Life

Howell was born in Llangamarch, Brecknockshire

Brecknockshire

Brecknockshire , also known as the County of Brecknock, Breconshire, or the County of Brecon is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, and a former administrative county.-Geography:...

, Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

. Son of Thomas Howell, by a daughter of James David Powell, was born at Bryn, in the parish of Llangammarche, Breckonshire 1588, His father rector perpetual of Llangammarche and also of Abernant in Carmarthenshire. He was the older brother of James Howell

James Howell

James Howell was a 17th-century Anglo-Welsh historian and writer who is in many ways a representative figure of his age. The son of a Welsh clergyman, he was for much of his life in the shadow of his elder brother Thomas Howell, who became Lord Bishop of Bristol.-Education:In 1613 he gained his B.A...

, and a descendant of Hywel Dda

Hywel Dda

Hywel Dda , was the well-thought-of king of Deheubarth in south-west Wales, who eventually came to rule Wales from Prestatyn to Pembroke. As a descendant of Rhodri Mawr, through his father Cadell, Hywel was a member of the Dinefwr branch of the dynasty and is also named Hywel ap Cadell...

. He matriculated

Matriculation

Matriculation, in the broadest sense, means to be registered or added to a list, from the Latin matricula – little list. In Scottish heraldry, for instance, a matriculation is a registration of armorial bearings...

 at Jesus College, Oxford

Jesus College, Oxford

Jesus College is one of the colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship Street, Cornmarket Street and Market Street...

 on 20 November 1607, obtaining his 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...

 degree on 20 February 1609, his MA on 9 July 1612 and later obtaining his 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....

 (or 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 - the records are unclear) degree in July 1630. After his ordination, he was appointed a royal chaplain by Charles I

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...

 and was also rector

Rector

The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...

 of West Horsley

West Horsley

West Horsley is a small village between Guildford and Leatherhead in Surrey, England. Neighbouring villages include East Horsley, Ockham, West Clandon and East Clandon. It lies on the A246, and south of the M25 and the A3. The Sheepleas Woods are located in the extreme south of the village, and...

 in Surrey

Surrey

Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...

, becoming rector of St Stephen Walbrook

St Stephen Walbrook

St Stephen, Walbrook is a small church in the City of London, part of the Church of England's Diocese of London. It is located in Walbrook, next to the Mansion House, and near to Bank and Monument Underground stations.-History:In the second century A.D...

 on 13 April 1635. This appointment provoked a dispute between Charles I (who presented him for the position), the parishioners of the church and the Grocers' Company (who controlled the church) because Howell refused to live in the parish.

Howell was appointed to a canonry of Windsor

Windsor, Berkshire

Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....

 in 1636 and the sinecure

Sinecure

A sinecure means an office that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service...

 rectory of Fulham

Fulham

Fulham is an area of southwest London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, SW6 located south west of Charing Cross. It lies on the left bank of the Thames, between Putney and Chelsea. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...

 in 1642. He faced difficulties during the English Civil War

English Civil War

The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...

: although regarded as a "puritanical preacher", he was questioned by the House of Commons

British House of Commons

The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...

 on 19 March 1642 over allegations that he had criticized parliament and supported Charles I. Even before that, he had been forced out of his position at St Stephen's Walbrook in 1641 and later forfeited the rectory of West Horsley for non-residence. On the death of Thomas Westfield

Thomas Westfield

Thomas Westfield was an English churchman, Bishop of Bristol and member of the Westminster Assembly.-Life:He was born in the parish of St. Mary's, Ely, in 1573, and went the free school there. under Master Spight.' He proceeded to Jesus College, Cambridge, where he was elected a scholar, and...

 in 1644, Howell was appointed Bishop of Bristol

Bristol

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

 by Charles I. He was consecrated by Archbishop James Ussher

James Ussher

James Ussher was Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland between 1625–56...

 in August 1644, and was the last bishop to be consecrated in England for sixteen years. However, Prince Rupert surrendered Bristol to Fairfax

Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron

Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron was a general and parliamentary commander-in-chief during the English Civil War...

 on 10 September 1645 and Howell was ejected. He is not known to have attended the Westminster Assembly and is not named in the List of the Westminster Divines, probably taking the same views of its relevance as Ralph Brownrigg, Bishop of Exeter, who did not attend either. Brownrigg is named however, the brevity of Howell's Bishopric, being the cause of non-naming on the list. His whereabouts thereafter until his death (between 20 March and 22 April 1650 are unknown) but his will left the lease of a property in Frogmore

Frogmore

The Frogmore Estate or Gardens comprise of private gardens within the grounds of the Home Park, adjoining Windsor Castle, in the English county of Berkshire. The name derives from the preponderance of frogs which have always lived in this low-lying and marshy area.It is the location of Frogmore...

, Windsor to his ten youngest children, so he may have lived there for a time. His wife died shortly before him in childbirth. He was buried in Bristol Cathedral

Bristol Cathedral

The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity is the Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England, and is commonly known as Bristol Cathedral...

, his memorial stating Expergiscar ("I shall awake"). It has also been suggested that he lived on, until about 1660, when his will was proved, and that he lived during that time in West Wales, where the descendants of that family of ten children, have owned property, until very recently, one of them being an acquired tithe, details of which may be obtained from family historians. Carmarthenshire Antiquarian Journal Archives; Kemys Buckley research.