Robert King, Bishop of Oxford
Encyclopedia
Robert King was an English churchman who became the first Bishop of Oxford
.
He was a Cistercian monk, of Thame Park Abbey, and the last Abbot there, a position he obtained perhaps
through the influence of the Bishop of Lincoln
, John Longland
, as whose prebendary
and suffragan bishop
he had acted from 1535. This was a move from the position of abbot at Bruerne Abbey. Previously he had been vicar at Charlbury
.
King became abbot at Oseney Abbey in 1537. Both Thame Park and Oseney were dissolved in 1539, as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries
under Henry VIII
. In 1541 King was made Bishop of Thame and Oseney. The next year his diocese was changed, into the Diocese of Oxford
. In further changes the cathedral in Oxford was the previous priory of St Frideswide, and became instead part of Christ Church, Oxford
. King is commemorated there by a window made by Bernard van Linge.
The buildings of the old Gloucester College, Oxford
, which had become in 1542 the bishop's palace, were under Edward VI taken back by the Crown. King lived in what is now called the Old Palace (rebuilt in the seventeenth century), and Littlemore Hall.
Under Mary, he returned to Catholicism. He was a judge at the trial of Cranmer.http://www.catholic-chaplaincy.org.uk/foundation_and_mission-the_old.html
Bishop of Oxford
The Bishop of Oxford is the diocesan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford in the Province of Canterbury; his seat is at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford...
.
He was a Cistercian monk, of Thame Park Abbey, and the last Abbot there, a position he obtained perhaps
through the influence of the Bishop of Lincoln
Bishop of Lincoln
The Bishop of Lincoln is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury.The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. The Bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral...
, John Longland
John Longland
John Longland was the English Dean of Salisbury from 1514 to 1521 and bishop of Lincoln from 1521 to his death in 1547.He was King Henry VIII's confessor and was said to have been one of those who first persuaded the King that he should annul his marriage to Katherine of Aragon.During the English...
, as whose 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...
and suffragan bishop
Suffragan bishop
A suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop. He or she may be assigned to an area which does not have a cathedral of its own.-Anglican Communion:...
he had acted from 1535. This was a move from the position of abbot at Bruerne Abbey. Previously he had been vicar at Charlbury
Charlbury
Charlbury is a small town and civil parish in the Evenlode valley, about north of Witney in West Oxfordshire. It is on the edge of the Wychwood forest and the Cotswolds.-Place name:The origin of the town's toponym is obscure...
.
King became abbot at Oseney Abbey in 1537. Both Thame Park and Oseney were dissolved in 1539, as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
under Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
. In 1541 King was made Bishop of Thame and Oseney. The next year his diocese was changed, into the Diocese of Oxford
Diocese of Oxford
-History:The Diocese of Oxford was created in 1541 out of part of the Diocese of Lincoln.In 1836 the Archdeaconry of Berkshire was transferred from the Diocese of Salisbury to Oxford...
. In further changes the cathedral in Oxford was the previous priory of St Frideswide, and became instead part of Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
. King is commemorated there by a window made by Bernard van Linge.
The buildings of the old Gloucester College, Oxford
Gloucester College, Oxford
Gloucester College, Oxford was a Benedictine institution of the University of Oxford, from the late thirteenth century until the Dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century. It was never a typical college of the University, in that there was an internal division in the College, by staircase...
, which had become in 1542 the bishop's palace, were under Edward VI taken back by the Crown. King lived in what is now called the Old Palace (rebuilt in the seventeenth century), and Littlemore Hall.
Under Mary, he returned to Catholicism. He was a judge at the trial of Cranmer.http://www.catholic-chaplaincy.org.uk/foundation_and_mission-the_old.html