John Sears introduces Francis Atterbury, Bishop of Rochester 1713-1723. Extract from The Friends of Rochester Cathedral Annual Report for 2007-2008.

Atterbury lived during times which were politically dangerous. As recently as 1688 James II had been deposed and the protestant William of Orange had become king.

The Stuart cause remained very much alive, however, and had many supporters, one of whom was Atterbury.

Among the clergy the 'High Church Party' was opposed to the settlement establishing the Protestant Succession to the throne and excluding the catholic Stuarts. Among other things they began to complain of the lack of Convocations and of the danger the Church was in. Bishop Burnet in his 'History of His Own Time' (volume 4 1734) writes:

this was a new pretension, never thought of since the Reformation. Some books were writ to justify it, with great acrimony of stile, and a train of insolence, that was peculiar to one Atterbury, who had indeed very good parts, great learning, and was an excellent preacher, and had many extraordinary things in him; but was both ambitious and virulent out of measure.'

That Atterbury was a fine preacher was acknowledged by his contemporaries. Steele wrote in the 'Tatler' of Atterbury 'The Dean we heard is an orator. He has so much regard to his congregation that he commits to his memory what he has to say to them, and has so soft and graceful a behaviour that it must attract your attention.' Despite this, however, Atterbury engaged vigorously in politics, even challenging the supremacy of the Crown in ecclesiastical matters. He was chosen as Prolocutor of the Convocation of Canterbury when it met in 1711. In 1713 he became Bishop of Rochester on the death of Bishop Spratt, and as was the practice at the time he also became Dean of Westminster, which was coupled with the Bishopric of Rochester doubtless to provide a suitable income for the incumbent.

Portrait of Bishop Atterbury at Christ Church, University of Oxford, artist TBD (artuk.org).

Bishop Burnet shows clearly what he thought both of Spratt and of Atterbury's preferment:

In the end of May, Spratt, Bishop of Rochester, died; his parts were very bright in his Youth, and gave great hopes; but these were blasted by a lazy libertine course of Life, to which his temper and good Nature carried him without considering the Duties or even the Decencies of his Profession. He was justly esteemed a great Master of our Language and one of our correctest (sic) Writers. Atterbury succeeded him in that See, and in the Deanery of Westminster: Thus he was promoted and rewarded for all the flame that had raised in our Church

Atterbury continued his political activities, and it is said that on the morning after Queen Anne died he was ready to go in his lawn sleeves to proclaim James III at Charing Cross. He became an opponent of the Crown both in Convocation and the Lords. In 1723, however, he was deprived of his preferments having been associated with a Jacobite conspiracy, and was exiled to France where he became a close associate of the Pretender. He died in Paris in 1732 but was privately buried in Westminster Abbey.

Despite his political activities, Atterbury was said to have a sincere belief in the doctrines of the Church and a great desire to advance its interests. Notably he was anxious to restore public baptism which was falling into disuse. In financial matters he appears to have been honest. A.I.Pearman in his late nineteenth century Diocesan History of Rochester says: ‘Of Atterbury's disinterestedness in pecuniary matters there can be no doubt. The See yielded him but £500 per annum, yet he laid out £2000 on Bromley palace, and declined to receive anything for dilapidations from the executors of his predecessor.'

John Sears

Extract from The Friends of Rochester Cathedral Annual Report for 2007-2008