Valentine Cary (also spelled Carey or Carew) (died 1626) was an English clergyman, who became bishop of Exeter.
He was an illegitimate son of Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon. He was a graduate of Christ's College, Cambridge,[1] and a Fellow of St John's College, Cambridge in 1591.[2]
A pluralist, he was vicar of East Tilbury in 1603, rector at Great Parndon 1606 to 1616, and was vicar of Epping Upland from 1607 to 1609. He was also rector of Orsett and Toft from 1610.[3][4][5]
In 1609 he became Master of Christ's College, where he had been a Fellow from 1597 to 1600.[6][7] The election was bitterly contested, by the Puritan element. Cary was backed by the Lord Chancellor, Baron Ellesmere.[8] It led immediately to a confrontation between Cary and William Ames, who refused to wear the surplice, and who left Cambridge almost immediately. It also led Cary to be suspicious of Joseph Mede, who was to be one of Christ's best-known Fellows.[9]
He was later Dean of St. Paul's. In 1621 he was appointed bishop of Exeter. There is a memorial to him in Exeter Cathedral; he was buried in the old St Paul's Cathedral. [10]
| Academic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Edmund Barwell |
Master of Christ's College, Cambridge 1609–1622 |
Succeeded by Thomas Bainbrigg |
| Church of England titles | ||
| Preceded by William Cotton |
Bishop of Exeter 1621–1626 |
Succeeded by Joseph Hall |