Harsnett (Harsnet, Horesnet), Samuel (1561-06-20 - 1631-05-25)

Samuel Harsnett (alternatively Harsnet, baptized 20 June 1561 ) was born in Colchester, Essex to William Haselnoth (d.1574) and his wife Agnes, both of whom were indicted for heresy in 1556 for attending radical conventicles. Samuel changed his surname to Harsnett at some point and matriculated under this name at King’s College, Cambridge in 1579; he migrated to Pembroke College and graduated B.A. in 1581, becoming a fellow in 1583 and proceeding M.A. in 1584. He was ordained between 1584-5, and was appointed master of the free school Colchester in March 1587. He resigned 18 months later, choosing to return to Pembroke College where he was elected junior proctor in 1592. He was presented to the vicarage of Chigwell in 1597 and became a chaplain to Richard Bancroft, bishop of London. He was installed prebendary of Mapesbury in St Paul’s Cathedral in 1598, and was made rector of St Margaret’s New Fish Street Hill, London in 1599. He was collated to the archdeaconry of Essex and presented to the living of Shenfield, Essex in 1604, at which point he resigned his London living. In 1605 Harsnett was elected as master of Pembroke College; in 1606 he served as vice-chancellor of Cambridge, introducing university statutes during his tenure. He received his D.D. in 1606 and became vicar of Hutton that same year, having resigned the vicarage of Chigwell in 1605. In 1609 Harsnett was consecrated as bishop of Chichester; he gave up his archdeaconry while retaining his new living of Stisted. Harsnett’s parliamentary career was thrown off track when he publicly supported the censured lawyer John Cowell in a sermon of 1610; the king ordered Harsnett’s sermon to be burned, and while no action was taken against Harsnett, he attended sessions only intermittently until 1626. Harsnett was re-elected vice-chancellor Cambridge 1614-15, but was forced to resign his Pembroke fellowship after a vote of no confidence. In 1619 he was translated to the see of Norwich, where several of his policies — such as suspending Sunday morning sermons — incurred criticism from the citizenry. In 1628 Charles I appointed Harsnett archbishop of York. That same year, Harsnett was tasked with assisting Bishop William Laud of London in drafting the royal declaration for the peace of the Church. He established two schools in Chigwell in 1629. Harsnett died in Moreton in Marsh on 25 May 1631. He was predeceased by his wife Thomazine (d.1601) and infant daughter Thomazine, and was buried at the foot of his wife’s grave in Chigwell.