Correspondence of Thomas Thynne, 1st Viscount Weymouth, consisting chiefly of original...

Correspondence of Thomas Thynne, 1st Viscount Weymouth, consisting chiefly of original letters of Thomas Ken, Bishop of Bath and Wells (1685) deprived (1691). On his deprivation Lord Weymouth granted him an annuity of £80, and from that time he lived principally at Longleat where he ultimately died in 1711. The contents are as follows: -

1. Thomas Ken, Bishop of Bath and Wells to Lord Weymouth: (a) on the delay in instituting a Clerk of Lord Weymouth "there having been two Caveats enter'd", that the circumstances of his condition are such" "that they necessitate" his stay at Winchester, though much against his inclinations, begs Lord Weymouth will accept of what he sends herewith "for ye sake of ye subject treated of, which is Divine Loue": Winchester College, 5 Aug. 1685. f.1: (b) is sorry he "is not despatch Mr King's affair" [?the Clerk above-mentioned]: 21 Oct. 1685. f.3: (c) on the subject of Bishops' courts and the exclusion of Bishops from them ..... he has now instituted Mr King: 28 Oct. 1685. f.5: (d) concerning a sick lady, who would be glad of some of Lord Weymouth's asparagus: 28 Mar. [1686]. f.7: (e) acknowledges Lord Weymouth's kindness to Dr Wellsted .... sends two manuals "for ye young lady and Master": 26 July, 1687. f.10: (f) on the state of the Church, "I confesse I doe believe yt God is doeing some great thing for ye good of His Church but in all probability some medicinall Chastisement will goe before to render us ye more fitt to recieve a blessing": etc. 1 Sept. 1688. f.12: (g) on the same subject, "I will take what care I can in ye choice of Convocation men, I thought ye two last had been very steddy, but ye Current of preferment running at present ye other way, 'Tis hard in so giddy an age as 'tis to choose those who will row against ye streame, or those who, though they goe well resolv'd from us shall not have their braines turn'd by ye aire of ye towne", he hopes to come to Longleat shortly: 3 March 1689 [90]. f.14: (h) asks for Lord Weymouth's advice, "If your Lordship has leasure to enlighten me in a line or two, who am wholly in ye dark, I know nothing, and to give me what advice you thinke fitt for one who certainely design'd for ruine, you will doe a great act of Charity": 15 Mar. 1689[90]. f.16: (i) saying that he hopes to persuade Mr King [? Lord Weymouth's chaplain] "to a more consistence temper and to take a proper medicinall course" ..... "The Bp of E[ly, Francis Turner] mentioning to me one Mr Harbin who was his owne Chaplaine heretofore, an excellent scholar, and so far as I could observe of a brisk and cheerful temper, however I was unwilling to engage your Lordshippe to take him without a previous triall and I have told ye Bishop, yt your Lordshippe should make an experiment of him for a quarter of a yeare, before he fix'd in your family": 27 May, [1699?] f.18: (k) that he intended to come to Bath but his mare fell ill, he has had letters from his friends at Nash [Naish Court] "who are so worried by a Great Man that they are in great affliction": 4 July, [1784?] f.20: (1) on t the death of Lord Weymouth's only son Henry, and on the death of [Anne Kemeys] of whom he says, "My friend has left me for her selfe and her sister £200 and £300 for me to distribute among ye deprived clergy": etc. 8 Jan. 1708 [9]. f.22: (m) that he was" seas'd in Easter week with a very severe fiit of ye Rheumatisme" ... he congratulates Lord Abington on his new post [Montague Bertie 2nd Earl of Abingdon, appointed Justice in Eyre of the Royal Forests, south of the Trent in 1710: 5 May, [1710?] f.24.

2. Thomas Barlow, Provost of Queen's College, Oxon., Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity etc. [Bishop of Lincoln 1675], to Lord Weymouth expressing thanks to him and the Lord Keeper for continued favours and adding, "My fortune is allready much more then I deserve, and equall to my desires, I know my good Lord Keeper, yourselfe, and others of my friends have beene and (as I have reason to believe) are desirous to procure (as 'tis call'd) som preferment for me, and if (by any of your interests) I might have a sine-cure, or suche thinge, from which (without trouble or avocation from my studies) I might have a little more money to by a few Bookes and be helpefull to the poore, it is all I doe, or should desire, Bishoprique, Deanery, Prebendship, etc. I desire not", etc. Oxford, 23 Oct. 1674. f.51.

3. An unsigned letter to Lord Weymouth on the subject of the King and the Bishops, "His Majesty it seems was heartily angry and repeated part of his Oxford speech 'I am the King' etc. He was pleased to talk as if ye C. of England was grown rebellious ..... lookeing as it is said more sternly than ordinarily on the Bishop of Bristol .... said that that Bishop was of all of 'am the most sawey": etc. [1688]. f.53.

Included are the following papers: - (a)

(a) List of emendations to the "Poetical Paraphrase of the Psalms, by Samuel Woodford" [1667], in the handwriting of Bishop Ken: f.26: (b) a few historical notes on the times of Queen Elizabeth and later, 1558-1615, in Bp Ken's handwriting: f.31: (c) a receipt of the Bishop's of £20 due to me" from Lord Weymouth: 28 Feb. 1690[1]. f.32: (d) circular letter to the clergy of his diocese, by order of the King, asking for contributions to the aid of "Protestant Strangers": Wells, 15 Apr. 1686. Printed. f.33: (e) Pastoral Letter from Bishop Ken to his clergy: 1688. Printed. f.34: (f) "An Elegy sacred to the Memory of Dr Thomas Kenn, the Deprived Bishop of Bath and Wells": [1711]. f.39: (g) Inscriptions to Bp. Ken by Rev. T. Kilvert of Bath (d. 1863). Latin. ff.40,41: (h) Petition of the Grand Jury of Co. Gloucester in favour of Bp. Ken and other persons who feel themselves unable to take the Oaths: 1690. f.57: (i) List of the new Bishops appointed to "the Bishopricks, etc. voyd for not taking ye Oaths" [ ] Dr Beveridge's name is given as succeeding Dr Ken whereas Richard Kidder actually succeeded him. f.59.