William Beale (college head)
Encyclopedia
William Beale was an English royalist churchman, Master in turn of Jesus College, Cambridge
and St John's College, Cambridge
. He was subjected to intense attacks by John Pym
from 1640, for an unpublished sermon he had given in 1635 supporting royal prerogative
. According to Glenn Burgess, Pym's attention to Beale was because he exhibited a rare combination of Arminian or Laudian theological views with explicit political views tending to absolutism
.
to a scholarship at Trinity College, Cambridge
, in 1605, and proceeded B.A. in 1610. He was chosen a fellow of Jesus College in the same university in 1611, commenced M.A. in 1613, was appointed archdeacon of Caermarthen in 1623, and was created D.D. in 1627. Beale became master of Jesus College on 14 July 1632, and on 20 February 1634 he was admitted master of St. John's College. In 1634 he was chosen to be vice-chancellor of the university. On 27 October 1637 he was presented by the king to the rectory of Paulerspury
in Northamptonshire
. He had also the rectory of Cottingham
in the same county, and in 1639 he was presented to the sinecure rectory of Aberdaron
.
In the year 1642 Beale took an active part in urging the various colleges to send money and plate to the king at Nottingham
. Oliver Cromwell
, having failed to intercept the treasure in Huntingdonshire
, proceeded to Cambridge with a large force. He surrounded St. John's College while its inmates were in the chapel, and took as prisoners Beale, Edward Martin
, and Richard Sterne, Master of Jesus College. He brought them to the Tower of London
. At this period Beale was deprived of his mastership and all his ecclesiastical preferments. From the Tower the prisoners were moved to Lord Petre
's house in Aldersgate Street.
After a confinement of three years, Beale was released by exchange, and joined the king at Oxford. There he was incorporated D.D. in 1645, and in the following year he was nominated Dean of Ely
, though he was never admitted to the dignity. He was one of the divines selected by the king to accompany him to Holdenby
(1646). Ultimately he went into exile and accompanied the embassy of Lord Cottington and Sir Edward Hyde to Spain. His death occurred at Madrid
on 1 October 1651.
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 St John's College, Cambridge
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....
. He was subjected to intense attacks by John Pym
John Pym
John Pym was an English parliamentarian, leader of the Long Parliament and a prominent critic of James I and then Charles I.- Early life and education :...
from 1640, for an unpublished sermon he had given in 1635 supporting royal prerogative
Royal Prerogative
The royal prerogative is a body of customary authority, privilege, and immunity, recognized in common law and, sometimes, in civil law jurisdictions possessing a monarchy as belonging to the sovereign alone. It is the means by which some of the executive powers of government, possessed by and...
. According to Glenn Burgess, Pym's attention to Beale was because he exhibited a rare combination of Arminian or Laudian theological views with explicit political views tending to absolutism
Absolutism (European history)
Absolutism or The Age of Absolutism is a historiographical term used to describe a form of monarchical power that is unrestrained by all other institutions, such as churches, legislatures, or social elites...
.
Life
He was elected from Westminster SchoolWestminster School
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
to a scholarship at Trinity College, Cambridge
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...
, in 1605, and proceeded B.A. in 1610. He was chosen a fellow of Jesus College in the same university in 1611, commenced M.A. in 1613, was appointed archdeacon of Caermarthen in 1623, and was created D.D. in 1627. Beale became master of Jesus College on 14 July 1632, and on 20 February 1634 he was admitted master of St. John's College. In 1634 he was chosen to be vice-chancellor of the university. On 27 October 1637 he was presented by the king to the rectory of Paulerspury
Paulerspury
Paulerspury is a civil parish and small village in South Northamptonshire, England. It is approximately south of Towcester and north of Milton Keynes along the A5 road...
in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
. He had also the rectory 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, and in 1639 he was presented to the sinecure rectory of Aberdaron
Aberdaron
Aberdaron is a community and former fishing village at the western tip of the Llŷn Peninsula in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. It lies west of Pwllheli and south west of Caernarfon, and has a population of 1,019. It is sometimes referred to as the "Land's End of Wales"...
.
In the year 1642 Beale took an active part in urging the various colleges to send money and plate to the king at Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
. Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
, having failed to intercept the treasure in Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire is a local government district of Cambridgeshire, covering the area around Huntingdon. Traditionally it is a county in its own right...
, proceeded to Cambridge with a large force. He surrounded St. John's College while its inmates were in the chapel, and took as prisoners Beale, Edward Martin
Edward Martin (Queens')
Edward Martin, D.D. was an English clergyman, ejected President of Queens' College, Cambridge, and at the end of his life Dean of Ely.-Life:...
, and Richard Sterne, Master of Jesus College. He brought them to 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...
. At this period Beale was deprived of his mastership and all his ecclesiastical preferments. From the Tower the prisoners were moved to Lord Petre
William Petre, 4th Baron Petre
William Petre, 4th Baron Petre was an English peer, a victim of the Popish Plot.Petre was the eldest son of Robert Petre, third Baron Petre , and Mary , daughter of Anthony-Maria Browne, second Viscount Montagu, who had been arrested in connection with the Gunpowder Plot in 1605.Petre was openly a...
's house in Aldersgate Street.
After a confinement of three years, Beale was released by exchange, and joined the king at Oxford. There he was incorporated D.D. in 1645, and in the following year he was nominated Dean of Ely
Dean of Ely
The position of Dean of Ely Cathedral, in East Anglia, England, was created at the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The first Dean of Ely had been the last Benedictine prior of Ely.-List of Deans:*1541-1557 Robert Steward or Welles...
, though he was never admitted to the dignity. He was one of the divines selected by the king to accompany him to Holdenby
Holdenby
Holdenby is a village and civil parish about north-west of Northampton in Northamptonshire.The Church of England parish church of All Saints, Holdenby dates from the 14th century...
(1646). Ultimately he went into exile and accompanied the embassy of Lord Cottington and Sir Edward Hyde to Spain. His death occurred at Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
on 1 October 1651.