John Sharp (16 February 1643 – 2 February 1714), English divine, Archbishop of York, was born at Bradford, and educated at Christ's College, Cambridge.[1]
Sharp was ordained deacon and priest on 12 August 1667, and until 1676 was chaplain and tutor in the family of Sir Heneage Finch at Kensington House. Meanwhile he became archdeacon of Berkshire (1673), prebendary of Norwich, rector of St Giles's-in-the-Fields, and in 1681 dean of Norwich.
In 1686, when chaplain to James II, he was suspended for ten months on a charge of having made some reflections on the king, and in 1688 was cited for refusing to read the Declaration of Indulgence.
Under William and Mary he succeeded Tillotson as Dean of Canterbury in 1689, and (after declining a choice of sees vacated by non-jurors who were his personal friends) followed Thomas Lamplugh as archbishop of York in 1691. He made a thorough investigation of the affairs of his see, and regulated the disordered chapter of Southwell.
He preached at the coronation of Queen Anne and became her almoner and confidential adviser in matters of church and state. He welcomed the Arminian bishops who came to England in 1713, and corresponded with the Prussian court on the possibility of the Anglican liturgy as a means of reconciliation between Lutherans and Calvinists. He died at Bath on 2 February 1714. He was the grandfather of the English surgeon William Sharp and his brother the abolitionist Granville Sharp and the great-great-grandfather of American politician Solomon P. Sharp.
His works (chiefly sermons) were published in 7 volumes in 1754, and in 5 volumes at Oxford in 1829.
| Church of England titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Tillotson |
Dean of Canterbury 1689–1691 |
Succeeded by George Hooper |
| Preceded by Thomas Lamplugh |
Archbishop of York 1691–1714 |
Succeeded by William Dawes |