Oliver King

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Bath Abbey at sunset
Bath Abbey at sunset

Oliver King was the bishop of Bath and Wells who organised the restoration of Bath Abbey after 1500. The story of the refounding is told on the front of the Abbey in carved Bath stone. Oliver King had a dream in which he saw a host of Angels on a ladder, the Holy Trinity and an olive tree with a crown on it. He heard a voice:

'Let an Olive establish the crown, and let a King restore the Church'

He believed this was a call for him to support the candidature of Henry Tudor as King, and to restore the Abbey. These images are carved on the West Front of the Abbey with coats of arms of the Montague Family (who paid for the carved wooden doors) and Henry VII's coat of arms. There are also statues of the 12 apostles and large statues of St Peter and Saint Paul.

Religious Posts
Preceded by
Richard Fox
Bishop of Exeter
1492–1495
Succeeded by
Richard Redman