Sancroft, William

(1617–93)

   Archbishop and Sect Founder.

   Sancroft was educated at the University of Cambridge. In 1662 he was appointed to be a chaplain to King Charles II and in 1665 he became Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral. He was thus closely involved with Christopher wren in rebuilding the cathedral after the Great Fire of London of 1666. He was consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury in 1678. During the reign of the Roman Catholic James II, in 1688, he refused to read the King’s declaration of indulgence which suspended all penalties incurred by Roman Catholics and other non-conformists. In consequence, he was imprisoned in the Tower of London with six other Bishops. All were found not guilty at their trial, amidst scenes of Protestant jubilation. However, Sancroft then refused to accept the Protestant William III as King after James had abdicated, on the grounds that he would be breaking his oath of loyalty. Together with eight other Bishops and about four hundred priests, he was deprived of his position and he became the unofficial leader of the Non-Jurors (as they were called). The Non-Jurors continued as a separate party outside the Church of England throughout the eighteenth century.

   LM. Hawkins, Allegiance in Church and State: The Problem of Non-Jurors in the English Revolution (1928);

   R. Thomas, ‘The seven bishops and their petition’, Journal of Ecclesiastical History, xii (1961).