John Jewel, Bishop of Salisbury (1522-1571), was for some time
vicar of Sunningwell. He was a voluminous writer on theological
subjects. Another churchman connected with Sunningwell was John
Fell (1625-1686), Bishop of Oxford, who was born either there or at
Longworth. His father was rector of the parish. In 1648, at the time
of the Civil War, he was turned out of his Studentship at Oxford, but
continued to celebrate the rites of the church in a house opposite
Merton College. He was a distinguished man, but is best known by
the lines referring to him which begin "I do not love thee, Doctor
Fell." Joseph Butler (1692-1752), Bishop of Durham, and the author of
the Analogy of Religion Natural and Revealed to the Constitution and
Course of Nature, was born at Wantage, the son of a retired draper
who lived at the Priory.
Sir Philip Hoby (1505-1558) and his half-brother, Sir Thomas Hoby
(1530-1566), were both distinguished diplomatists. The former
received the manor of Bisham from Henry VIII, and they are both buried
there. Queen Elizabeth was domiciled at Bisham under the charge of
the Hobys for a time during the reign of her sister Mary.
Sir John Mason, another diplomatist of the same period, was the son
of a cowherd at Abingdon. He is described as a paragon of caution,
coldness, and craft, and held high office, diplomatic and political,
under Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary, and Elizabeth, being in favour
with all these sovereigns.
Sir Henry Unton, or Umpton, who died in 1596, was both diplomatist
and soldier of the time of Elizabeth. He was born at Wadley Hall,
near Faringdon, where the Queen visited him in 1574. The house
is still standing. There is a fine alabaster monument to him in
Faringdon church.
In 1626 the title of Earl of Berkshire was conferred on the Hon. Thomas
Howard, of Charlton, Wilts. He was a son of the Earl of Suffolk,
and in 1745 the two titles passed to one man, and are so held at the
present day.
William Lenthall (1591-1662), the Speaker of the House of Commons in
the Long Parliament, bought Besselsleigh, the house of the ancient
family of Besils, and his descendants still own it.
William Penn (1644-1718), the Quaker and founder of Pennsylvania,
though London-born, lived at Ruscomb, near Twyford, for some time
towards the end of his life and died there.
Passing now to authors, Henry Hallam (1777-1859), the historian, was
born at Windsor, the son of one of the canons. Catherine Sawbridge
(1731-1791), who became in turn Mrs Macaulay and Mrs Graham, was the
authoress of a History of England. In her later years she lived at
Binfield and is buried in the churchyard there. The antiquary, Thomas
Hearne (1678-1735), was the son of the parish clerk at White Waltham,
and was born at Littlefield Green.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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