Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 42.djvu/153

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Oliver
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Oliver

other minor preferments or promises of preferment. He had now become prominent as the court as an active official of the new way of thinking. On 22 Feb. 1528-9 he was sent to take the fealty of Elizabeth Zouche, the new abbess of Shaftesbury; and at the end of the same year be became prebendary of Southwell. In 1531 he was employed in the proceedings about Henry's divorce, and in 1532 he was one of those consulted by the king as to the consecration of Cranmer. In the same year he took part in the trial of James Bainham [q. v.] for heresy. On 4 May 1533 Oliver was made dean of Christ Church, Oxford, in succession to John Hygdon [q. v.] He attended to other affairs, however, and in 1533 formed one of the court which declared Queen Katherine contumacious. In 1540 he was consulted by convocation as to the validity of the king's marriage with Anne of Cleves; and other similar public duties were confided to him (Acts of the Privy Council, 1542-7, pp. 118, 126, 292).

When it was determined to alter the foundation of Christ Church, Oliver had to resign his deanery. This he did on 20 May 1545, receiving in exchange the substantial pension of 70l a year. He returned to Doctors' Commons, became a master in chancery in 1547, at some time master of requests; on Wriothesley's fall the same year, he was one of the commissioners who transacted the lord-chancellor's business in the court of chancery. He took part in Gardiner's trial at the close of 1550, was a commissioner for the suppression of the anabaptists in Kent and Essex in 1551, and the same year accompanied the embassy to France to treat of the king's possible marriage. He took part in 1551 in the trials of Day and Heath, bishops of Chichester and Worcester, and, as Lord-chancellor Rich [q. v.] was ill, he helped to clear off the chancery business. He died in Doctors' Commons about May 1552.

Another John Oliver (1601-1661) was born in Kent, of an obscure family, in 1601, matriculated from Merton College, Oxford, on 26 Jan. 1615-16, became a demy of Magdalen College on 7 April 1619, graduated B.A. on 11 Dec. 1619, and became fellow in 1620. He also proceeded M.A. on 3 July 1622, B.D. on 18 May 1631, D.D. on 29 April 1639. He was tutor to Edward Hyde, earl of Clarendon, when he was at Oxford, became vice-president of his college in 1634, held several livings and was made canon of Winchester in 1638, chaplain to Laud 1640, and president of Magdalen College in 1644. Laud left him one of his watches by his will. He was duly ejected in 1647, suffered great hardship, but was restored to his preferments at the Restoration, and, by Hyde's influence, made dean of Worceater on 13 Sept. 1660. He died 27 Oct. 1661, and was buried in Magdalen College antechapel.

[Foster's Alumni Oxon. 1600-1714; Wood's Athenae, ed. Bliss, iv. 300n, and Fasti Oxon. ed. Bliss, i. 60; Laud's Works (Libr. Anglo-Cath. Theol.). iii. 110, iv. 444, vi. 583, vii. 545, 553; Bloxam's Reg. of Magdalen Coll. v. 82-.8; Welch's Alumni Westmon. i,; Wood's Hist. and Antiq. Univ. of Oxf. ed. Gutch, i. 423-9; Coote's Engl. Civilians. p. 18; Reg. Univ. of Oxf. (Oxf. Hist. Soc.) i. 90; Lit. Rem. of King Edw. VI (Roxburghe Club), p. 316, &c.: Le Neve's Fasti Eccl. Angl.i. 508, 519, iii. 438; Leach's Visitors and Memorials of Southwell (Camd. Soc.), pp. 153, 153; Letters and Papers Hen. VIII passim; Foxe's Acts and Mon. iv. 703, &c.; Dixon's Hist. of the Church of Engl. i. 161-2, iii. 257; Strype's Cranmer, p. 24, Memorials, I. i. 560. II. i. 385, ii. 199. &c., III. i. 38, &c.; Acts of the Privy Council.]

W. A. J. A.

OLIVER, JOHN (1616–1701), glass-painter and master-mason, born in 1616, has been without ground supposed to have been related to Isaac and Peter Oliver [q. v.], the celebrated miniature-painters. He was mors probably related to John Oliver, who was master-mason in the reign of James I. He appears to be identical with John Oliver,who was city surveyor and one of the three commissioners for the rebuilding of London after the great fire in 1066. Oliver appears to have executed many small glass-paint-i ings for windows. One of these remains in Northill Church, Bedfordshire, in a window originally put up by the Grocers' Company, but no longer in its original position; it is signed and dated 1664, and represents the royal arms and other heraldry connected with the company. Another window at . Christ Church, Oxford, signed and dated 1700, and presented by Oliver himself, portrays 'St. Peter delivered out of prison.' In Lambeth Palace there were formerly paintings in a window {now removed), erected by Archbishop Sheldon, representing a sundial with the archbishop's arms and a view of the Sheldonian theatre at Oxford. He is probably also He is probably also identical with John Oliver who engraved a few portraits in mezzotint. including a curious one of Lord-chief-justice Jeffreys, as earl of Flint (this he published himself at the 'Eagle and Child' on Ludgate Hill), and who also etched some views of Tangier after Hollar. Oliver died in 1701, aged 85. In his will (P. C. C., 157, Dyer), dated 19 March 1699, and proved 18 Nov. 1701, he describes himself as master-mason to the king, directs that he shall be buried in St. Pauls Cathe-