William Wake (archbishop)

William Wake (archbishop)
Name	William Wake
Birth date	1657
Death date	7 March 1737
Occupation	Archbishop of Canterbury
Alma mater	Christ Church, Oxford
Known for	Religious leadership, patronage of scholarship

William Wake (archbishop) was an English Anglican prelate who served as Archbishop of Canterbury from 1716 to 1737. A native of Oxfordshire, he rose through the Church of England hierarchy as Dean of Wells, Bishop of Lincoln, and Bishop of Worcester before his primacy, becoming noted for his engagement with Jansenism, disputes involving Nonconformism, and support for classical scholarship and Eastern Orthodoxy contacts.

Early life and education

Wake was born in Bloxham, Oxfordshire, into a family connected with the local gentry and parliamentary networks. He matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford, where he studied alongside contemporaries connected to Glorious Revolution settlements and the intellectual circles around John Locke, Isaac Newton, and Edward Stillingfleet. At Oxford he formed ties with clerics and scholars associated with Latitudinarianism and patrons from the Whig and Tory rivalries that shaped ecclesiastical appointments in the late Stuart period.

Ecclesiastical career

Wake was ordained into the Church of England and served in parish and cathedral offices before appointment as Dean of Wells. He advanced to the episcopate as Bishop of Lincoln and then Bishop of Worcester, where his administration intersected with issues affecting Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, Churchills-era patronage, and local disputes involving Dissenters and High Church clergy. His network included correspondence with figures such as Benjamin Hoadly, Thomas Sherlock, Edmund Gibson, and continental scholars in the Republic of Letters.

Archbishop of Canterbury

As Archbishop of Canterbury, Wake presided over the Province of Canterbury during the reigns of George I and George II, navigating relationships with prime ministers and secretaries of state involved in ecclesiastical patronage, including ministers in the Walpole administrations. He convoked and influenced convocations in Canterbury Cathedral and worked with Lambeth Palace staff on appointment and discipline. Wake engaged with international matters, including correspondence with hierarchs of the Church of Greece, Church of Russia, and other Eastern Orthodoxy leaders, as well as interactions with Roman Catholic and Protestant communities across Europe.

Theological positions and controversies

Wake's theology reflected an attempt to balance Latitudinarianism conciliatory impulses and orthodoxy within the Thirty Years' War aftermath theological landscape and post-Reformation controversies. He opposed certain Jansenist tendencies yet maintained dialog with continental anti-Jansenist voices; he contested positions held by scholars associated with Pascal and Port-Royal, and debated issues raised by Arminianism advocates. Wake confronted controversies with prominent figures including Benjamin Hoadly over episcopal authority and schism, as well as disputes involving Nonconformists such as John Wesley-era predecessors and the lingering effects of the Toleration Act 1689. His correspondence with theologians like Jeremy Collier and John Fell shows involvement in pamphlet wars characteristic of the early modern religious public sphere.

Patronage, charity, and cultural activities

Wake was a notable patron of scholarship, supporting editions of Greek and Latin patristic texts and fostering ties with the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge and the Royal Society. He aided projects involving manuscripts from Mount Athos and contacts with Patriarch of Constantinople figures, contributing to improved Western access to Eastern Orthodox writings. Wake funded charitable works, including initiatives connected to charitable hospitals and parish relief in London and Oxfordshire, and supported building and restorative projects at Canterbury Cathedral and other ecclesiastical sites. His household and circle included antiquarians and collectors who corresponded with Humphrey Wanley, Humphrey Prideaux, and collectors tied to the Bodleian Library.

Death, legacy, and historical assessment

Wake died in Lambeth in 1737 and was buried with honors reflecting his office; his death occasioned assessments by contemporaries such as William Whiston-aligned critics and defenders in Monthly Review-style pamphleteering. Historians have evaluated his tenure in the context of Hanoverian church-state relations, comparing his moderation and patronage to successors like Thomas Herring and predecessors such as Thomas Tenison. Wake's legacy includes contributions to patristic scholarship, diplomatic engagement with Orthodoxy, and the shaping of Church of England polity during a period of consolidation following the Glorious Revolution; assessments range from praise for his learned moderation to critique for his management of contention with dissenting and high-church factions.

Category:Archbishops of Canterbury Category:17th-century English clergy Category:18th-century English bishops