Lamplugh, Thomas, Dd

Lamplugh, Thomas, D.D., an English prelate of note in the days of king James II, was born in Yorkshire in 1615. But little is known of his early personal history. He was dean of Rochester in 1676, when he was promoted to the episcopate as bishop of Exeter. In this position he became one of the most conspicuous divines of the day, securing, in particular, the favor of the king by his partisanship, especially in 1688. In this year, just before the exit of king James from the English throne, Lamplugh called on the king, was graciously received, praised for his loyalty, and awarded with the archbishopric of York, which had been vacant for more than two years and a half. William III. whom Lamplugh, strangely enough, recognized as the rightful sovereign of England, after the flight of James, confirmed the appointment, hence some writers' statement that William of Orange appointed Lamplugh to the archbishopric. The archbishop died in 1691.

See Debary, History of the Church of England, page 167; Macaulay, History of England, 2:382. (J.H.W.)