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John Bramhall

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John Bramhall
John Bramhall (1594 – 1663) was an Archbishop of Armagh, and an Anglican theologian and apologist. He was a noted controversialist who doggedly defended the English Church from both Puritan and Roman Catholic accusations, as well as the materialism of Thomas Hobbes.

Bramhall was born in Pontefract, Yorkshire, the son of Peter Bramhall (died 1635) of Carleton. He matriculated at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge in 1609, and graduated B.A. 1612, M.A. 1616, B.D. 1623, D.D. 1630 . He was ordained around 1616, and was presented with a Yorkshire living, South Kilvington, by Christopher Wandesford.

He went to Ireland in 1633 with Thomas Wentworth and was archdeacon of Meath. As a royal commissioner he worked to obtain the surrender of fee-farms on episcopal and clerical revenues, recovering church income. He was consecrated bishop of Derry in the chapel of Dublin Castle on 16 May 1634, succeeding the Puritan George Downham.

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