The Bishops: Unlikely Revolutionaries

Abstract

The seven bishops were the most implausible revolutionaries; in many respects their backgrounds, education and churchmanship made them much more likely to support James than oppose him. One of the writers during the contest between the King and bishops commented that James ‘had contributed so much to the placing of most of you in your episcopal Chairs’.¹ John Miller wrote of the events of 1687–8: ‘the changes … happened in spite of, not as a result of, the prevailing constitutional theory. Men were forced by immediate political circumstances to take actions which directly contradicted their fundamental constitutional beliefs.’² This exactly sums up the position of the seven bishops. They were all natural supporters of James who found themselves acting against him. The seven were the builders, literally and metaphorically, of the Restoration Church; and they were men of principle.³ They were also men of subtle but significant differences, and while history has treated them as a single group it is important to recognise that the seven bishops were not of a single mind. Moreover, the root of their resistance to James can be traced to elements in the bishops’ early lives and careers.