George Abbot
George Abbot (1562-1633), Archbishop of Canterbury, contributor to the King James Bible, founder of Abbot’s Hospital (an almshouse top end of Guildford High Street opposite Holy Trinity Church) was born and grew up in Guildford where he attended the Royal Grammar School. His father was a local cloth maker.
Maurice Abbot, father of George Abbot, was a clothier (weaver of cloth) from Suffolk, a wealthy local merchant who with fellow clothiers controlled the local wool trade. He was one of the Approved Men who with the Mayor ran the borough. He was married to Alice and they had six sons. The family lived in a house by the River Wey beside the Medieval bridge. The house was demolished in the 1950s and the site is now a public car park between the river and the George Abbot pub.
The Medieval bridge was used by foot passengers, animals and carts used the ford. The medieval bridge no longer exists, was destroyed in a flood. Similar bridges may still be found upstream. The ford can still be seen alongside the current bridge.
When Alice, mother of George, was in child with George she had a dream that if she caught and ate a pike he would be a man of some importance. Robert became Bishop of Salisbury. Maurice named after his father was a wealthy merchant in London, a London Alderman.
Guildford c 1600 was a town of some note, three churches, a friary and a castle. Houses lined the High Street, their large gardens ran back to the town ditch which was the border of the borough. The gardens were used for growing crops and keeping animals. Later cottages for rent were built to house the growing population. It was important to live in a borough as more freedom to trade than if one lived outside in a village. Many of the houses had a medieval undercroft.
Many of the side streets and alleys had the name gate. Why? Could there have been a gate across the entrance?
The Scandinavian gaten is the Scandinavian word for street. Many of the medieval streets in Lincoln end in -gate, for example Flaxengate, Clasketgate. The same can be found in York. This was a corruption of the Scandinavian for street not because they led to a gate in the city wall. But Guildford is too far south to have had a Viking influence. On the other hand, maybe a hint of a hitherto unknown Viking influence?
George Abbot attended the Royal Grammar School, a free school, where he learnt Latin. He then went on to Oxford.
George Abbot was a member of the Oxford group, one of six groups requested by James I to produce what we now know as the King James Bible. George Abbot translated the four Gospels and the Book of Revelations.
Abbot’s Hospital was founded by George Abbot in 1619 for twenty old people of Guildford who have fallen on hard times. He had originally wished to do something to improve trade in Guildford as that would have helped more people. [see George Abbot and Abbot’s Hospital]
George Abbot is entombed in Holy Trinity Church.
Based on a talk given at St Mary’s Church by Mary Alexander (church warden and curator of Guildford Museum) drawing upon material from the local archives. Part of the celebrations in Guildford to mark 400 years of the King James’ Bible.
It is a pity that Mary Alexander who gave the talk on George Abbot did not see fit to mention Bible-in-a-room that was taking place at St Mary’s the following week or that Catherine Ferguson was giving a talk on the King James Bible. For her own talk there was no notice or mention on the church noticeboard, not even a notice pinned to the church door. One gets the impression that talks are part of a secret society for only those in the know.
Guildford Museum has a George Abbot exhibition running all summer. Guildford House has a contemporary George Abbot exhibition. Holy Trinity Church is maintaining a Bible Journal.
Creative Arts @ Costa, a celebration of music, word and the visual arts, takes place at Costa in Swan Lane in Guildford on the first Tuesday of the month (same day as the farmers market). The next event is Tuesday evening 5 July 2011. There will be no events in August and September. Swan Lane is the narrow lane that runs between the High Street and North Street at the lower end of the High Street. With Eden People, a Christian collective.
The Keystone Spirit is a regular meeting of Eden People at The Keystone Pub (3 Portsmouth Road, Guildford, GU2 4BL).
The Bible in Voice and Verse, a celebration of the King James’ Bible. St John’s, Stoke Road, Guildford. 7.45pm Thursday 14 July 2011.
Cultural Day. New Testament Church of God. 2-6pm Sunday 6 August 2011.
Tags: Archbishop of Canterbury, Bible, George Abbot, Guildford, King James' Bible
Keithpp's Blog 
July 3, 2011 at 3:16 pm |
Note: Anthony Richmond, Master of Abbot’s Hospital has brought out a new editionof George Abbot’s book ‘A Brief Description of the World’ (Goldenford Publishers), which show’s Abbot’s idiocyncratic view of the world’s nations as they were in the 16th century.
July 7, 2011 at 2:23 pm |
Thanks Irene. It is a pity that no mention was made of the fact there is a tour of Abbot’s Hospital this coming Tuesday.
April 27, 2012 at 4:20 pm |
Keith, I have enjoyed reading your articles on George Abbott very much! His younger brother Maurice (Morris) was my 14th Grandfather. I am conducting research on the Abbott’s of Guildford for a University project and would like to get in contact with you perhaps for an online interview as a local authority on this subject. Please contact me if you would. David Wayne Handley, I am on Facebook, and my email is handley1611@gmail.com . Thank You!
April 28, 2012 at 12:22 am |
I am by no means an expert!
You will note A Brief Description of the World has been republished by Goldenford. It is a travesty, they have heavily censored the original. Any thing they do not like, they have cut. But they may be an original copy in the library of the Guildford Institute.
As for George Abbot, I know no more than you have read here.