Sancroft

Sancroft, William, 1617-93, English prelate, archbishop of Canterbury. His opposition to Calvinist doctrine caused him to remain abroad during the latter part of the Commonwealth. After the Restoration, he returned to England in 1660 and advanced through various ecclesiastical offices to become (1678) archbishop of Canterbury. Earlier, as dean of St. Paul's, London, he directed the building of the famous cathedral designed by Sir Christopher Wren. He crowned James II at his accession, but refused to serve on the newly reconstituted court of high commission. In 1687, with six of his bishops, he signed a petition asking that the declaration of indulgence, which suspended the penal laws directed against non-Anglicans, be withdrawn, on grounds that it represented an illegal use of the royal dispensing power. The imprisonment, trial, and acquittal of the seven bishops greatly heightened religious tension prior to the deposition of James. Sancroft refused to take the oath of allegiance to William and Mary. He was suspended (1689) and deprived (1690) of his office, and in his retirement became leader of the nonjurors.

William Sancroft (30 January 1617 - 24 November 1693), was the 79th archbishop of Canterbury.

Life

Sancroft was born at Fressingfield in Suffolk, and entered Emmanuel College, Cambridge, in July 1634. His parents were Francis Sandcroft (1580-1647) and Margaret Sandcroft née Butcher (1594-1631). He became M.A. in 1641 and fellow in 1642, but was ejected in 1649 for refusing to accept the "Engagement." He then remained abroad till the Restoration, after which he was chosen one of the university preachers, and in 1663 was nominated to the deanery of York. He became Dean of St Paul's in 1664, greatly assisting with the rebuilding after the Great Fire of London, towards which he contributed £1400. He also rebuilt the deanery, and improved its revenue.

In 1668 he was admitted archdeacon of Canterbury upon the king's presentation, but he resigned the post in 1670. In 1677, being now prolocutor of the Convocation, he was unexpectedly advanced to the archbishopric of Canterbury. He attended Charles II upon his deathbed, and "made to him a very weighty exhortation, in which he used a good degree of freedom." He crowned King James II in 1685. Sancroft wrote with his own hand the petition presented in 1687 against the reading of the Declaration of Indulgence, which was signed by himself and six of his suffragans (collectively known as the Seven Bishops). For this they were all committed to the Tower of London, but were acquitted.

Nonjuring schism

Upon the withdrawal of James II he concurred with the Lords in a declaration to the Prince of Orange for a free parliament, and due indulgence to the Protestant dissenters. But, when that prince and his consort were declared king and queen, he refused to take the oath to them, and was accordingly suspended and deprived in 1690.

Many years after it was composed, John Overall's Convocation Book was published by Sancroft, to justify the principles of his Nonjuring party. The book was “on the subject of Government, the divine institution of which was very positively asserted.” It consisted partly of canons and partly of introductory and explanatory dissertations on the matter of the canons and had been duly sanctioned in the Convocation of 1610. It was, however, a strange oversight in Sancroft's party to publish the book, as there are several canons in it which clearly lay down that a de facto government is, when completely established, to be held in the light of a de jure government; and it was upon the very grounds set forth in this book that Dr. Sherlock took the oaths to King William.

Sancroft was a patron of Henry Wharton (1664-1695), the divine and church historian, to whom on his deathbed he entrusted his manuscripts and the remains of Archbishop Laud (published in 1695). From 5 August 1691 till his death two years later, he lived a very retired life in his home village. He was buried in the churchyard of Fressingfield, where there is a Latin epitaph to his memory.

Bibliography

• Fur praedestinatus (1651)
• Modern Politics (1652)
• Three Sermons (1694)
• Nineteen Familiar Letters to Mr North (afterwards Sir Henry North) published in 1757

References