William Harrison (18 April 1534 – 24 April 1593) was an English clergyman. Harrison entered Christ Church, Oxford and in 1560 was awarded his Bachelor's degree. Continuing his theological studies at Cambridge, Harrison took the degree of Bachelor of Divinity in 1571. In the same year he was instituted vicar of Wimbish in Essex. Harrison also held positions at another two London parishes. Near the end of his life, Harrison received an appointment as a canon at St. George's Chapel at Windsor, city wherehe was buried in 1593.
Harrison has principally been known for his "Description of England", first published in 1577 as part of "Holinshed's Chronicle". This work enumerated England's geographic, economic, social, religious and political featuresWilliam Harrison (18 April 1534 – 24 April 1593) was an English clergyman. Harrison entered Christ Church, Oxford and in 1560 was awarded his Bachelor's degree. Continuing his theological studies at Cambridge, Harrison took the degree of Bachelor of Divinity in 1571. In the same year he was instituted vicar of Wimbish in Essex. Harrison also held positions at another two London parishes. Near the end of his life, Harrison received an appointment as a canon at St. George's Chapel at Windsor, city wherehe was buried in 1593.
Harrison has principally been known for his "Description of England", first published in 1577 as part of "Holinshed's Chronicle". This work enumerated England's geographic, economic, social, religious and political features and represents an important source for historians interested in life in Elizabethan England. He gathered his facts from books, letters, maps, the notes of John Leland, and conversations with antiquaries and local historians like his friends John Stow and William Camden. He also used his own observation, experience and wit, and wrote in a conversational tone without pedantry, which has made the work a Harvard Classic. The result is a compendium of Elizabethan England during the youth of William Shakespeare. "No work of the time contains so vivid and picturesque a sketch," was the assessment of The Cambridge History of English and American Literature.
Harrison also wrote a number of unpublished manuscripts, including The Great English Chronologie. This work traced fortunes of the Christian church in history, stretching from creation to his own time. In the Chronologie, Harrison revealed his sympathy with the Calvinist perspective of those seeking to reform the Church of England. At the same time, Harrison also indicated his distrust of the political intentions of England's Puritans and his ultimate loyalty to England's ecclesiastical authorities....more
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