John Cosin

thumb|Arms of Cosin: Azure, a fret or

thumb|Ceiling showing coats of arms of the See of Durham (Azure, a cross or between four lions rampant argent) and of Bishop John Cosin (Azure, a fret or), Chapel, [[Auckland Castle]]

thumb|left|Entrance to almshouses for 8 paupers established in Durham in 1666 by John Cosin, Bishop of Durham. Arms: [[See of Durham impaling Cosin]]

John Cosin (30 November 1594 – 15 January 1672) was an English bishop.

Life

He was born at Norwich, and was educated at Norwich School and at Caius College, Cambridge, where he was scholar and afterwards fellow. On taking orders he was appointed secretary to John Overall, Bishop of Lichfield, and then domestic chaplain to Richard Neile, Bishop of Durham. In December 1624 he was made a prebendary of Durham, and on 9 September 1625 Archdeacon of the East Riding of Yorkshire (until 1660).

In 1630 he received his degree of Doctor of Divinity (DD). He first became known as an author in 1627, when he published his Collection of Private Devotions, a manual stated to have been prepared by command of King Charles I, for the use of Queen Henrietta Maria's maids of honour. This book, together with his insistence on points of ritual in his cathedral church and his friendship with William Laud, exposed Cosin to the hostility of the Puritans; and the book was criticised by William Prynne and Henry Burton. In 1628 Cosin took part in the prosecution of a brother prebendary, Peter Smart, for a sermon against high church practices; and the prebendary was deprived.

On 8 February 1635 Cosin was appointed master of Peterhouse, Cambridge; and in 1640 he became vice-chancellor of the university. In October of this year he was promoted to the deanery of Peterborough. A few days before his installation the Long Parliament had met; and among the complainants who hastened to appeal to it for redress was the ex-prebendary, Smart. His petition against the new dean was considered; and early in 1641 Cosin was sequestered from his benefices. Articles of impeachment were presented against him two months later, but he was dismissed on bail. For sending the university plate to the king, he was deprived of the mastership of Peterhouse (13 March 1643). He went to France, preached at Paris, and served as chaplain to some members of the household of the exiled royal family. At the Restoration he returned to England, was reinstated in the mastership (3 August 1660),

He was elected to that See on 5 November, which election was confirmed on 22 November; he was duly consecrated a bishop on 2 December and enthroned on 8 December 1660. on 15 August 1626 at St Margaret's, Durham. A history of the collection of Cosin's books still in the library notes that it is "one of the most important British centres for the study of older books."

Life

Notes and references

Citations

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Attribution

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