Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Hawford, Edward
HAWFORD, EDWARD, D.D. (d. 1582), master of Christ's College, Cambridge, perhaps born at Clipstone in Northamptonshire, was son of Thomas Hawford and his wife Margaret Wade. He was a student of Jesus College, Cambridge, graduated B.A. in 1543, was elected fellow of Christ's College, and commenced M.A. in 1545. He was proctor in 1552. On 12 June 1554 he was instituted rector of two-thirds of the rectory of Clipston, and subscribed the Roman catholic articles in 1555. He was elected master of Christ's College in 1559, and on 14 Feb. 1561 was collated to a prebend in Chester Cathedral, being also, it is believed, rector of Glemsford in Suffolk (Cooper). In 1563 he was made vice-chancellor of the university, and, having taken the degree of D.D. in 1564, was still in office when Queen Elizabeth visited Cambridge on 5 Aug. Hawford did his share in receiving her, and took part in the divinity act held in her presence. The dean and chapter of Norwich sent him 100l. in 1569 as an acknowledgment of the help which he had given them in the matter of their charter, and he bestowed the money on his college. He also made an addition to the college garden. He was one of the heads chiefly responsible for the new university statutes drawn up in 1570. The statutes were displeasing to the puritan party at Cambridge, and Hawford and his colleagues were described as ‘either enemies to the gospel or faint professors,’ Hawford being specially accused of having shown great unwillingness to cast out popish books and vestments from his college, and of having finally conveyed all the best and richest away secretly (Life of Archbishop Parker, iii. 221–2). On 11 Dec. he was one of the assessors of the vice-chancellor in the proceedings against Thomas Cartwright (1535–1603) [q. v.] He was appointed one of the visitors of St. John's College, and helped to revise the statutes in 1575–6. The majority of the fellows of Christ's College were discontented at his ejection of the puritan Hugh Broughton [q. v.] from his fellowship in 1579, and wrote to the chancellor and to Sir Walter Mildmay against his action. Hawford refused to give way, but his decision was reversed in 1581. He died on 14 Feb. 1582, as is stated on the brass placed to his memory in the college chapel. He left money to the college by his will (Cooper).
[Cooper's Athenæ Cantabr. i. 448, contains a full account of Hawford; Cooper's Annals of Cambridge, ii. 154, and passim; Strype's Annals I. ii. 107, 310, 665, Life of Parker ii. 38, iii. 221, 222, Life of Whitgift iii. 18, Life of Grindal p. 297, 8vo edit.; Grindal's Remains, p. 359 (Parker Soc.); Whitgift's Works, iii. 599; Le Neve's Fasti, iii. 269, 604, 618, 690, ed. Hardy; Nichols's Progresses of Eliz. iii. 106–8, 152; Bridges's Hist. of Northamptonshire, ii. 20; Blomefield's Hist. of Norfolk, iv. 569; Willis and Clark's Architect. Hist. of Cambridge, ii. 191.]