William Jane facts for kids

William Jane (born 1645, died 1707) was an important English scholar and church leader. He taught at Oxford University as the Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford starting in 1680. This was a very respected position for someone who studied religion.

Early Life and Education

William Jane was born in Liskeard, Cornwall, in 1645. His father was Joseph Jane. William went to school at Westminster School in London.

In 1660, he became a student at Christ Church, Oxford, which is a college at Oxford University. He earned his first degree (B.A.) in 1664 and a higher degree (M.A.) in 1667. He later received his D.D. degree, which means Doctor of Divinity, in 1674. After becoming a priest, he worked as a lecturer at Carfax Church in Oxford.

Rising in the Church

William Jane caught the attention of Henry Compton, who was also a leader at Christ Church. When Compton became the bishop of Oxford in 1674, he asked Jane to preach at his special ceremony. Compton also made Jane one of his personal assistants, called chaplains.

In 1678, Jane became a canon at Christ Church. A canon is a type of priest who is part of a cathedral's governing body. Bishop Compton, who was now the bishop of London, also gave Jane a church job in Wennington, Essex. In 1679, Jane received two more important roles: a special position at St. Paul's Cathedral and the archdeaconry of Middlesex, which meant he oversaw churches in that area.

Professor at Oxford

In May 1680, William Jane became the Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford. This was a very high academic position. In July 1683, he helped write a statement from Oxford University. This statement supported "passive obedience," which meant people should always obey the king, even if they disagreed with him.

In 1685, he became the dean of Gloucester Cathedral. He gave up his role as archdeacon of Middlesex in 1686. However, he kept his positions at Christ Church and St. Paul's Cathedral until he died.

Political Changes

In 1686, Jane was asked to represent the Church of England in a discussion with some Roman Catholic leaders. This meeting was held in front of King James II. The king wanted to convince the Earl of Rochester to become Catholic. Jane did not speak much during this discussion.

Later, Jane changed his mind about passive obedience. When King James II was losing power, Jane went to meet William of Orange. He told William that Oxford University would support him. Jane also hinted that he would like to become the new bishop of Oxford. Many people found it strange that Jane, who wrote the statement about obeying the king, would now support a new ruler. This led to some jokes being made about him.

Working with the Church Commission

William Jane was part of a group of church leaders asked to review the prayer book. This was suggested by John Tillotson and Gilbert Burnet. King William III wanted to make changes to the prayer book to include Protestants who had different beliefs.

In the first meeting in October 1689, Jane did not want to remove the Apocrypha (a group of books) from the church calendar. In the second meeting, he agreed with Thomas Sprat, the bishop of Rochester. They both argued that the commission was not legal or helpful. After this, Jane stopped attending the meetings.

The results of the commission were supposed to be shown to a church meeting called convocation. Jane worked with other leaders to plan how to oppose the changes. When the convocation met in November, Jane had gathered enough support to win an election. He was chosen as the leader of the convocation, beating Tillotson. After this, the plan to change the prayer book was stopped.

Later Years

In Oxford, Jane wrote a statement in 1690 that criticized a book called Naked Gospel by Arthur Bury. After this, Jane did not expect to get many more important jobs from King William III.

In 1696, there were rumors that Jane might lose his teaching job and other positions. This was because he had not signed the 'Association for King William'. This was a document showing loyalty to the king.

William Jane was not known as a good lecturer, and it was hard for him to get students to listen. One kind thing remembered about him is how he helped Thomas Gilbert, a Presbyterian minister who had been removed from his church.

When Queen Anne became queen, Jane hoped to become a bishop again. People at Oxford wanted him to leave because much of his teaching work was done by his assistant, George Smalridge. Jane was offered the deanery of Wells, but it was given to someone else.

In 1703, Bishop Jonathan Trelawney appointed Jane to a position at Exeter Cathedral. He later exchanged this for another role there in 1704. Jane kept his professorship at Oxford until he died. He resigned from Exeter Cathedral in 1706. William Jane died on February 23, 1707, in Oxford. He was buried at Christ Church.

Works

William Jane published only four sermons, which are speeches given in church:

• One sermon was for the special ceremony of Henry Compton becoming a bishop (London, 1675).
• Another was given before the House of Commons on a day of public prayer (London, 1679).
• A third was for a public day of thanks, also before the House of Commons (Oxford, 1691).
• The last was given before the king and queen at Whitehall (Oxford, 1692).