John Hooker or
John Vowell (c. 1527 – 1601) was an English writer, antiquary and civic administrator. He wrote an eye-witness account of the siege of Exeter that took place during the
Prayer Book RebellionThe Prayer Book Rebellion, Prayer Book Revolt, Prayer Book Rising, Western Rising or Western Rebellion was a popular revolt in Cornwall and Devon, in 1549. In 1549 the Book of Common Prayer, presenting the theology of the English Reformation, was introduced...
in 1549. From 1555 to his death he was chamberlain of that city, though he spent several years in Ireland as legal adviser to
Sir Peter CarewSir Peter Carew was a Devonshire adventurer, who served during the reign of Queen Elizabeth of England and became a controversial figure in the Tudor re-conquest of Ireland.- Early life and career :...
during his claim to lands there. He was, for short periods, a member of both the Irish and English parliaments and wrote an influential treatise on parliamentary procedure.
John Hooker or
John Vowell (c. 1527 – 1601) was an English writer, antiquary and civic administrator. He wrote an eye-witness account of the siege of Exeter that took place during the
Prayer Book RebellionThe Prayer Book Rebellion, Prayer Book Revolt, Prayer Book Rising, Western Rising or Western Rebellion was a popular revolt in Cornwall and Devon, in 1549. In 1549 the Book of Common Prayer, presenting the theology of the English Reformation, was introduced...
in 1549. From 1555 to his death he was chamberlain of that city, though he spent several years in Ireland as legal adviser to
Sir Peter CarewSir Peter Carew was a Devonshire adventurer, who served during the reign of Queen Elizabeth of England and became a controversial figure in the Tudor re-conquest of Ireland.- Early life and career :...
during his claim to lands there. He was, for short periods, a member of both the Irish and English parliaments and wrote an influential treatise on parliamentary procedure. He was one of the editors of the second edition of
Raphael HolinshedRaphael Holinshed was an English chronicler, whose work, commonly known as Holinshed's Chronicles, was one of the major sources used by William Shakespeare for a number of his plays....
's
Chronicles, published in 1587. His last, unpublished and probably uncompleted work was the first topographical description of the county of Devon.
Personal life
Hooker was born at Bourbridge Hall in Exeter,
DevonDevon is a large county in England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, although that is an unofficial name, rarely used inside of the county itself and often indicating a traditional or historical context. The county shares borders with Cornwall to the west and Dorset and Somerset to...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He was the second son of Robert Vowell or Hooker and Agnes Doble, his third wife. The Vowell family had acquired the name Hooker in the 15th century, but usually retained the earlier name; in fact John Hooker was known as John Vowell for much of his life. By the time he was born the family had been prominent in Exeter for several generations. Hooker received an excellent
classicalClassics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean World; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity...
education, reading Roman law at Oxford followed by a period in Europe studying with leading Protestant divines, notably
Pietro Martire VermigliPietro Martire Vermigli, sometimes simply Peter Martyr , was an Italian theologian of the Reformation period.-Life:...
.
In the 1540s he married Martha, daughter of Robert Tucker of Exeter and they had three sons and two daughters. By 1586, Martha had died and he had married Anastryce (c. 1540 – 1599), daughter of Edward Bridgeman of Exeter. They had seven sons and five daughters. In later life his health failed and he died in Exeter some time between 26 January and 15 September in 1601 and was probably buried in the cathedral. He was the uncle of
Richard HookerRichard Hooker was an Anglican priest and an influential theologian. Hooker's emphases on reason, tolerance and the value of tradition considerably influenced the development of Anglicanism...
, the influential Anglican theologian.
Exeter
During the
Prayer Book RebellionThe Prayer Book Rebellion, Prayer Book Revolt, Prayer Book Rising, Western Rising or Western Rebellion was a popular revolt in Cornwall and Devon, in 1549. In 1549 the Book of Common Prayer, presenting the theology of the English Reformation, was introduced...
in 1549 he experienced at first hand the siege of Exeter, leaving a vivid account of its events in which he made no effort to conceal his religious sympathies. From 1551 to 1553 he was employed by
Myles CoverdaleMyles Coverdale was a 16th-century Bible translator who produced the first complete printed translation of the Bible into English.-Life:...
during his short incumbency as
Bishop of ExeterThe Bishop of Exeter is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. The incumbent usually signs his name as Exon or incorporates this in his signature.-History:...
; and then in 1555 he became the first
chamberlainA chamberlain is an officer in charge of managing a household. In many countries there are ceremonial posts associated with the household of the sovereign....
of Exeter, a post that he held until his death.
As chamberlain he was responsible for the city's finances, he dealt with disputes between guilds and merchants, oversaw the rebuilding of the high school, planted many trees in the city, and collected and put in order the city's archives. He used these records to compile his "Annals" of the City in which he details the characteristics of every Tudor mayor of Exeter, and in 1578 he also wrote and published
The Lives of the Bishops of Exeter.
Ireland
In 1568, possibly because he regarded himself as underpaid for the work he was doing for the city, Hooker was persuaded by
Sir Peter CarewSir Peter Carew was a Devonshire adventurer, who served during the reign of Queen Elizabeth of England and became a controversial figure in the Tudor re-conquest of Ireland.- Early life and career :...
to go with him to Ireland to be his legal adviser. He also organised Carew's papers in support of his claim for the barony of Idrone, a task to which he committed himself so deeply that in 1569 he was returned to the Irish parliament as member for
AthenryAthenry is a town in County Galway, Ireland. It lies east of Galway city, and one of the attractions of the town is its medieval castle. The town is also well-known by virtue of the song "The Fields of Athenry"....
. Hooker later wrote a biography of Carew,
The dyscourse and dyscoverye of the lyffe of Sir Peter Carew, in which he almost certainly understated the deceit and aggression behind Carew's Irish venture.
Until Carew's death in 1575, Hooker spent much time in Ireland, but he had also been returned to the English parliament in 1571 as one of the burgesses of Exeter. The session had only lasted a few weeks, but he kept a journal in which he accurately recorded the proceedings. His experiences in the Irish and English parliaments led him to write a treatise on parliamentary practice,
The Order and Usage how to Keepe a Parlement in England, which was published in two editions in 1572. One edition had a preface addressed to
William FitzWilliamSir William FitzWilliam was an English statesman.- Early life :FitzWilliam was born at Milton, Northamptonshire, the eldest son of Sir William and grandson of another Sir William , alderman and sheriff of London, who had been treasurer and chamberlain to Cardinal Wolsey and who purchased Milton...
, the
Lord Deputy of IrelandThe Lord Deputy was the King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Kingdom of Ireland.*Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Kildare *Leonard Grey, 1st Viscount Grane...
and was clearly intended to bring order to the Irish assembly; the other was addressed to the Exeter city authorities, presumably to aid his successor burgesses. In writing his treatise Hooker took much inspiration from the
Modus Tenendi ParliamentumThe Modus Tenendi Parliamentum is a 14th century document that outlined an idealised version of English parliamentary procedure.An ancient document which has exercised much debate over its antiquity...
, a treatise from the early 14th century.
In 1586 Hooker again represented Exeter in parliament. At this time he was one of the editors of the second edition of
Raphael HolinshedRaphael Holinshed was an English chronicler, whose work, commonly known as Holinshed's Chronicles, was one of the major sources used by William Shakespeare for a number of his plays....
's
Chronicles, which was published in 1587. Hooker's
Order and Usage was included and he contributed an updated history of Ireland, including parts of his
Life of Carew and a translation of
Expugnatio Hibernica ("Conquest of Ireland") by Gerald of Wales. In his Irish section he again made his religious and political sympathies very clear, repeatedly denouncing the Catholicism of the native Irish, seeing it as the cause both of their poverty and rebelliousness. Rome, he wrote, is "the pestilent hydra" and the pope "the sonne of sathan, and the manne of sinne, and the enimie unto the crosse of Christ, whose bloodthirstiness will never be quenched".
Later life
Hooker continued to serve Exeter in his later years, becoming
coronerA coroner or forensics examiner is an official chiefly responsible for investigating deaths, particularly some of those happening under unusual circumstances, and determining the cause of death. Depending on the jurisdiction, the coroner may adjudge the cause himself, or act as the presiding...
in 1583 and
recorderThe term Recorder refers to the highest legal officer of a particular area.Formerly, a Recorder was a certain magistrate or judge having criminal and civil jurisdiction in a city or borough. A recorder was originally an appointed person with legal knowledge by the mayor and aldermen to 'record' the...
in 1590. He was also appointed as
stewardA steward , means an official who is appointed by the legal ruling monarch to represent him or her in a country, and may have a mandate to govern it in his...
of
BradninchBradninch is a small town in Devon, England, lying about three miles south of Cullompton. Bradninch dates back to before the 7th century and at this time there was a Saxon fortress on Castle hill...
by
Sir Walter RaleighSir Walter Raleigh, Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall was a English aristocrat, writer, poet, soldier, courtier, and explorer.Raleigh was born to a Protestant family in Devon, the son of Walter Raleigh and Catherine Champernowne...
in 1587. By this time he was involved in the long task of organising and writing his historically-based description of his home county that he called
Synopsis Corographical of the county of Devon. He probably started work on this before his friend Richard Carew began writing his similar
Survey of Cornwall. In writing his
Synopsis, Hooker was influenced by the style and structure of
William Harrison'sWilliam Harrison was an English clergyman, whose Description of England was produced as part of the publishing venture of a group of London stationers who produced Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles...
Description of England, which had been published in 1577 as part of the first edition of Holinshed's
Chronicles.
Although Hooker revised
Synopsis many times, he probably never completed it to his satisfaction. The work exists today as two almost identical manuscripts which were used as source material for many later topographical descriptions of the county: Thomas Westcote's
Survey of Devon of 1630, and
Tristram RisdonTristram Risdon was an antiquary and topographer and the author of the Survey of Devonshire. He was born at Winscot, in the parish of St. Giles, adjoining the town of Great Torrington in Devon...
's
Chorographical Description or Survey of the County of Devon, circa. 1632 are examples.
External links