwell in 1575, states that it was played not long ago at Christ's College, Cambridge
, and was "made by Mr S. Mr of Art." A play was acted at Christmas 1567, and Still was identified as being the only M.A. on the register at that time whose name began with S.
There are reasons to suppose, however, that the play had been in Colwell's hands some time before it was printed, and it may well be identical with the Dyccon of Bedlam for which he took out a licence in 1562-1563, "Diccon the Bedlem" being the first of the dramatis personae
of Gammer Gurton. In the accounts of Christ's College for 1559-1560 is the entry, "Spent at Mr Stevenson's plaie, 5s."
William Stevenson
was born at Hunwick
, Durham
, matriculated in 1546, took his MA degree in 1553, and became BD
in 1560. Stevenson was a fellow of Christ's College from 1559 to 1561, and is perhaps to be identified with a William Stevenson who was a fellow from 1551 to 1554. If such is the case, there is reason to believe that the composition of Gammer Gurton's Needle should be referred to the earlier period. He was made prebendary
of Durham in 1560-1561, and died in 1575.
Contemporary Puritan
writers in the Marprelate tracts
allude to Dr John Bridges, Dean of Salisbury, author of A Defence of the Government of the Church of England, as the reputed author of Gammer Gurton's Needle, but he obviously could not be properly described as "Mr. S". Dr Bridges took his MA degree at Pembroke College, Cambridge
, in 1560, and the witty and sometimes coarse character of his acknowledged work makes it reasonable to suppose that he may have been a coadjutor of the author.
In the light of the authorship discussion, Gammer Gurton's Needle is thought to have been produced in around 1553. Though less overt in its use of Latin
comedic conventions than its contemporary Ralph Roister Doister
, a number of scholars have noted the play's parodic treatment of Terentian
comedy. The plot centres on the loss of a needle belonging to Gammer Gurton. It is eventually found when her servant, Hodge, is slapped on the buttocks by the trickster figure Diccon and discovers it in the seat of his breeches.
inscription:
Above it are 3 escutcheons, left to right: 1st, Azure, a saltire per saltire and per cross counter changed argent and or (See of Wells); 2nd, the same, impaling
Still; 3rd, Still, alone.
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 vast majority of the county of Somerset and a small area of Dorset. The Episcopal seat is located in the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew in...
enjoyed considerable fame as a preacher and disputant. He was formerly reputed to be the author of the early English comedy drama Gammer Gurton's Needle (see below).
Career
He was born about 1543 at Grantham, Lincolnshire. After finishing his schooling at The King's School, GranthamThe King's School, Grantham
The King's School is a British grammar school located in the market town of Grantham, in Lincolnshire, England, and one of the oldest schools in the UK.-History:...
he became a student at 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:...
, where he graduated with a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1562, MA in 1565, and DD
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
degree in 1575. In 1561 he became a fellow of his college and took holy orders
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
. He was appointed in 1570 Lady Margaret's Professor of Divinity
Lady Margaret's Professor of Divinity
The Lady Margaret's Professor of Divinity is the oldest professorship at the University of Cambridge. It was founded initially as a readership by Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII, in 1502....
, subsequently held livings in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
and Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, and was master successively of St John's College
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
(1574) and of Trinity College
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
(1577). Still was vice-chancellor of his university in 1575/6 and again in 1592/3, and was raised to the bishopric of Bath and Wells in 1593. In 1604 he purchased the manor of Hutton
Hutton, Somerset
Hutton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. The parish, which has a population of 2,627, is within the Unitary Authority of North Somerset and located on the western edge of the Mendip Hills, close to Weston-super-Mare....
, Somerset, east of Wells and to the west of the Mendip Hills
Mendip Hills
The Mendip Hills is a range of limestone hills to the south of Bristol and Bath in Somerset, England. Running east to west between Weston-super-Mare and Frome, the hills overlook the Somerset Levels to the south and the Avon Valley to the north...
, with its residence of Hutton Court. He died on 26 February 1608, leaving a large fortune from lead mines discovered in the Mendips. There is a fine monument to Still in the north transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
of Wells Cathedral
Wells Cathedral
Wells Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral in Wells, Somerset, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, who lives at the adjacent Bishop's Palace....
, erected by his son Nathaniel.
Authorship of Gammer Gurton's Needle
Gammer Gurton's Needle is the second earliest extant English comedyComedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
, properly so called. Still, whose reputation as a serious churchman cannot easily be reconciled with the buffoonery in A Ryght Pithy, Pleasaunt and merie Comedie: Intytuled Gammer Gurtons Nedle, was first credited with its authorship by Isaac Reed
Isaac Reed
Isaac Reed was an English Shakespearean editor.-Life:The son of a baker, he was born in London. He was articled to a solicitor, and eventually set up as a conveyancer at Staple Inn, where he had a large practice.-Works:...
in his 1782 edition of Biographia dramatica. The title-page of the piece, which was printed by Thomas Colwell in 1575, states that it was played not long ago at 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:...
, and was "made by Mr S. Mr of Art." A play was acted at Christmas 1567, and Still was identified as being the only M.A. on the register at that time whose name began with S.
There are reasons to suppose, however, that the play had been in Colwell's hands some time before it was printed, and it may well be identical with the Dyccon of Bedlam for which he took out a licence in 1562-1563, "Diccon the Bedlem" being the first of the dramatis personae
Dramatis Personae
Dramatis Personae is a poetry collection by Robert Browning. It was published in 1864.- Background :Browning wrote the collection in London, where he had returned with his son after his wife's death. It was his first publication after a nine-year hiatus...
of Gammer Gurton. In the accounts of Christ's College for 1559-1560 is the entry, "Spent at Mr Stevenson's plaie, 5s."
William Stevenson
William Stevenson (poet)
William Stevenson was an English clergyman and presumed playwright of the early English language comedy Gammer Gurton's Needle....
was born at Hunwick
Hunwick
Hunwick is a semi-rural village in County Durham, England. There are actually two villages that are often referred to collectively as Hunwick, Hunwick and New Hunwick although it is generally accepted that the two villages are now as one....
, Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
, matriculated in 1546, took his MA degree in 1553, and became BD
Bachelor of Divinity
In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies....
in 1560. Stevenson was a fellow of Christ's College from 1559 to 1561, and is perhaps to be identified with a William Stevenson who was a fellow from 1551 to 1554. If such is the case, there is reason to believe that the composition of Gammer Gurton's Needle should be referred to the earlier period. He was made prebendary
Prebendary
A prebendary is a post connected to an Anglican or Catholic cathedral or collegiate church and is a type of canon. Prebendaries have a role in the administration of the cathedral...
of Durham in 1560-1561, and died in 1575.
Contemporary Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
writers in the Marprelate tracts
Martin Marprelate
Martin Marprelate was the name used by the anonymous author or authors of the seven Marprelate tracts which circulated illegally in England in the years 1588 and 1589...
allude to Dr John Bridges, Dean of Salisbury, author of A Defence of the Government of the Church of England, as the reputed author of Gammer Gurton's Needle, but he obviously could not be properly described as "Mr. S". Dr Bridges took his MA degree at Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college has over seven hundred students and fellows, and is the third oldest college of the university. Physically, it is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from almost every century since its...
, in 1560, and the witty and sometimes coarse character of his acknowledged work makes it reasonable to suppose that he may have been a coadjutor of the author.
In the light of the authorship discussion, Gammer Gurton's Needle is thought to have been produced in around 1553. Though less overt in its use of Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
comedic conventions than its contemporary Ralph Roister Doister
Ralph Roister Doister
Ralph Roister Doister is a comic play by Nicholas Udall, generally regarded as the first comedy to be written in the English language.The date of its composition is disputed, but the balance of opinion suggests that it was written in about 1553, when Udall was a teacher in London, and was intended...
, a number of scholars have noted the play's parodic treatment of Terentian
Terence
Publius Terentius Afer , better known in English as Terence, was a playwright of the Roman Republic, of North African descent. His comedies were performed for the first time around 170–160 BC. Terentius Lucanus, a Roman senator, brought Terence to Rome as a slave, educated him and later on,...
comedy. The plot centres on the loss of a needle belonging to Gammer Gurton. It is eventually found when her servant, Hodge, is slapped on the buttocks by the trickster figure Diccon and discovers it in the seat of his breeches.
Family
John Still married twice:- Firstly to Anne Alabaster(d.1592), (or Arblaster), daughter of Thomas Alabaster, a cloth merchant of Hadleigh, Suffolk. A monumental brass in her memory exists in Hadleigh Church. Her brother John Alabaster was twice mayor of Hadleigh. They had the following progeny:
- John (died young 1577-81), buried at Hadleigh.
- Nathaniel(1579-1626). Baptised at Hadleigh in 1579, died 1626 at HuttonHutton, SomersetHutton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. The parish, which has a population of 2,627, is within the Unitary Authority of North Somerset and located on the western edge of the Mendip Hills, close to Weston-super-Mare....
, Somerset. He married Jane Whitmore (d.1639, buried Bath AbbeyBath AbbeyThe Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Bath, commonly known as Bath Abbey, is an Anglican parish church and a former Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, England...
), a daughter of William Whitmore(d.1593), a haberdasherWorshipful Company of HaberdashersThe Worshipful Company of Haberdashers is one of the senior Livery Companies of the City of London. The organisation, following on from the Mercers' Company, another Livery Company connected with clothing and haberdashery, received a Royal Charter in 1448...
of Balmes Manor, HackneyHackney-Places:* London Borough of Hackney, formed in 1965** Metropolitan Borough of Hackney, formed in 1900 and abolished in 1965** Hackney Central** Hackney Central , a political division of the Council** Hackney Central railway station** Hackney College...
and of Apley HallApley HallApley Hall is an English Gothic Revival house located in Stockton, Shropshire. The building was completed in 1811 with adjoining property of of private parkland beside the river Severn. It was once home to the Whitmore , Foster and Avery families...
, Shropshire. Jane's nephew was Sir Thomas Whitmore, 1st BaronetSir Thomas Whitmore, 1st BaronetSir Thomas Whitmore, 1st Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England between 1640 and 1644. He supported the Royalist side in the English Civil War.-Biography:...
(1612-1653). They had a son who died young, and five daughters and co-heiresses:(1)Anne(b.1613) married John Codrington of CodringtonCodrington, South GloucestershireCodrington is a settlement in South Gloucestershire, England. It is located near Junction 18 of the M4 motorway south of Wapley and Yate.Codrington is a hamlet situated alongside the B4465 road. It is in the Parish of Wapley-cum-Codrington in the hundred of Grumbald's Ash...
and DidmartonDidmartonDidmarton is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It lies in the Cotswold District.Since 25 March 1883, the civil parish has included the former parish of Oldbury-on-the-Hill.-History:...
, Glos., to whose family passed the manor of Hutton; (2)Jane(b.1614) married Sir James Pyle of Compton BeauchampCompton BeauchampCompton Beauchamp is a hamlet and civil parish southeast of Shrivenham in the Vale of White Horse. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.-Location:...
, Berks. (3)Elizabeth(b.1618), living in 1639 (4)Daughter 4, unnamed (5)Mary(b.1620?) married John Dennis(d.1660) of PucklechurchPucklechurchPucklechurch is a village in South Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom.- Location :Pucklechurch is a historic village with an incredibly rich past, from the Bronze Age with its tumulus on Shortwood Hill, up to the siting of a barrage balloon depot in World War II...
, Glos., Sheriff of Gloucestershire and son of Henry DennisHenry Dennis (sheriff)Henry Dennis was High Sheriff of Gloucestershire in 1629. He was lord of the manor of Pucklechurch, Gloucestershire. The Dennis family produced more Sheriffs of Gloucestershire than any other family...
(d.1638), who had married as his second wife Nathaniel's widow Jane. There is an incised stone mural tablet in baroque surround in Hutton Church depicting Nathaniel and his wife and children kneeling in prayer.
- Secondly after 1592, Jane Horner, daughter of Sir John Horner of Mells ManorMells ManorMells Manor at Mells, Somerset, England was built in the 16th century for Edward Horner, altered in the 17th century, partially demolished around 1780, and restored by Sir Edwin Lutyens in the 20th century...
, Somerset, High Sheriff of Somerset. They had the following progeny:- John Still, of Shaston St James, buried in St James's Church, Shaftesbury. Married Margaret Grubham Howe, da. of Sir George Howe, of Berwick St Leonard, Wilts., and sister of Sir George Grobham Howe, 1st BaronetSir George Grobham Howe, 1st BaronetSir George Grobham Howe, 1st Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1676....
(d.1676), M.P. for HindonHindon (UK Parliament constituency)Hindon was a parliamentary borough consisting of the village of Hindon in Wiltshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1448 until 1832, when the borough was abolished by the Great Reform Act...
, Wilts., of Berwick St Leonard, Wilts. - Thomas Still(d.1631) of SomertonSomertonSomerton is a small town and civil parish in the South Somerset district of the English county of Somerset. It gave its name to the county of Somerset, was briefly, around the start of the 14th century, the county town, and around 900 AD was possibly the capital of Wessex...
, Som. Buried at St James's, Shaftesbury. Married Bridget, da. of Gawen Champernoune esq. of DartingtonDartingtonDartington is a village in Devon, England. Its population is 1,917. It is located west of the River Dart, south of Dartington Hall and about two miles from Totnes...
, Devon by Lady Gabrielle Roberta Montgomery, da. of Gabriel, comte de MontgomeryGabriel, comte de MontgomeryGabriel, comte de Montgomery, seigneur de Lorges , a French nobleman, was a captain in Henry II's Scots Guards...
(d.1574), a leader of the French HuguenotHuguenotThe Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
s.
- John Still, of Shaston St James, buried in St James's Church, Shaftesbury. Married Margaret Grubham Howe, da. of Sir George Howe, of Berwick St Leonard, Wilts., and sister of Sir George Grobham Howe, 1st Baronet
Monument at Wells
In Wells Cathedral a large canopied tomb with a recumbent effigy of the bishop is situated against the east wall of the chapel which leads from the north aisle to the Chapter House. It was erected by Nathaniel Still, the bishop's son. It was repainted in the 19th.c. It bears the following LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
inscription:
Memoriae sacrum Joanni Still Episcopo Bathoniensi et Wellensi, Sacras Theologia Doctori Acerrimo Christianae Veritatis propugnatori non minus vitas integritate quam veria doctrina claro qui cum Domino diu vigilasset in Christo spe certa resurgendi obdormivit die XXVI Februarii mdcvii Vixit annos LXIIII sedit episcopus XVI Nathaniel Still filius primogenitus optimo patri maerens pietatis ergo posuit
("Sacred to the memory of John Still Bishop of Bath and Wells, Doctor of Theology, keenest warrior for Christian Virtue famed not less in integrity of life than for True Doctrine who when he had long kept vigil with the Lord went to sleep in Christ on the 26th. day of February 1607 in the certain hope of rising again. He lived for 64 years, sat as Bishop for 16. Nathaniel Still first-born son mourning the best father thus placed it of piety")
Above it are 3 escutcheons, left to right: 1st, Azure, a saltire per saltire and per cross counter changed argent and or (See of Wells); 2nd, the same, impaling
Impalement (heraldry)
In heraldry, impalement is the combination of two coats of arms side-by-side in one shield or escutcheon to denote union, most often that of a husband and wife, but also for ecclesiastical use...
Still; 3rd, Still, alone.
Monument to son
There exists a stone memorial to Nathaniel Still(d.1626), son of Bishop Still. Nathaniel kneels at prayer to left in front of his son, who predeceased him. Kneeling opposite is his wife Jane Whitmore in front of their daughters. Below is the following text, which alludes to the Bishop who "first raised the name" (of Still):
"In memory of Nathanill Still of this parrish Esq., who dyed the second day of February Anno Domini 1626. Not that he needeth monuments of stone for his well-gotten fame to rest uppon but this was reard to testifie that hee lives in theire loves ye yet surviving for unto vertu who first raised his name hee left the preservation of the same and to posterity remaine it shall when brass and marble monuments shall fall"
Sources
- The Master of Trinity at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, CambridgeTrinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...- http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/arthur-john-jewers/wells-cathedral-its-monumental-inscriptions-and-heraldry--together-with-the-he-hci/page-14-wells-cathedral-its-monumental-inscriptions-and-heraldry--together-with-the-he-hci.shtmlJewers, Arthur John. Wells Cathedral: Its Monumental Inscriptions and Heraldry, together with the Heraldry of the Palace, Deanery, and Vicar's Close, with Annotations from Wills, Registers, etc., and Illustrations of Arms], pp.146-150, Bishop Still