George Morley (bishop) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Reverend George Morley
George Morley, as Bishop of Winchester
Portrait by Peter Lely
Church	Church of England
Diocese	Winchester
See	Bishop of Winchester
In Office	May 1662 to October 1684
Predecessor	Brian Duppa
Successor	Peter Mews
Other posts	Dean of Christ Church (26 July 1660–1660) Bishop of Worcester (1660–1662) Dean of the Chapel Royal (1663 – February 1668)
Personal details
Born	(1598-02-27)27 February 1598 Cheapside, London
Died	29 October 1684(1684-10-29) (aged 86) Farnham, Surrey, England
Buried	Winchester Cathedral
Nationality	English
Denomination	Church of England
Residence	Farnham Castle (at death)
Parents	Francis Morley & Sarah née Denham
Alma mater	Christ Church, Oxford

George Morley, (27 February 1598 - 29 October 1684) was a senior member of the Church of England from London, who served as Bishop of Worcester from 1660 to 1662, and of Winchester from 1662 to 1684.

Early life

Morley was born in London, England, in February 1598, to Francis Morley and Sarah Denham, and educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford. He graduated BA, 1618, and MA, 1621. Throughout the 1620s and 1630s he moved in the illustrious intellectual political circles of Lucius Cary, 2nd Viscount Falkland at Great Tew. During these years, he served as domestic chaplain to Robert Dormer, 1st Earl of Carnarvon. In 1640, he was presented to the sinecure living of Hartfield, Sussex, and in the following year he was made canon of Christ Church, Oxford and exchanged Hartfield for the rectory of Mildenhall, Wiltshire.

Civil Wars and Interregnum

He preached before the House of Commons in 1642, but his sermon gave offence, and when in 1647 he took a prominent part in resisting the parliamentary visitation of Oxford University he was deprived of his canonry and living.

Leaving England, he joined the court of Charles II, and became one of the leading clergy at The Hague. Shortly before the Restoration he came to England on a highly successful mission to gain for Charles the support of the Presbyterians. In 1660, he regained his canonry, and soon became Dean of Christ Church. In the same year, he became Bishop of Worcester. He was elected to the See on 9 October, confirmed 23 October, and consecrated a bishop on 28 October. At the Savoy Conference of 1661 he was chief representative of the bishops. He was translated to the See of Winchester in 1662 and made Dean of the Chapel Royal in 1663, a position he held until dismissed by Charles II in 1668.

Works

His works are few and chiefly polemical, e.g. The Bishop of Worcester's to a friend for Vindication of himself from the Calumnies of Mr. Richard Baxter.

Sources