Thomas Green (bishop)

The Right Reverend Thomas Green
Bishop of Ely
Diocese	Diocese of Ely
In office	1723–1738
Predecessor	William Fleetwood
Successor	Robert Butts
Other post(s)	Bishop of Norwich (1708–1721)
Personal details
Born	baptized (1658-12-12)12 December 1658 St Peter Mancroft, Norwich
Died	18 May 1738(1738-05-18) (aged 79) Ely House, Holborn, London
Buried	Ely Cathedral
Nationality	British
Denomination	Anglican
Spouse	Catherine Trimnell
Education	Norwich School
Alma mater	Corpus Christi College, Cambridge

Thomas Green (less properly Greene) (1658 – 18 May 1738) was an English academic and bishop.

Life

He was born in Norwich, and educated at Norwich School and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. in 1679 and became a Fellow in 1680. He was Master of Corpus from 1698 to 1716, clashing with Robert Moss, and Vice-chancellor of the University of Cambridge, in 1699 and 1713.

With the support of Thomas Tenison, he became chaplain to Sir Stephen Fox, and rector of Minster-in-Thanet. He was Archdeacon of Canterbury from 1708 to 1721.

A Whig in politics, he became chaplain to George I of England, and rector of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields in 1716. In 1721 he became Bishop of Norwich, and in 1723 Bishop of Ely. As bishop of Ely, Green had visitatorial powers at Trinity College, Cambridge, and intervened from 1729 in the quarrel between Richard Bentley, who was the Master, and the Fellows. The matter dragged out and went to the House of Lords, only terminating in Green’s death.

He was known as a “finical” character, a taker of snuff and sometimes called “Miss Green” for his feminine face.

References

• Adaptation of Dictionary of National Biography, article Green, Thomas (1658–1738)