Meredith Hanmer
Encyclopedia
Meredith Hanmer was a Welsh clergyman, known as a controversialist, historian, and translator. He was considered embittered, by the Lord-Deputy William Russell, 1st Baron Russell of Thornhaugh
; but he appears now as a shrewd observer of the Protestant and nonconformist life of Ireland as founded around Trinity College, Dublin
.
,, he was born at Porkington in Shropshire
in 1543. He was educated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford
, where he obtained a chaplaincy in 1567, and graduated B.A. 1568, M.A. 1572, and D.D. 1582. On 7 June 1575, by a special dispensation, he was allowed to supplicate for the degree of B.D., as a nobleman's chaplain, while of less than the customary standing; but the degree was not granted till 1581.
He was vicar of St. Leonard's, Shoreditch, from 8 December 1581 till June 1592, and vicar of St Mary's, Islington
from 4 November 1583 to 5 September 1590. At Shoreditch he made himself notorious by removing the monumental brass
es in the church, which he was believed to have done for his own gain. In 1584, when George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury
was examined as to the circulation of a libel that he had got Mary, Queen of Scots by child, Hanmer appeared as a witness against the earl, and is described by William Fleetword, recorder of London, who appeared in the case, as 'regarding not' an oath, 'and as a very bad man'. According to the consistorial acts of the diocese of Rochester, Hanmer was charged between 1588 and 1590 with having celebrated a marriage without banns or license.
He crossed over to Ireland about 1591. In that year he appears as archdeacon of Ross and vicar of Timoleague
. He was commended to Francis Walsingham
by Christopher Carleill
as a diligent preacher. On 4 December 1593 he was appointed treasurer of Waterford Cathedral
, vacant by the deprivation of Thomas Granger
; in April 1594 vicar-choral of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin
; on 8 June 1595 prebendary of St. Michan's in Christ Church; and on 1 November of the same year rector of the Blessed Virgin Mary de Borages, in Leighlin. On 1 June 1598 he was presented to the parish church of Muckalee, the vicarage of Rathpatrick, and the vicarage of Kylbeacon and Killaghy, all in county Kilkenny
, in the diocese of Ossory. On 10 October in the following year he was presented to the rectory or wardenship of the new college of the Blessed Mary of Youghal in the diocese of Cloyne (ib. 6345). He appears to have resigned this and his prebend of St. Michan's in 1602. On 16 June 1603 he was appointed chancellor of the cathedral church of St. Canice, Kilkenny, and at the same time vicar of Fiddown and St. John the Evangelist, and rector of Aglish-Martin.
He died in 1604, and was buried in St. Michan's Church
, Dublin. It is likely that he fell a victim to the bubonic plague
. Hanmer married at Shoreditch, 21 June 1581, Mary Austin, by whom he had four daughters.
in 1633, is a scholarly work. He translated three early ecclesiastical historians - Eusebius, Socrates of Constantinople and Evagrius Scholasticus
- in 1576.
Hanmer also wrote:
William Russell, 1st Baron Russell of Thornhaugh
William Russell, 1st Baron Russell of Thornhaugh was a younger son of Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford. His birthdate is uncertain, with some records showing that he was born as early as 1553, some as late as 1563...
; but he appears now as a shrewd observer of the Protestant and nonconformist life of Ireland as founded around Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
.
Life
The son of Richard ap David ap Howel Goch of Pentre-pant, Selattyn, near OswestryOswestry
Oswestry is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483, and A495 roads....
,, he was born at Porkington in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
in 1543. He was educated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom...
, where he obtained a chaplaincy in 1567, and graduated B.A. 1568, M.A. 1572, and D.D. 1582. On 7 June 1575, by a special dispensation, he was allowed to supplicate for the degree of B.D., as a nobleman's chaplain, while of less than the customary standing; but the degree was not granted till 1581.
He was vicar of St. Leonard's, Shoreditch, from 8 December 1581 till June 1592, and vicar of St Mary's, Islington
St Mary's Church, Islington
The Church of St Mary the Virgin is the historic parish church of Islington, in the Church of England Diocese of London. The present parish is a compact area centered on Upper Street between Angel and Highbury Corner, bounded to the west by Liverpool Road, and to the east by Essex Road/Canonbury...
from 4 November 1583 to 5 September 1590. At Shoreditch he made himself notorious by removing the monumental brass
Monumental brass
Monumental brass is a species of engraved sepulchral memorial which in the early part of the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional monuments and effigies carved in stone or wood...
es in the church, which he was believed to have done for his own gain. In 1584, when George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury
George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury
George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, 6th Earl of Waterford, 12th Baron Talbot, KG, Earl Marshal was a 16th century English statesman.-Life:...
was examined as to the circulation of a libel that he had got Mary, Queen of Scots by child, Hanmer appeared as a witness against the earl, and is described by William Fleetword, recorder of London, who appeared in the case, as 'regarding not' an oath, 'and as a very bad man'. According to the consistorial acts of the diocese of Rochester, Hanmer was charged between 1588 and 1590 with having celebrated a marriage without banns or license.
He crossed over to Ireland about 1591. In that year he appears as archdeacon of Ross and vicar of Timoleague
Timoleague
Timoleague is a village in the eastern division of Carbery East in County Cork, Ireland, located along Ireland's southern coast near Courtmacsherry. It is about south of Bandon and from Cork on the R600 coastal road.-History:...
. He was commended to Francis Walsingham
Francis Walsingham
Sir Francis Walsingham was Principal Secretary to Elizabeth I of England from 1573 until 1590, and is popularly remembered as her "spymaster". Walsingham is frequently cited as one of the earliest practitioners of modern intelligence methods both for espionage and for domestic security...
by Christopher Carleill
Christopher Carleill
Christopher Carleill was an English military and naval commander.-Life:Born about 1551, he was son of Alexander Carleill, citizen and vintner of London, by his wife Anne, daughter of Sir George Barne. He was educated in the University of Cambridge. In 1572 he went to Flushing, and was present at...
as a diligent preacher. On 4 December 1593 he was appointed treasurer of Waterford Cathedral
Waterford Cathedral
Christ Church Cathedral, Waterford is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Waterford City, Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin....
, vacant by the deprivation of Thomas Granger
Thomas Granger
Thomas Graunger or Granger was the first person hanged in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the first known juvenile to be sentenced to death and executed in the territory of today's United States...
; in April 1594 vicar-choral of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin
Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin
Christ Church Cathedral is the cathedral of the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough and the cathedral of the Ecclesiastical province of the United Provinces of Dublin and Cashel in the Church of Ireland...
; on 8 June 1595 prebendary of St. Michan's in Christ Church; and on 1 November of the same year rector of the Blessed Virgin Mary de Borages, in Leighlin. On 1 June 1598 he was presented to the parish church of Muckalee, the vicarage of Rathpatrick, and the vicarage of Kylbeacon and Killaghy, all in county Kilkenny
County Kilkenny
County Kilkenny is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. The territory of the county was the core part of the ancient Irish Kingdom of Osraige which in turn was the core of the Diocese of...
, in the diocese of Ossory. On 10 October in the following year he was presented to the rectory or wardenship of the new college of the Blessed Mary of Youghal in the diocese of Cloyne (ib. 6345). He appears to have resigned this and his prebend of St. Michan's in 1602. On 16 June 1603 he was appointed chancellor of the cathedral church of St. Canice, Kilkenny, and at the same time vicar of Fiddown and St. John the Evangelist, and rector of Aglish-Martin.
He died in 1604, and was buried in St. Michan's Church
St. Michan's Church
St. Michan's Church, located in Church Street, Dublin, Ireland, is a Church of Ireland church.-Building:Built on the site of an early Danish chapel , the current structure dates largely from a reconstruction in 1686, but is still the only parish church on the north side of the Liffey surviving...
, Dublin. It is likely that he fell a victim to the bubonic plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
. Hanmer married at Shoreditch, 21 June 1581, Mary Austin, by whom he had four daughters.
Works
His Chronicle of Ireland, first published by Sir James WareSir James Ware
Sir James Ware was an Irish historian.-Early life:Born at Castle Street, Dublin, Ware was the eldest son of James Ware, who arrived in Ireland in 1588 as a secretary to Lord Deputy FitzWilliam. His father was knighted by King James I, was elected M.P...
in 1633, is a scholarly work. He translated three early ecclesiastical historians - Eusebius, Socrates of Constantinople and Evagrius Scholasticus
Evagrius Scholasticus
Evagrius Scholasticus was a Syrian scholar and intellectual living in the 6th century AD, and an aide to the patriarch Gregory of Antioch. His surviving work, Ecclesiastical History, comprises a six-volume collection concerning the Church's history from the First Council of Ephesus to Maurice’s...
- in 1576.
Hanmer also wrote:
- The Great Bragge and Challenge of M. Champion ... confuted and answered by M.H., London, 1581.
- The Jesuites Banner. ... With a Confutation of a late Pamphlet ... entitled A Brief Censure upon two Books written in Answeare to M. Champion's [Campion's] offer of disputation, &c., London, 1581. These were works against Edward CampionEdward CampionEdward Campion was the pseudonym of Father Gerard Edwards. Campion was one of the Oaten Hill Martyrs executed on 1 October 1588 and beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1929.-References:*http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=3050...
. - The Baptizing of a Turke, a sermon (on Matt, v. 16), preached 2 October 1586 at the collegiate church of St. Katharine, London, 1586. This sermon was occasioned by the liberation of galley slaves from the Spanish Caribbean, by Sir Francis Drake, of which one became a Christian convert, rather than take the passage offered back to the Ottoman EmpireOttoman EmpireThe Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
.