Thomas Ravis

The Right Reverend

Thomas Ravis
The Right Reverend; Thomas Ravis
Bishop of London
Church	Church of England
Diocese	Diocese of London
Elected	18 May 1607
Installed	2 June 1607
Term ended	1609 (death)
Predecessor	Richard Vaughan
Successor	George Abbot
Other post(s)	Bishop of Gloucester; 1604–1607; Dean of Christ Church, Oxford; 1596–1607
Orders
Ordination	1582
Consecration	17 March 1605
Personal details
Born	c. 1560; Old Malden, Surrey
Died	14 December 1609
Buried	St Paul's Cathedral, London
Nationality	English
Denomination	Anglican
Profession	Academic
Education	Westminster School
Alma mater	Christ Church, Oxford

Thomas Ravis (c. 1560 – 14 December 1609) was a Church of England bishop and academic. He was among those engaged in translating the King James Bible.

Early life

Ravis was born at Old Malden in Surrey, probably in 1560, and educated at Westminster School. He was elected, on the recommendation of Lord Burghley, to Christ Church, Oxford, in 1575, but the dean and chapter declined to admit him on the grounds that there was no room, until Burghley remonstrated with them. He gained a BA on 12 November 1578 and an MA on 3 March 1582, proceeding to a bachelor's divinity degree in 1589 and a divinity doctorate in 1595.

Priestly career

Ravis took holy orders in 1582 and preached around Oxford for some time. On 17 April 1588 he was elected a proctor and in July 1596 and again in July 1597 was chosen Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford.^[1] In 1591 he was admitted to the rectory of Merstham, Surrey, and from 27 December of the same year until May 1598 was vicar of All Hallows, Barking. From February 1593 till 1607 he was a prebendary of Westminster, and from 1596 until 1605 an authoritarian Dean of Christ Church.^[2] As Dean he commuted the commons allowance for food into monetary form, of two shillings a week. Some of those who resisted this innovation he expelled, others he sent before the council, and others he imprisoned.

On 7 July 1598 he became vicar of Islip, and in the following October vicar of Wittenham Abbas, Berkshire.^[3] He was one of the six deans who attended the Hampton Court Conference in 1604, and later supplied notes for William Barlow's account, the Sum and Substance of the Conference. He was then involved in the subsequent creation of the King James Bible, being appointed one of the Oxford committee deputed to translate part of the New Testament. Also in that year, he was elected prolocutor of the lower house of Convocation.

Episcopal career

In October 1604 Ravis was appointed Bishop of Gloucester and consecrated on 17 March 1605; he was allowed to hold in commendam with his bishopric the deanery of Christ Church, his Westminster prebend, and the parsonages of Islip and Wittenham. At Gloucester he improved the Bishop's Palace. On 18 May 1607 Ravis was translated to the episcopal see of London and installed as Bishop of London on 2 June. He was intolerant of all nonconformity. Ravis died on 14 December 1609, and was buried in the north aisle of St Paul's Cathedral.

Notes

^ "Vice-Chancellors of the University of Oxford - University of Oxford". Archived from the original on 21 May 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2008.
^ "Deans of Christ Church, Oxford | British History Online".
^ This list associates "Abbots Wittenham" with Little Wittenham. "GENUKI: Alphabetical index of place names in Berkshire - A". Archived from the original on 7 July 2010. Retrieved 27 August 2010.. Retrieved 27 August 2010.

References

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Ravis, Thomas". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.

Academic offices
Preceded by William James	Dean of Christ Church, Oxford 1596–1605	Succeeded by John King
Church of England titles
Preceded by Godfrey Goldsborough	Bishop of Gloucester 1604–1607	Succeeded by Henry Parry
Preceded by Richard Vaughan	Bishop of London 1607–1609	Succeeded by George Abbot

[1] "Vice-Chancellors of the University of Oxford - University of Oxford". Archived from the original on 21 May 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2008.

[2] "Deans of Christ Church, Oxford | British History Online".

[3] This list associates "Abbots Wittenham" with Little Wittenham. "GENUKI: Alphabetical index of place names in Berkshire - A". Archived from the original on 7 July 2010. Retrieved 27 August 2010.. Retrieved 27 August 2010.

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e Dean of Christ Church, Oxford
Predecessors	John Hygdon* John Oliver* John London Richard Cox
Early modern	Richard Cox Richard Marshall George Carew Thomas Sampson Thomas Godwin Thomas Cooper John Piers Tobias Matthew William James Thomas Ravis John King William Goodwin Richard Corbet Brian Duppa Samuel Fell Edward Reynolds John Owen Edward Reynolds George Morley John Fell John Massey Henry Aldrich Francis Atterbury George Smalridge Hugh Boulter William Bradshaw John Conybeare David Gregory William Markham Lewis Bagot Cyril Jackson
Late modern	Charles Henry Hall Samuel Smith Thomas Gaisford Henry Liddell Francis Paget Thomas Strong Henry Julian White Alwyn Williams John Lowe Cuthbert Simpson Henry Chadwick Eric Heaton John Drury Christopher Lewis Martyn Percy Sarah Foot
* – Academic deans only; prior to the establishment of Christ Church Cathedral; ** – Cathedral deans at Osney.

v t e Bishops of Gloucester and of Gloucester and Bristol
Gloucester (1541)	John Wakeman John Hooper See dissolved, 1552 & re-erected, 1554 James Brooks Richard Cheyney John Bullingham Godfrey Goldsborough Thomas Ravis Henry Parry Giles Thomson Miles Smith Godfrey Goodman Episcopacy abolished (Commonwealth) William Nicholson John Pritchett Robert Frampton Edward Fowler Richard Willis Joseph Wilcocks Elias Sydall Martin Benson James Johnson William Warburton James Yorke Samuel Hallifax Richard Beadon George Huntingford Henry Ryder Christopher Bethell James Henry Monk
Gloucester and Bristol	James Henry Monk Charles Baring William Thomson Charles Ellicott
Gloucester (1897)	Charles Ellicott Edgar Gibson Arthur Headlam Clifford Woodward Wilfred Askwith Basil Guy John Yates Peter Ball David Bentley Michael Perham Martyn Snow (acting) Rachel Treweek

v t e Bishops of London
Post-Augustine	Mellitus Cedd Wine Earconwald Waldhere Ingwald Ecgwulf Wigheah Eadberht Eadgar Coenwalh Eadbald Heathoberht Osmund Æthelnoth Ceolberht Deorwulf Swithwulf Heahstan Wulfsige Æthelweard Leofstan Theodred Brihthelm Dunstan Ælfstan Wulfstan Ælfhun Ælfwig Ælfweard Robert of Jumièges Spearhafoc
Post-Conquest	William the Norman Hugh d'Orevalle Maurice Richard de Belmeis I Gilbert Universalis Anselm (quashed) Robert de Sigello Richard de Belmeis II Gilbert Foliot Richard FitzNeal William of Sainte-Mère-Église Eustace of Fauconberg Roger Niger Fulk Basset Henry Wingham Richard Talbot Henry of Sandwich John Chishull Fulke Lovell Richard Gravesend Ralph Baldock Gilbert Segrave Richard Newport Stephen Gravesend Richard de Wentworth Ralph Stratford Michael Northburgh Simon Sudbury William Courtenay Robert Braybrooke Roger Walden Nicholas Bubwith Richard Clifford John Kemp William Grey Robert FitzHugh Robert Gilbert Thomas Kempe Richard Hill Thomas Savage William Warham William Barons Richard FitzJames Cuthbert Tunstall
During the Reformation	John Stokesley Edmund Bonner (1st) Nicholas Ridley Edmund Bonner (2nd)
Post-Reformation	Edmund Grindal Edwin Sandys John Aylmer Richard Fletcher Richard Bancroft Richard Vaughan Thomas Ravis George Abbot John King George Montaigne William Laud William Juxon Episcopacy abolished (Commonwealth) William Juxon Gilbert Sheldon Humphrey Henchman Henry Compton John Robinson Edmund Gibson Thomas Sherlock Thomas Hayter Richard Osbaldeston Richard Terrick Robert Lowth Beilby Porteus John Randolph William Howley Charles James Blomfield Archibald Campbell Tait John Jackson Frederick Temple Mandell Creighton Arthur Winnington-Ingram Geoffrey Fisher William Wand Henry Montgomery Campbell Robert Stopford Gerald Ellison Graham Leonard David Hope Richard Chartres Pete Broadbent (Acting) Sarah Mullally

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