Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Clayton, Richard (d.1612)
CLAYTON, RICHARD, D.D. (d. 1612), dean of Peterborough, son of John Clayton, gentleman, of Crook in Lancashire, was admitted a pensioner of St. John's College, Cambridge, in 1572, but removed to Oxford, where he proceeded B.A., and was incorporated in that degree at Cambridge in 1576. In the following year he was admitted a fellow of St. John's, on the Lady Margaret's foundation. He commenced M.A. at Cambridge in 1579, and was incorporated in that degree at Oxford on 12 July 1580 (Wood, Fasti, ed. Bliss, i. 217). He proceeded B.D. at Cambridge in 1587, was elected a college preacher at St. John's the same year, was created D.D. in 1592, became master of Magdalene College, Cambridge, in 1593, was installed archdeacon of Lincoln on 30 Aug. 1595, collated to the prebend of Thorngate in the church of Lincoln on 11 Dec. 1595, and admitted master of St. John's College, Cambridge, on the 22nd of the same month. The second court of the college was the great work of this master; but during his mastership the college declined in learning, its inmates 'being so overbusied with architecture that their other studies were intermitted, and the noise of axes and hammers disturbed them in their proper business' (Baker, Hist. of St. John's, i. 190, 191, 196). Under his government puritanism was in great measure rooted out of the college. He was collated to a canonry of Peterborough on 21 June 1596; was vice-chancellor of the university of Cambridge in 1604; and was installed dean of Peterborough on 28 July 1607 (Le Neve, Fasti, ed. Hardy, ii. 539). He died on 2 May 1612, and was buried in St. John's College chapel with great solemnity.
[Cambridge Antiquarian Communications, i. 349; Addit. MS. 5866, f. 8; Hacket's Life of Abp. Williams, pp. 17, 18, 22.]
Dictionary of National Biography, Errata (1904), p.69
N.B.— f.e. stands for from end and l.l. for last line
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| 16 | ii | 4 f.e. | Clayton, Richard: after 11 Dec. 1595 insert was transferred in 1606 to the Leicester St. Margaret prebend |