| Authorised form of name | Sprat; Thomas (1635 - 1713); author and bishop of Rochester |
| Other forms of surname | Spratt |
| 'Thomas Rochester ' |
| Dates | 1635 - 1713 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | Beaminster, Dorset, England, Europe |
| Date of birth | 1635 |
| Place of death | Bishop's Palace, Bromley, Kent, England, Europe |
| Date of death | 20 May 1713 |
| DatesAndPlaces | Baptism:
Beaminster, Dorset, England, Europe (20 September 1635)
Burial:
South side, St Nicholas' Chapel, Westminster Abbey, London, England, Europe (25 May 1713) |
| Occupation | Clergyman, Church of England |
| Activity | Education:
Wadham College, Oxford (BA 1655; MA 1657; DD 1669); Incorporated at Cambridge (1671)
Career:
Fellow of Wadham (1657-1670); Canon of Lincoln (1660-1669); Canon of Westminster (1669-1683); Rector of Uffington, Lincolnshire (1670); Chaplain to George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham (FRS 1661); Chaplain to the King (1676-1688); Rector of St Margaret's, Westminster (1679-1683); Canon of Windsor (1681-1684); Dean of Westminster (1683-1713); began the repairs to Westminster Abbey, carried out by Sir Christopher Wren (FRS 1663); Bishop of Rochester (1684-1713); Dean of the Chapel Royal (1685); Clerk of the Closet (1685); published 'A True Account and Declaration of the Horrid Conspiracy' (1685) regarding the Rye House Plot |
| Membership category | Original Fellow |
| Date of election | 20/05/1663 |
| Proposer | John Wilkins |
| RSActivity | Committees and panels:
Committee for Collecting all the Phenomena of Nature hitherto observed (1664) |
| Other Royal Society activity | Proposed on 1 April 1663; Commissioned to write a history of the Society (1663) |
| Relationships | Parents: Thomas Sprat
Married: Helen Wolseley
Children: Thomas Sprat (FRS 1712) and George Sprat |
| PublishedWorks | RCN: 7769
RCN: R64347 |
| OtherInfo | Sprat's main work on the history of the Royal Society was finally published 1667, although it was not printed by the Society itself and was subject to various reviews from other Fellows. Sprat's career was influenced through his strongly Royalist stance, although it is also visible that he publicly refashioned himself on occasion, in particular after the end of James II's reign. In 1692, he was even arrested on suspicion of plotting to restore James II. Sprat was patronised by Charles Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham (FRS 1663), who derived much wealth and influence through his occupation as a statesman and slave trader.
In 1701, he became commissioner of the Society for Propagating the Gospel in America [now: New England Company]. The Society was formed by ordinance on 27 July 1649 and soon after functioned as a self-perpetuating corporation with the rights to purchase lands or tenements not exceeding £2,000 per year. They also undertook general collections across England, which were used to send funds to North American colonised regions. The main aim of the company was to 're-educate' Native American children. This later involved placing them within English families and sending them to residential schools. It is still a functioning organisation, classified as a grant-giving charity. |
| Related images | Discover a selection of related images in our picture library |
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| Source | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; DSB; Venn; Foster; ODNB
References:
Robinson, H W. 1938. 'Gleanings from the Library - I. A Note on the Early Minutes', in Notes and Records, vol. 1, pp. 92-95
Notes:
The election date is Sprat's re-election date into the Society after the grant of the second charter in April 1663. All Fellows admitted in a two-month window after this charter, until 22 June 1663, are considered Original Fellows. He was previously elected on 15 April 1663 and admitted into the Society on 29 April 1663. |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/14887139 |
| Code | NA7008 |