Thomas Paske facts for kids

Thomas Paske (died 1662) was an English church leader and scholar. He lost his jobs because he supported the King during a difficult time in England's history.

Early Life and Education

Thomas Paske was likely the son of William Paske. William was a vicar, a type of church minister, in Hendon, Middlesex. Thomas probably grew up there. His father later moved to Ashdon, Essex, in 1611.

Thomas went to Clare Hall, Cambridge. He was a student there from 1603 to 1612. He earned his first degree, a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), in 1606. Later, he earned a Bachelor of Divinity (B.D.) in 1613.

Becoming a Church Leader

In 1611, Thomas Paske became the vicar of Hendon. This was the same church where his father had served. He also became a chaplain to James, Marquess of Hamilton. A chaplain is a minister who serves a specific person or group.

Leading Clare Hall

In 1621, Thomas Paske was chosen to be the master of Clare Hall. This meant he was in charge of the college. He also received a Doctor of Divinity (D.D.) degree that year.

In 1625, he took over two important roles from Theophilus Aylmer. He became the archdeacon of London. An archdeacon helps the bishop manage churches in an area. He also became the minister for the churches in Great Hadham, Hertfordshire, and Little Hadham. Paske also served as vicar of St. Mary Magdalen, Bermondsey.

Influence at Cambridge

Paske used his position at Clare College to help George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham. Buckingham was a favorite of King Charles I. In 1626, the college voted for Buckingham to become their Chancellor. This was a very important role at the university. This election caused some debate in the country.

Church Appointments

Paske received more church positions. In 1628, he became a prebend at York Cathedral. A prebend is a special type of church official. In 1636, he also got a similar position at Canterbury Cathedral.

He moved to Canterbury. Because he was away, the people at Clare Hall wanted to choose a new master. King Charles I allowed them to do this in 1640. However, no one was chosen until 1645. At that time, Parliament appointed Ralph Cudworth to the role.

During the English Civil War

Thomas Paske was also the subdean of Canterbury. This meant he was second in command at the cathedral. In 1642, he wrote a letter to Henry, Earl of Holland. He complained about how soldiers were treating the cathedral. The soldiers were from Colonel Edwin Sandys's regiment.

Paske had been told to hand over the keys to the cathedral. This order came from the parliamentary commander, Sir Michael Lindsey. Paske's letter about this event was published. It was called The Copy of a Letter sent to an Honourable Lord, by Dr. Paske, Subdeane of Canterbury.

After the War

During the English Civil War, Thomas Paske lost all his church jobs. This was because he supported the King. When the King was restored to power, called the English Restoration, Paske got his jobs back.

He was reinstated as the minister of Hadham. He also got back his two prebend positions. He could have also returned as master of Clare Hall. However, he gave this right to his son-in-law, Theophilus Dillingham. Dillingham later became master in 1664. Paske also gave his York prebend position to Dillingham in 1661.

In 1661, Paske attended a meeting of church leaders. He likely became ill later that year. Thomas Paske passed away before September 1662.

Later Generations

A man named Thomas Paske of Hadham was likely his grandson. He also went to Clare Hall in 1692. He became a fellow and earned a law degree. This later Thomas Paske represented the University of Cambridge in Parliament. He served from 1713 until his death in 1720.