64 Facts relating to Wokingham, 



Mary'a accession brought on him fresh difficulties ; and being 



obliged to quit his school he applied himself to physic, which he 



practised till Queen Elizabeth succeeded to the crown. Turning 



then his thoughts to Divinity, he was introduced to Bullingham, 



Bishop of Lincoln, who ordained him and made him his Chaplain, 



and also conducted him to the Queen, who, being pleased with his 



learning and smart conversation, appointed him one of her Lent 



preachers. In 1565 by means of his patron Bishop BuUingham, 



he was made Dean and Prebendary of Christ Church, and in the 



same year he took his D.D. degree. In 1566 he was promoted to 



the Deanery of Canterbury, in which he continued eighteen years, 



and being then nominated by the Queen, was consecrated Bishop 



of Bath and Wells, Sept. 13, 1584. Soon after this he, however, 



unluckily fell under that Queen's displeasure, by marrying in his 



old age a London widow, and having given up a manor or two to 



one of her favourites in order to ensure a little tranquillity, he 



retired in despondency to his palace at Wells, where he was taken 



with a quartan ague, which ended his days, Nov. 19, 1590. Some 



time before his death he was removed to his native air of Oaking- 



ham, and was buried in the south side of the chancel of the parish 



church there, with the following inscription (written by Francis 



Godwyn, his son, the learned author of the book De Prsesulibus), 



to his memory : — 



'M. S. Parentis charissimi, patris vere reverendi Thomse Godwyni, sacrae 

 theologiae doctoris, tedis Christi Oxon, primum, ac deinde Cantuariens decani, 

 Bathnn. demum ac Wellen. Episcopi, qui hoc in oppido natus, hie etiam (dum 

 valetudinis recuperandse gratia consulentibus medicis, hue suceedit) quartana 

 febre confectus, mortalitatem exuit Novemb. 19, 1590, eonsecr. suse anno sep- 

 timo; et hicjaeetexpectans adventummagniDei. Pes. Fil. Franciscus Godwyn, 

 Exon. subdecanus.'" * 



After Bishop Godwyn's death the Bishopric was vacant two 



years ; when January 3rd, 1592, John Still was elected. [From 



CoUinson's History of Somerset, vol. iii., p. 388., 1791.] 



Sir Henry Neville : First High Steward oj Wokingham. 

 Sir Henry Neville was a distinguished statesman of the reigns 

 of Queen Elizabeth and King James the First. He was the first 



• The ornamental part of Bishop Godwyn's monument appears to have been defaced. 



