Anthony Sparrow
English Anglican priest and bishop
Anthony Sparrow (May 1612 – 19 May 1685) was prominent as both a theologian and academic at the University of Cambridge and as a cleric in the Church of England. He was President of Queens' College, Cambridge, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge and Bishop of both Exeter and Norwich. He is known for his resistance to the imposition of Presbyterianism by Oliver Cromwell, his involvement in the conflict between Simon Patrick and King Charles II regarding academic freedom and the right of colleges to elect their heads, and for his theological treatises, in particular A Rationale upon the Book of Common Prayer.
Early life
Born at Depden Hall, Depden, Suffolk, in 1612, he was the son of Samuel Sparrow, a wealthy farmer.
Academic career
He graduated with a BA degree (1628/9), followed by an MA (1632), a BD (1639) and DD (1661), all from Queens' College, Cambridge. In 1633 he was appointed a fellow of the college and over the next decade served as both Dean and Bursar and taught Hebrew and Greek.
On 18 April 1644 he and around 60 other fellows were ejected from their colleges by Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester after Parliament passed a law reforming the University. Among other things, it required fellows to be resident at their colleges, which Sparrow was not. The reforms were contentious given the political climate of the English Civil War and the Royalist loyalties of the University. The issue of residency appears to have been an excuse to rid the University of those who refused to adopt the Covenant which was part of the Parliamentarians' efforts to enforce Presbyterianism in England.
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