{{Infobox Archbishop of Canterbury|
| Full name = George Abbot
| image = [[Image:abp-g-abbot.jpg|abp-g-abbot.jpg|center|220px|]]
| birth_name =
| began = 4 March 1611
| term_end = 5 August 1633
| predecessor = [[Richard Bancroft]]
| successor = [[William Laud]]
| birth_date = 19 October 1562 | birthplace = [[Guildford|Guildford, Surrey]]
| death_date = 5 August 1633 | deathplace = [[Croydon, London]]
| tomb
|}<noinclude>}
'''George Abbot''' ([[October 19]], [[1562]] – [[August 5]], [[1633]]) was an [[England|English]] divine and [[Archbishop of Canterbury]]. He also served as the fourth Chancellor of [[University of Dublin|Trinity College, Dublin]] between 1612 and 1633.
==Early years==
[[Image:Guildford alms houses 1.jpg|250px|left|thumb|His alms houses in [[Guildford]]]]
Born at [[Guildford]] in [[Surrey]], where his father was a cloth-worker. He studied, and then taught, at [[Balliol College, Oxford]], was chosen Master of [[University College, Oxford|University College]] in 1597, and appointed [[Dean (religion)|Dean]] of [[Winchester Cathedral|Winchester]] in 1600. He was three times [[Vice-Chancellor]] of the [[University of Oxford|university]], and took a leading part in preparing the authorized version of the [[New Testament]]. In 1608 he went to [[Scotland]] with [[George Home, 1st Earl of Dunbar]] to arrange for a union between the churches of [[England]] and Scotland. He so pleased [[James I of England|King James]] in this affair that he was made [[Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry]] in 1609 and was translated to the [[episcopal see|see]] of [[Bishop of London|London]] a month afterwards.
==Archbishop of Canterbury==
Less than a year later, on [[March 4]], [[1611]] Abbot was raised to the position of [[Archbishop of Canterbury|Canterbury]]. As archbishop, he defended the [[Apostolic Succession]] of the Anglican archbishops & bishops and the validity of the Church's priesthood in 1614. In consequence of the [[Nag's Head Fable]], the archbishop invited certain [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]]s to inspect the register in the presence of six of his own episcopal colleagues, the details of which inspection were preserved. It was agreed by all parties that:
<blockquote>
"The register agrees in every particular with what we know of the history of the times, and there exists not the semblance of a reason for pronouncing it a forgery."<ref>{{cite news
| first = John
| last = Wordsworth, D.D., Bishop of Salisbury.
| authorlink =
| author =
| coauthors =
| title = A Letter on the Succession of Bishops in the Church of England
| url = http://anglicanhistory.org/england/jwords/heykamp.html
| format =
| work =
| publisher =
| id =
| pages =
| page =
| date = 1892
| accessdate = 16 July 2007
| language = English
| quote =
}}</ref></blockquote>
In spite of his defense of the Catholic nature of the priesthood, his [[puritan]] instincts frequently led him not only into harsh treatment of Roman Catholics, but also into courageous resistance to the royal will, e.g. when he opposed the scandalous divorce suit of the Lady [[Frances Howard]] against the [[Earl of Essex]], and again in 1618 when, at [[Croydon]], he forbade the reading of the declaration permitting [[Sunday sports]]. He was naturally, therefore, a promoter of the match between the [[elector palatine]] and the [[Elizabeth Stuart|Princess Elizabeth]], and a firm opponent of the projected marriage of the [[Prince of Wales]] with the ''[[Infanta]]'' of [[Spain]]. This policy brought upon him the hatred of [[William Laud]] (with whom he had previously come into collision at Oxford) and the court, though the King himself never forsook him.
[[Image:g abbot.jpg|thumb|right|thumb|150px|His statue in [[Guildford]]]]
In 1622, while hunting in [[Edward la Zouche, 11th Baron Zouche|Lord Zouch]]'s park at [[Bramshill House|Bramshill]] in [[Hampshire]], a bolt from his cross-bow aimed at a deer happened to strike one of the keepers, who died within an hour, and Abbot was so greatly distressed by the event that he fell into a state of settled [[melancholia]]. His enemies maintained that the fatal issue of this accident disqualified him for his office, and argued that, though the [[homicide]] was involuntary, the sport of [[hunting]] which had led to it was one in which no clerical person could lawfully indulge. The King had to refer the matter to a commission of ten, though he said that "an angel might have miscarried after this sort." The commission was equally divided, and the King gave a casting vote in the Archbishop's favour, though signing also a formal pardon or dispensation.
After this the Archbishop seldom appeared at the Council, chiefly on account of his infirmities. He attended the King constantly, however, in his last illness, and performed the ceremony of the coronation of [[Charles I of England|King Charles I]]. His refusal to license the [[assize sermon]] preached by Dr [[Robert Sibthorp]] at [[Northampton]] on [[February 22]] [[1627]], in which cheerful obedience was urged to the king's demand for a general loan, and the duty proclaimed of absolute non-resistance even to the most arbitrary royal commands, led Charles to deprive him of his functions as [[primate (religion)|primate]], putting them in commission. The need of summoning parliament, however, soon brought about a nominal restoration of the Archbishop's powers. His presence being unwelcome at court, he lived from that time in retirement, leaving Laud and his party in undisputed ascendancy. He died at Croydon on [[August 5]] [[1633]], and was buried at Guildford, his native place, where he had endowed a hospital with lands to the value of £300 a year.
==Legacy==
Abbot was a conscientious [[prelate]], though narrow in view and often harsh towards both separatists and Roman Catholics. He wrote a large number of works, the most interesting being his discursive ''Exposition on the Prophet Jonah'' (1600), which was reprinted in 1845. His ''Geography, or a Brief Description of the Whole World'' (1599), passed through numerous editions.
The best account of him is in [[Samuel Rawson Gardiner|S. R. Gardiner]]'s ''History of England''.
Guildford remembers the Archbishop with a statue in the High Street, a pub and also a secondary school ([[George Abbot School]]) named after him.
{{Wikisource1911Enc|Abbot, George (Archbishop)}}
<br clear=all>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
*{{1911}}
{{start box}}
{{succession box | title=[[Lord High Treasurer|First Lord of the Treasury]] | before=[[Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk|The Earl of Suffolk]]'''<br>(Lord High Treasurer) | after=[[Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester|The Earl of Manchester]]'''<br>(Lord High Treasurer) | years=[[1618]]–[[1620]]}}
{{s-ecc}}
{{succession box | before=[[Richard Bancroft]] | title=[[Archbishop of Canterbury]] | after=[[William Laud]] | years=[[1611]]–[[1633]]}}
{{end box}}
{{Archbishops of Canterbury}}
[[Category:1562 births|Abbot, Archbishop George]]
[[Category:1633 deaths|Abbot, Archbishop George]]
[[Category:Archbishops of Canterbury|Abbot, George]]
[[Category:Bishops of Lichfield|Abbot, George]]
[[Category:Bishops of London|Abbot, George]]
[[Category:Translators of the King James version of the bible|Abbot, George]]
[[Category:Tudor clergy|Abbot, Archbishop George]]
[[Category:English translators|Abbot, Archbishop George]]
[[Category:Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford|Abbot, George]]
[[Category:Fellows of University College, Oxford|Abbot, George]]
[[Category:People associated with Trinity College, Dublin|Abbot, Archbishop George]]
[[Category:People from Guildford|Abbot, Archbishop George]]
[[Category:Chancellors of the University of Dublin|Abbot, Archbishop George]]
[[de:George Abbot]]
[[fr:George Abbot (archevêque)]]
[[pl:George Abbot]]
[[pt:George Abott]]
[[ru:Эббот, Джордж]]
[[sv:George Abbot]]