Christopher Wren B.D. (1589 – 29 May 1658) was an Anglican cleric who was Dean of Windsor from 1635 until his death,[1] and the father of the prominent architect Christopher Wren.
Career
Wren was educated at Merchant Taylors School, London, and St John's College, Oxford and graduated BA in 1609, MA in 1613, BD in 1620. In 1630 he was created Doctor of Divinity at Peterhouse, Cambridge,[2] where his brother Matthew was president.
Wren was appointed:
- Chaplain to Bishop Lancelot Andrewes[3]
- Chaplain to King Charles I, 1628[3]
- Rector of Fonthill Bishop, Wiltshire, 1620
- Rector of East Knoyle, Wiltshire, 1623
- Registrar of the Order of the Garter, 1634[3]
- Dean of Wolverhampton, 1639
- Rector of Great Haseley, Oxfordshire, 1639[3]
Wren was appointed Dean of Windsor in 1635.[1] When Parliamentary forces occupied Windsor Castle, he refused to give to Captain Fogg the keys of St George's Chapel. On 23 October 1642 Fogg broke open the treasury and plundered it. Wren managed to preserve the records of the Order of the Garter, and King Edward III's sword.
Wren was the brother of the preceding Dean of Windsor, Matthew Wren. Christopher married Mary Cox. Their son was the famed architect Christopher Wren.[3]
Notes
- ^ a b Fasti Wyndesorienses, May 1950. S. L. Ollard. Published by the Dean and Canons of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
- ^ "Christopher Wren (WRN620C)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
- ^ a b c d e Cranfield, Nicholas W. S. "Wren, Christopher (1589–1658), dean of Windsor". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 16 March 2025. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
Further reading
- Waylen, J. (1857). "Christopher Wren of East Knoyle, D.D." Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine. 3 (7): 115–119 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
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