WOMOCK, Lawrence (1612-86)

In his early theological publications and especially in a dispute with the Presbyterian leader, Richard Baxter, Womock identified himself as an uncompromising anti-Calvinist.2L. Womock, Arcana Dogmatum. After the Restoration he became a prolific advocate of the ‘divine institution’ of monarchy, for the ceremonial piety of the established Church, and for enforced religious conformity. He spoke vehemently against comprehension and was active in the elections for the brief 1681 Parliament. His political rhetoric during the ‘exclusion crisis’ of 1679-81 established him as one of the most outspoken propagandists for the ‘Tory reaction’.3L. Womock, The Dressing up of the Crown, 6, 30; L. Womock, Late Proposal of Union Among Protestants, Review’d and Rectifi’d, passim, esp. 7; Bodl. Tanner, 37, f. 255. His loathing for political Whiggery was equally evident when he damned the exclusion bill as ‘absolutely unjust’ towards the future James II.4L. Womock, Associators Cashier’d, 17, 23.

It was the furore over the impeachment of Thomas Osborne, earl of Danby (later marquess of Carmarthen and duke of Leeds) and the right of bishops to vote in blood cases that brought Womock to the attention of the king in 1679. Enjoying the more liberal publishing environment permitted by the lapse of the Licensing Act, Womock joined with Edward Stillingfleet, of Worcester, and Thomas Hunt in defending the bishops’ rights.5L. Womock, Two Treatises, passim. At the prompting of Henry Hyde, 2nd earl of Clarendon, in March 1683 he entered into a pamphlet controversy with the ‘Protestant reconciler’, Daniel Whitby, to justify the enforcement of the penal laws against dissent.6 Tanner 35, f. 215; L. Womock, Suffragium Protestantium. Wherein our Governors are Justified in their Proceedings against Dissenters.

Womock was also ambitious, seeking preferment in the Church as a reward both for his writings and for his suffering in the service of crown and Church during the Civil Wars and Interregnum.7 Tanner, 314, f. 54; Tanner 36, ff. 88, 95. By July 1683 his failure to secure any of the preferments for which he had asked made him querulous, and he bemoaned his ‘hard fate’ to William Sancroft, archbishop of Canterbury.8 Tanner 34, f. 93. His appointment to St Davids quickly followed but left him as disgruntled as ever. St Davids, as he pointed out in September 1683, was not a lucrative see: ‘I find the charge I must be at will not amount to less than £7 or 800 before I can be settled and my first fruits will be £457 which sum cannot be speedily raised out of £600 p.a., when a decent house is kept’. He also asked to keep his prebend and archdeaconry in commendam. He repeated his complaints the following month and yet again in December.9 Ibid. ff. 136, 162, 175, 230.

It was clear from the complete absence of canons at the episcopal election that Womock’s new cathedral city was far too remote and rugged even for members of the cathedral chapter, let alone for an elderly bishop who was accustomed to a comfortable life in Ely and who was unable to speak Welsh. He repeatedly delayed visiting his new diocese, and when he finally arrived in Brecon in July 1684, complained bitterly that the 300 mile journey was ‘too long for a man of 70 years’ and that the cost of entertaining the Welsh gentry was already proving financially ruinous, ‘to be kept here at this age, for any time, will in all likelihood prove the ruin of myself and mine’.10 Tanner 34, ff. 162, 253, Tanner 32, ff. 62, 85, 89; Bodl. Rawl. Letters 93, f. 290. When Sancroft advised patience, Womock appeared contrite, hoping that doing his duty would open the way to translation to a better see. He applied himself to his diocese and, realizing that an inability to preach in Welsh was a serious handicap, tried to ensure that only Welsh-speaking clergymen would be appointed.11 Tanner 32, ff. 89, 110, 119; 34, f. 121. Womock’s health worsened and in April 1685, having been bedridden for several months, he was excused from attending the imminent convocation and Parliament. In the summer of 1685 he left the bishop’s palace at Abergwli for London where he composed his will in February 1686.12 Tanner 31, ff. 25-26, 59, 171. He died a month later.