Editing Thomas Tenison (section)

==Life==
He was born at [[Cottenham]], Cambridgeshire, the son and grandson of Anglican clergymen, who were both named John Tenison; his mother was Mercy Dowsing. He was educated at [[Norwich School]], going on to [[Corpus Christi College, Cambridge]], as a scholar on Archbishop [[Matthew Parker]]'s foundation. He graduated in 1657, and was chosen fellow in 1659.<ref>{{acad|id=TNY653T|name=Tenison, Thomas}}</ref> For a short time he studied medicine, but in 1659 was privately ordained. As curate of [[St Andrew the Great]], Cambridge from 1662, he set an example by his devoted attention to the sufferers from the [[Bubonic plague|plague]]. In 1667 he was presented to the living of [[Holywell, Cambridgeshire|Holywell]]-cum-[[Needingworth]], Huntingdonshire, by the [[Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester|Earl of Manchester]], to whose son he had been tutor, and in 1670 to that of [[St Peter Mancroft]], Norwich.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=617}}

In 1680 he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity, and was presented by King [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] to the important London church of [[St Martin-in-the-Fields]]. Tenison, according to [[Gilbert Burnet]], "endowed schools including [[Archbishop Tenison's Church of England School|Archbishop Tenison's School, Lambeth]], founded in 1685 and [[Archbishop Tenison's Church of England High School, Croydon|Archbishop Tenison's School, Croydon]], founded in 1714, set up a public library, and kept many curates to assist him in his indefatigable labours". Being a strenuous opponent of the Church of Rome, and "[[Whitehall]] lying within that parish, he stood as in the front of the battle all King James's reign". In 1678, in a ''Discourse of Idolatry'', he condemned the heathenish idolatry practised in the Church of Rome, and in a sermon which he published in 1681 on ''Discretion in Giving Alms'' was attacked by Andrew Poulton, head of the [[Society of Jesus|Jesuits]] in the Savoy. Tenison's reputation as an enemy of Romanism led the [[James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth|Duke of Monmouth]] to send for him before his execution in 1685, when Bishops [[Thomas Ken]] and [[Francis Turner (bishop)|Francis Turner]] refused to administer [[Eucharist|holy communion]]; but, although Tenison spoke to him in "a softer and less peremptory manner" than the two bishops, he was, like them, not satisfied with the sufficiency of Monmouth's penitence.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=617}}

Under King [[William III of England|William III]], Tenison was in 1689 named a member of the ecclesiastical commission appointed to prepare matters towards a reconciliation of the Dissenters, the revision of the liturgy being specially entrusted to him. A sermon he preached on the commission was published the same year.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=617}}

He strongly supported, at least in public, the [[Glorious Revolution]], though not without some private misgivings, especially concerning the ejection of Archbishop [[William Sancroft]] and the other "non-juring" bishops. [[Henry Hyde, 2nd Earl of Clarendon]] in his diary records some frank remarks made by Tenison on this subject at a dinner party in 1691:

<blockquote>That there had been irregularities in our settlement; that it was wished that things had been otherwise, but that we were now to make the best of it, and support this government as it was, for fear of a worse.</blockquote>

He preached a [[funeral sermon]] for [[Nell Gwyn]] in 1687, in which he represented her as truly penitent &ndash; a charitable judgment that did not meet with universal approval. The general liberality of Tenison's religious views won him royal favour, and, after being made [[Bishop of Lincoln]] in 1691, he was promoted to Archbishop of Canterbury in December 1694.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=617}}

[[File:Lord Justices of England.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Archbishop Tenison was one of seven Lord Justices whom [[William III of England|King William]] appointed to administer the kingdom whilst he was on campaign in Europe.]]