Everything about Peter Mews totally explained
Peter Mews (
March 25,
1619 -
November 9,
1706),
English royalist and divine, was born at
Caundle Purse in
Dorset, and was educated at the
Merchant Taylors' School, London, and at
St John's College, Oxford, of which he was scholar and fellow.
When
the Civil War broke out in 1642 he joined the
Royalist army, and, having been made a captain, was taken prisoner at
Naseby; but he was soon released and in 1648 sought refuge in Holland. He became friendly with
Charles I's secretary,
Sir Edward Nicholas, and being skilful at disguising himself was very useful to the Royalists during the rule of
Oliver Cromwell, undertaking two journeys to Scotland in 1653.
Before this Mews had been ordained. Taking the degree of
DCL and regaining his fellowship at Oxford after the Restoration, he became archdeacon of Huntingdon, vicar of
St Mary's, Reading, and chaplain to the king; then, having obtained two other livings, he was made canon of Windsor, canon of St David's, and archdeacon of Berkshire.
In 1667, when at
Breda arranging peace between England and Holland, he was chosen president of St John's College, Oxford, in succession to his father-in-law, Dr
Richard Baylie, afterwards becoming vice-chancellor of the university and dean of Rochester. Appointed
bishop of Bath and Wells in 1672, Mews resigned his presidency in 1673, and in 1684 he was elected
bishop of Winchester, a position which this "old, honest cavalier," as
Thomas Hearne calls him, filled until his death. The bishop is buried in
Winchester Cathedral.
Mews lent his carriage horses to pull the cannon at a critical moment during the
battle of Sedgemoor, where he was wounded whilst accompanying the royal army. He was, however, in sympathy with the
Seven Bishops, and was only prevented by illness from attending their meeting; and as visitor of
Magdalen College, Oxford, he supported the fellows in their resistance to
James II, admitted their nominee,
John Hough, to the presidency, and restored the ejected fellows in October 1688.
He took the oaths to
William and Mary in 1689. In the absence of
Compton,
bishop of London, Mews took the chief part at the
consecration of
Tillotson as
archbishop of Canterbury in 1691.
Mews shouldn't be confused with his nephew,
Peter Mews of Hinton Admiral.
See
SH Cassan,
Lives of the Bishops of Winchester (1827); and the
Nicholas Papers, edited by George F Warner (1886-1897).
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