John Parkhurst (Master of Balliol)
John Parkhurst (1564–1639) was an English clergyman and academic, master of Balliol College, Oxford, from 1617.
Life
He was second son of Henry Parkhurst of
Magdalen Hall, Oxford, on 25 February 1581, was elected demy of Magdalen College
in 1583, and subsequently fellow in 1588. He graduated B.A. in 1584, M. A. 1590, B.D. 1600, and D.D. 1610. At Magdalen he was engaged as reader in natural philosophy (1591-2) and in moral philosophy (1593 and 1596-7), and acted as bursar in 1602, having been proctor in the university in 1597-8.
Meanwhile, he had been chaplain to
Sir Dudley Carleton, at Venice
, played down Parkhurst's presence in Geneva.
On 6 February 1617 he was elected in the place of
Broadgates Hall into Pembroke College. The Periam foundation at Balliol also belonged to his time (1620). John Evelyn
, who matriculated at Balliol at the end of Parkhurst's tenure in 1637, considers him responsible for the slack discipline then prevailing. Parkhurst resigned the mastership in 1637, and was buried at Shellingford on 29 January 1639.
Family
A younger brother, Sir Robert, cloth worker, was lord mayor in 1635, dying in 1636.
John Parkhurst married Sarah, daughter of Anthony Tisdall of Abingdon (she died in 1661), and had by her, sons Henry (1612-1669), fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford 1631-48, and canon of Southwell from 1662 till his death, and Thomas (1614–1639), daughters Dorothy (1615–1634) and Mary (d. 1627).
References
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Parkhurst, John (1564-1639)". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
