SANCROFT, WILLIAM

born Jan. 30, 1617, Fressingfield, Suffolk, Eng. died Nov. 24, 1693 archbishop of Canterbury, leader of a group of seven bishops who were imprisoned for opposing policies of the Roman Catholic king James II (reigned 168588). In 1651 Sancroft was dismissed as a fellow at the University of Cambridge for refusing to take an oath of allegiance to the government of the Commonwealth. After the Restoration of King Charles II (1660), he was made a royal chaplain, and from 1664 to 1677 he served as dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in London. In 1678 he became archbishop of Canterbury. Sancroft, however, felt he could not remain silent in the face of what he considered King James II's attempts to undermine the Anglican church. With six other bishops he petitioned James for permission not to distribute and read his unconstitutional second Declaration of Indulgence (April 1688), which removed restrictions against Catholics and Dissenters. James responded by imprisoning the bishops in the Tower of London and bringing them to trial on charges of seditious libel. Their acquittal (June 30) was greeted with widespread popular rejoicing. After James was overthrown by William of Orange in NovemberDecember 1688, Sancroftdespite his opposition to Jamesrejected William's claim to the throne. Consequently, he was dismissed from his bishopric in 1690.