Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Hanmer, John (1574-1629)
HANMER, JOHN (1574–1629), bishop of St. Asaph, was born in 1574 at Pentrepant, in the parish of Selattyn, near Oswestry in Shropshire. The family of Pentrepant was of a different stock from the more celebrated Flintshire Hanmers, but took their name from the intermarriage of one of them with a daughter of the Flintshire family (Humphrey's addition to Wood's Athenæ, ii. 879). He matriculated at Oriel College, Oxford, 2 June 1592, and became a fellow of All Souls in 1596, proceeding B.A. 14 July 1596, M.A. 5 April 1600, B.D. 1 Dec. 1615, and D.D. 13 Nov. 1616 (Reg. Univ. Oxf. ii. pt. ii. 191, pt. iii. 198; Oxf. Hist. Soc.). In 1605 he acted as junior proctor when Abbot was vice-chancellor in a year made memorable by a visit of James I to the university. He became rector of Bingham in Nottinghamshire, and in January 1614 was appointed prebendary of Worcester (Le Neve, Fasti Eccl. Angl. iii. 80, ed. Hardy). He was also a chaplain to James I.
On 20 Jan. 1624 he was elected bishop of St. Asaph, in succession to Richard Parry. He was consecrated on 15 Feb. by Archbishop Abbot at Lambeth, on which occasion he distributed 4l. among the archbishop's servants. On 16 Feb. he received the restitution of his temporalities, and, owing to the poverty of the see, was allowed to retain his prebend along with the archdeaconry of St. Asaph and other benefices in commendam, to the amount in all of 150l. per annum (Cal. State Papers, Dom. 1623–5, pp. 158, 160). He died at Pentrepant on 23 July 1629, and was buried the next day in Selattyn Church among the ashes of his forefathers. He left 5l. each to the poor of Selattyn, Oswestry, and St. Asaph. A brass in Selattyn Church speaks of his piety, activity, and happy end. He was of the same family as Meredith Hanmer [q. v.] [Wood's Athenæ Oxon. ii. 879-80, ed. Bliss; Wood's Fasti, p. 117; Wood's Antiquities of Oxford Colleges and Halls, p. 273, ed. Gutch; Archdeacon Thomas's Hist. of the Diocese of St. Asaph, p. 227; Browne Willis's Survey of St. Asaph, ed. Edwards; Williams's Dict. of Eminent Welshmen, p. 208.]