Thomas Sprat

Thomas Sprat

Thomas Sprat (* 1635 in Beaminster , Dorset ; † May 20, 1713 in Bromley , Kent ) was an English author and Bishop of Rochester in 1684.

Live and act

Sprat was the son of Thomas Sprat of the same name , who was Minister of Beaminster . Sprat attended Wadham College of Oxford University ; he received the BA in 1655 , the MA in 1657 and the Doctor of Divinity in 1669 .

Sprat was a Fellow of Wadham College from 1657 to 1670 . He was Canon of Lincoln from 1660 to 1669 and Canon of Westminster from 1669 to 1683. In 1670 he was rector of Uffington in Lincolnshire . He served as chaplain for George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham and from 1676 to 1688 for the king. From 1679 to 1683 he was Rector of St Margaret's in Westminster; from 1681 to 1684 he served as canon of Windsor. He was Dean of Westminster from 1683 to 1713. He began renovating Westminster Abbey, which was carried out by Christopher Wren. He was Bishop of Rochester from 1684 to 1713. In 1685 he was Dean of the Chapel Royal and Clerk of the Closet .

Sprat married Helen, daughter of the Devereux Wolseley of Ravenstone in Staffordshire . He died of an apoplexy on May 20, 1713 . Sprat is buried on the south side of St Nicholas' Chapel, Westminster Abbey .

Sprat is best known for his History of the Royal Society of London , published in 1667 . He was an "Original Fellow" of the Royal Society ; it was recorded on May 20, 1663. His son of the same name Thomas Sprat (1679-1720) was Archdean of Rochester and also a member of the Royal Society.

See also

• Abraham Cowley

Web links

• Entry to Sprat; Thomas (1635–1713) in the Archives of the Royal Society , London
• Publications by and about Thomas Sprat in VD 17 . (No entries on February 11, 2018)

predecessor	Office	successor
Francis Turner	Bishop of Rochester 1684–1713	Francis Atterbury