Accepted Frewen: The Puritan-Turned-Archbishop Who Survived Cromwell and Restored the Church

 

• A Forgotten Figure of English Turmoil

• Early Life: Puritan Roots in East Sussex

• The Frewen Name: A Window into Puritan Naming Conventions

• Oxford Years: Education and Fellowship at Magdalen College

• Anthony Wood's Observation: The Puritan Inclination

• Spanish Adventure: Chaplain to Sir John Digby

• Royal Favor: Preaching Before Prince Charles

• Rise Through the Ranks: Canterbury, Magdalen, and Gloucester

• Academic Leadership: Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University

• Civil War Loyalty: Sending the University Plate to the King

• Episcopal Elevation: Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry

• Parliamentary Deprivation: The End of Episcopacy

• Escape and Exile: The Cromwellian Price on His Head

• The Name Confusion: How "Stephen" Frewen Saved His Life

• French Interlude: Exile During the Commonwealth

• The Restoration: Return from Exile

• Reinstatement: Back to Lichfield and Coventry

• Archbishop of York: The Highest Office

• The Savoy Conference: Chairing the Anglican-Puritan Debate

• Final Years and Legacy

• Conclusion: A Life Reflecting an Age of Turmoil

A Forgotten Figure of English Turmoil

The seventeenth century was the most turbulent period in English history. Civil war, regicide, republic, and restoration followed one another in dizzying succession, and few individuals navigated these treacherous waters successfully. Accepted Frewen, who rose from puritanical beginnings in rural Sussex to become Archbishop of York at the Restoration, was one of those rare figures who not only survived but thrived through decades of political and religious upheaval. His life story is a window into an age of conviction and compromise, of principled stands and pragmatic adaptations. From his early days as a puritanically inclined Oxford fellow to his final years as one of the highest-ranking clerics in the land, Frewen's journey mirrors the larger drama of England's struggle to define its religious identity. This article explores the remarkable life of a man whose very name Accepted speaks to the distinctive culture that shaped him, and whose career illuminates the complex interplay between faith, politics, and survival in seventeenth-century England.

Early Life: Puritan Roots in East Sussex

Accepted Frewen was born into a world of religious intensity. Baptized on 26 May 1588, the year of the Spanish Armada, he came of age in an England still defining itself in opposition to Catholic Europe. His birthplace, Northiam, a village in east Sussex, was part of a region with strong Protestant and puritan sympathies. The Weald of Sussex and Kent was known for its religious nonconformity, its isolation from the ecclesiastical authorities in London fostering independent religious thought.

His father, John Frewen, was the rector of Northiam, placing the family at the center of local religious life. Growing up in a clerical household, young Accepted would have been immersed in scripture, theology, and the rhythms of the church calendar. But the religious atmosphere was not one of high-church ceremony; it was the plain, preaching-focused piety of English Puritanism. This upbringing left an indelible mark, shaping his early outlook and earning him the description "puritanically enclined" from the Oxford antiquary Anthony Wood.

The Frewen Name: A Window into Puritan Naming Conventions

The name "Accepted" strikes modern ears as unusual, perhaps even bizarre. But in the late sixteenth century, such names were not uncommon among English Puritans. The Reformation had brought with it a desire to separate from Catholic traditions, including the naming of children after saints. Instead, Puritans turned to the Bible and to abstract virtues for inspiration, producing names like "Accepted," "Thankful," "Redeemed," and "Tribulation."

Accepted's brother was indeed named Thankful Frewen, and the two names together suggest a family steeped in puritan piety. "Accepted" likely refers to the concept of being accepted by God through grace, a central tenet of Protestant theology. These names were statements of faith, reminders to their bearers and to the world of the religious principles that governed their lives. Later in life, as Frewen rose through the ranks of the established church and moved away from his puritan origins, his name would serve as a constant reminder of the religious culture that shaped his earliest years.

Oxford Years: Education and Fellowship at Magdalen College

From rural Sussex, young Accepted made his way to Oxford, the intellectual heart of Anglican England. He entered Magdalen College, one of the university's wealthiest and most prestigious institutions, where he would spend the next four decades of his life. Magdalen was known for its strong church connections and its commitment to liturgical worship, a contrast to the puritan simplicity of his childhood.

Frewen proved himself a capable scholar. In 1612, he was elected a Fellow of Magdalen, a position that provided income, status, and a platform for further advancement. Fellows were expected to take holy orders and pursue academic careers, and Frewen complied. He was ordained and began the slow climb through the academic and ecclesiastical ranks. His intelligence, diligence, and personal connections would serve him well, but his early puritan sympathies would need to be moderated if he was to succeed in the Laudian church that was taking shape.

Anthony Wood's Observation: The Puritan Inclination

Anthony Wood, the great Oxford antiquarian, left a revealing comment about Frewen's early years. Wood described him as being "puritanically enclin'd" during his time as a Fellow. This observation is significant because it places Frewen among those within the Church of England who favored further reformation, who preferred preaching over ritual, and who viewed the remnants of Catholicism in the English church with suspicion.

Yet Frewen's puritan inclinations did not prevent his advancement. This suggests either that his convictions were moderate or that he was adept at concealing them when necessary. The church under James I was broad enough to accommodate a range of Protestant opinion, as long as conformity to the established order was maintained. Frewen's later career, which saw him embrace high-church positions and ultimately become Archbishop of York, would represent a significant evolution from these early puritan sympathies.

Spanish Adventure: Chaplain to Sir John Digby

In 1617 and again in 1621, Magdalen College granted Frewen leave to serve as chaplain to Sir John Digby, an English diplomat sent on important missions to Spain. These journeys exposed Frewen to the Catholic heartland at a time when England and Spain were still negotiating the legacy of the Reformation. For a young clergyman with puritan leanings, the experience of Catholic Spain must have been eye-opening.

More importantly, it brought Frewen to the attention of powerful figures. Sir John Digby was a significant diplomat, and his chaplain would have moved in elevated circles. The experience also provided Frewen with firsthand knowledge of international affairs, a rare qualification for a clergyman. Most crucially, it was in Madrid that Frewen preached a sermon that pleased Prince Charles, the future king. This royal connection would prove transformative.

Royal Favor: Preaching Before Prince Charles

The sermon Frewen preached before Prince Charles in Madrid was a turning point. Charles, then the heir to the throne, was in Spain on a quixotic mission to woo the Spanish Infanta, a match that would have united the two great dynasties of Europe. The mission failed, but Charles remembered the young chaplain who had impressed him.

Upon his accession to the throne in 1625, Charles I appointed Frewen one of his royal chaplains. This was no empty honor; royal chaplains had regular access to the king and could expect preferment to bishoprics and deaneries. Frewen's career was now on a trajectory that would lead to the highest offices in the church. The puritanically inclined young man from Sussex had found favor with a king whose high-church sympathies would eventually provoke civil war. The path ahead would require careful navigation.

Rise Through the Ranks: Canterbury, Magdalen, and Gloucester

The years following Charles's accession saw Frewen accumulate offices and honors at a remarkable pace. In 1625, he became a canon of Canterbury Cathedral, one of the most prestigious posts in the English church. The same year, he was elected Vice-President of Magdalen College, and in 1626, he achieved the presidency itself.

In 1631, he was additionally appointed Dean of Gloucester, a position that carried significant responsibility and income. Pluralism holding multiple church offices simultaneously was common in this period, and Frewen's accumulation of posts was not unusual for a favored clergyman. Each new position increased his influence and his income, but it also increased his exposure. As the church polarized under Archbishop Laud, Frewen's association with the Laudian party would make him a target when the tide turned.

Academic Leadership: Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University

Frewen's administrative abilities were recognized beyond his college. He served as Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University in 1628 and 1629, and again in 1638 and 1639. The Vice-Chancellor was the effective head of the university, responsible for discipline, finance, and relations with the crown. It was a position of immense prestige and influence.

During his terms as Vice-Chancellor, Frewen would have been intimately involved in the implementation of Archbishop Laud's reforms at Oxford. Laud, himself an Oxford man, was determined to bring the university into conformity with his vision of a orderly, ceremonial church. Frewen's cooperation with these reforms suggests that his earlier puritan inclinations had been thoroughly moderated. By the late 1630s, he was a committed Laudian, part of the machinery that was pushing the church in directions that many found deeply troubling.

Civil War Loyalty: Sending the University Plate to the King

When civil war finally erupted between King and Parliament in 1642, Frewen's loyalty was never in doubt. It was mainly by his instrumentality that the University of Oxford sent its plate to the king at York, a significant act of defiance against Parliament. Oxford became the royalist capital, and Frewen's role in mobilizing university resources for the king marked him as a committed royalist.

This decision had consequences. When Parliament eventually triumphed, those who had supported the king faced retribution. Frewen's property, his offices, and ultimately his freedom would be forfeit. But in 1642, such outcomes were not yet foreseeable. Frewen was acting on principle, supporting the king whom he believed God had placed on the throne. It was a principled stand that would cost him everything.

Episcopal Elevation: Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry

In 1644, with the civil war still raging, Frewen was consecrated Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry. To accept a bishopric at such a moment was an act of extraordinary courage or foolhardiness. The king's cause was already faltering, and bishops were particular targets of parliamentary and puritan hostility.

To accept the bishopric, Frewen had to resign his presidency of Magdalen and his deanery of Gloucester. He was trading secure positions for an uncertain future. But for a man of his convictions, the call to the episcopate was not to be refused. He was now one of the lords spiritual, a member of the House of Lords and a pillar of the established church. Within two years, both the church and the House of Lords would be abolished.

Parliamentary Deprivation: The End of Episcopacy

On 9 October 1646, Parliament formally abolished episcopacy. Frewen was deprived of his see, along with every other bishop in England. The Church of England, as it had existed for centuries, was dismantled. In its place, Parliament established a Presbyterian system, though in practice, the 1650s would see remarkable religious diversity and experimentation.

For Frewen, deprivation meant more than loss of office. It meant loss of income, loss of status, and potential danger. Bishops were seen as enemies of the Commonwealth, and many faced imprisonment or exile. Frewen's estates were declared forfeited for treason in 1652, and Oliver Cromwell himself set a price on his head. The elderly bishop, now in his sixties, was a wanted man.

Escape and Exile: The Cromwellian Price on His Head

The proclamation against Frewen contained a crucial error: it named him "Stephen" Frewen rather than Accepted. Whether this mistake was deliberate perhaps the work of a sympathetic clerk or merely a function of poor record-keeping, it saved his life. Using the confusion over his name, Frewen was able to evade capture and escape to France.

This episode reveals both the dangers of the interregnum and the importance of personal connections. Someone, somewhere, must have facilitated Frewen's escape. Perhaps former colleagues or friends in the government looked the other way. Perhaps the name confusion was genuine and provided just enough cover for him to slip through the net. Whatever the explanation, Frewen reached France alive, where he would spend the remainder of the Commonwealth in exile.

French Interlude: Exile During the Commonwealth

Frewen's years in France are poorly documented, but they must have been difficult. An elderly clergyman, stripped of his income and his homeland, dependent on the charity of royalist exiles and sympathetic foreigners. The English exile community in France was substantial, including the future Charles II and his court, but life was uncertain and resources were scarce.

Frewen would have witnessed the experiments of the Commonwealth from afar, watching as England tried to find its way without king or bishops. He would have prayed for the Restoration, hoped for the return of the old order, and wondered whether he would live to see it. In 1660, his prayers were answered.

The Restoration: Return from Exile

The Restoration of Charles II in 1660 brought Frewen back from exile and back into public life. He was now in his seventies, an old man by seventeenth-century standards, but his loyalty had been proven and his claims were strong. He was restored to the See of Lichfield and Coventry, recovering the position he had lost fourteen years earlier.

But greater honors awaited. Later the same year, Frewen was elected Archbishop of York, the second-highest position in the Church of England. He took possession of the see by confirmation of his election on 4 October 1660. The puritanically inclined fellow who had fled from Cromwell was now one of the two most powerful clergymen in the land. It was a remarkable reversal of fortune.

The Savoy Conference: Chairing the Anglican-Puritan Debate

In 1661, Frewen played a significant role in one of the defining events of the Restoration church. He acted as chairman of the Savoy Conference, a gathering of Anglican and Puritan divines convened to revise the Book of Common Prayer and, if possible, to find a basis for comprehending Presbyterians within the established church.

The conference failed. The positions of the two sides were too far apart, and the Anglican majority was in no mood for compromise. But Frewen's role as chairman placed him at the center of these crucial negotiations. His own journey from puritan beginnings to Laudian bishop to archbishop gave him a unique perspective on the issues dividing the church. In the end, the Savoy Conference produced no agreement, and the 1662 Prayer Book would become a symbol of Anglican identity for centuries to come.

Final Years and Legacy

Accepted Frewen died on 28 March 1664, having served as Archbishop of York for less than four years. His tenure was brief, but his life had spanned one of the most transformative periods in English history. From the height of Elizabethan England through the turmoil of civil war, republic, and restoration, he had witnessed and participated in the great events of his age.

His legacy is mixed. To royalists and high churchmen, he was a faithful servant who suffered for his principles and was rewarded at the Restoration. To puritans and parliamentarians, he was a turncoat who abandoned his early convictions for the sake of preferment. The truth, as always, is more complex. Frewen navigated his age as best he could, holding to his principles while adapting to circumstances. In an age of absolute claims and violent solutions, such adaptability was itself a form of wisdom.

Conclusion: A Life Reflecting an Age of Turmoil

Accepted Frewen's life story is more than a biography of an obscure clergyman. It is a window into the religious and political turmoil of seventeenth-century England. His journey from puritan youth to Laudian bishop to restored archbishop mirrors the larger journey of the Church of England itself, through reformation, civil war, and restoration.

His unusual name, his survival against the odds, his capacity to navigate shifting political currents while maintaining his core commitments all these make him a figure worth remembering. In an age of heroes and villains, Frewen was neither. He was simply a man doing his best to serve God and his church in circumstances that made such service extraordinarily difficult. For that, if for nothing else, he deserves to be remembered.

Источник: https://capitol-news24.com/component/k2/item/216080