Herbert Croft (1603–1691) was an English churchman, bishop of Hereford from 1661.

Life

Croft was born on 18 May 1603 at Great Milton, Oxfordshire, his mother being then on a journey to London, the third son of Sir Herbert Croft and his wife Mary, daughter of Sir Anthony Bourne of Holt Castle. Margaret Croft (d. 1637), a lady in waiting to Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia, was his sister. He married, before 8 April 1645, Anne Browne, the only daughter of the Very Rev. Dr. Jonathan Browne and Anne Barne Lovelace. Her half-brothers were Richard Lovelace (1618–1657) an English poet in the seventeenth century and Francis Lovelace (1621–1675), who was the second governor of the New York colony appointed by the Duke of York.^[1]

After being for some time, like his father who had converted, a member of the Roman Catholic Church, he returned to the Church of England in about 1630.^[2] He then studied at Christ Church, Oxford, graduating B.D. in 1636 and D.D. in 1640.^[3]

In 1644 he was appointed chaplain to Charles I, and obtained within a few years a prebendary's stall at Worcester, a canonry of St George's Chapel, Windsor (1641–1662), and the deanery of Hereford (1644–1661), all of which preferments he lost during the Civil War and Commonwealth.^[2]

By Charles II he was made bishop of Hereford in 1661^[2] and also dean of the Chapel Royal (1668–1669) from which position he preached to the King, who praised him as a man from whom he never heard a bad sermon. He was one of only three bishops who voted for the impeachment of Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon in 1667: for this, he gained much credit at Court, but was accused by Clarendon himself of "signal ingratitude", as Clarendon had been a good friend to him. Becoming disillusioned with court life he returned to his Hereford see.

Despite his youthful adherence to that faith, he was noted for his exceptional severity towards Roman Catholics, especially during the Popish Plot. No doubt for this reason, at the outset of the Plot its inventor Titus Oates claimed that the Jesuits had specially marked Croft for assassination. Why the Jesuits should be so anxious to kill a man who lacked any influence at Court and almost never went there was a question which probably did not occur to Oates, who was a stranger to the Court and to polite society generally.

Works

Croft was the author of many books and pamphlets, several of them against the Roman Catholics; and one of his works, entitled The Naked Truth, or the True State of the Primitive Church (London, 1675), was celebrated in its day, and gave rise to prolonged controversy.^[2]

Family

His son Herbert was created a baronet in 1671, and was the ancestor of Sir Herbert Croft, 5th Baronet, the 18th-century writer.^[2]

He died in 1691 and is buried inside the Hereford Cathedral: the tomb slab of Bishop Croft on the south-east transept is joined by clasped hands with that of Dean George Benson, who died in 1692.^[4]

References

Burke's Peerage and Baronetage

^ She was also the great granddaughter of Cicely Wilford and the Most Reverend Dr. Edwin Sandys, an Anglican church leader who successively held the posts of the Bishop of Worcester (1559-1570), Bishop of London (1570-1576), and the Archbishop of York (1576-1588). He was one of the translators of the Bishops' Bible. She was also the grand nephew of Sir Francis Walsingham and a 2nd cousin of Frances Walsingham.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Croft, Sir James s.v.". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 480.
^ Foster, Joseph (1891). Alumni Oxonienses: Croft, Herbert. p. 351. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
^ Aylmer, G. E.; Tiller, John Eric (2000). Hereford Cathedral: A History. A&C Black. p. 121. ISBN 9781852851941.

Church of England titles Preceded byJonathan Browne Dean of Hereford 1644–1661 Succeeded byThomas Hodges Preceded byNicholas Monck Bishop of Hereford 1661–1691 Succeeded byGilbert Ironside

v t e Deans of Hereford
High Medieval	Ralph Geoffrey Richard Hugh de Breusa Hugh de Mapenor Henry Thomas de Bosebir Ralph de Maidstone Stephen Thorne Ancelin/Anselm Giles de Avenbury John de Aqua-Blanca
Late Medieval	Stephen de Ledebury Thomas Trilleck William de Feriby William Bermingham John de Middleton John Harold John Prophet Thomas Felde John Bagshaw John Stanwey Henry Shelford John Berew Richard Pede Thomas Chaundler Oliver King John Hervey
Early modern	Reginald West Thomas Wolsey Edmund Frowcester Gamaliel Clifton Hugh Curwen Edmund Daniel John Ellis John Watkins Charles Langford Edward Doughtie Richard Montagu Oliver Lloyd Silvanus Griffiths Daniel Price John Richardson Jonathan Browne Herbert Croft Thomas Hodges George Benson John Tyler Robert Clavering John Harris Edward Cresset Edmund Castle John Egerton Francis Webber Nathan Wetherell
Late modern	William Leigh George Gretton Robert Carr Edward Mellish Edward Grey John Merewether Richard Dawes George Herbert Wentworth Leigh Reginald Waterfield Hedley Burrows Robert Price Norman Rathbone Peter Haynes Robert Willis Michael Tavinor Sarah Brown

v t e Deans of the Chapel Royal
Late Medieval	John de Wodeford John de Leek Thomas de Lynton John Boor Richard Kyngeston Richard Prentys Edmund Lacy Robert Gilbert Richard Praty John Croucher Robert Ayscogh William Say William Dudley John Gunthorpe William Chauntre Richard Hill Thomas Jane Richard Nikke Geoffrey Simeon
Early modern	William Atwater John Vesey Richard Sampson Thomas Thirlby George Carew James Montague Lancelot Andrewes William Laud Richard Steward Gilbert Sheldon George Morley Herbert Croft Walter Blandford Henry Compton Nathaniel Crew Henry Compton (again) John Robinson William Talbot Edmund Gibson

v t e Bishops of Hereford
Early Medieval	Putta Tyrhtel Torhthere Walhstod Cuthbert of Canterbury Podda Acca Headda Aldberht Esne Ceolmund Utel Wulfheard Beonna Eadwulf Cuthwulf Mucel Deorlaf Cynemund Edgar Tidhelm Wulfhelm Ælfric Athulf
High Medieval	Æthelstan Leofgar Ealdred Walter of Lorraine Robert de Losinga Gerard Roger Reynelm Geoffrey de Clive Richard de Capella Robert de Bethune Gilbert Foliot Robert of Melun Robert Foliot William de Vere Giles de Braose Hugh de Mapenor Hugh Foliot Ralph de Maidstone Michael Peter of Aigueblanche John de Breton Thomas de Cantilupe Richard Swinefield
Late Medieval	Adam Orleton Thomas Charleton John Trilleck Lewis de Charleton William Courtenay John Gilbert Thomas Trevenant Robert Mascall Edmund Lacey Thomas Polton Thomas Spofford Richard Beauchamp Reginald Boulers John Stanberry Thomas Mylling Edmund Audley
Early modern	Adriano Castellesi Richard Mayew Charles Booth Edward Foxe Edmund Bonner John Skypp John Harley Robert Parfew Thomas Reynolds John Scory Herbert Westfaling Robert Bennet Francis Godwin William Juxon Godfrey Goodman Augustine Lindsell Matthew Wren Theophilus Feild George Coke Episcopacy abolished (Commonwealth) Nicholas Monck Herbert Croft Gilbert Ironside Humphrey Humphreys Philip Bisse Benjamin Hoadly Henry Egerton Lord James Beauclerk John Harley John Butler
Late modern	Folliott Cornewall John Luxmoore George Huntingford Edward Grey Thomas Musgrave Renn Hampden James Atlay John Percival Hensley Henson Linton Smith Charles Lisle Carr Richard Parsons Tom Longworth Mark Hodson John Eastaugh John Oliver Anthony Priddis Alistair Magowan (acting) Richard Frith Alistair Magowan (acting) Richard Jackson

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