William Bishop (bishop)
William Bishop (c. 1553 – 13 April 1624) was the first Roman Catholic bishop in England after the Reformation, serving as Vicar Apostolic of England and titular Bishop of Chalcedon. Roman Catholicism had been banned in England in 1559. William Bishop was appointed bishop over the whole of England, Wales and Scotland in 1623. As Roman Catholicism was officially illegal in England at the time, he was given the titular see of Chalcedon in Asia Minor. He arrived in England secretly on 31 July 1623 at age 70 and had to walk 12 miles to find refuge. He identified and selected 20 archdeacons to take charge over geographical districts. He is not the only recorded Bishop Bishop. Life The son of John Bishop, who died in 1601 at the age of 92, he was born at Brailes in Warwickshire in or about 1554. He was sent to Gloucester Hall, Oxford aged 16 around 1570. After remaining there three or four years he settled his paternal estate, which was considerable, on his younger brother, and went over to the English College at Rheims, where he began his theological studies; he then spent time at Rome. He returned to Rheims, was ordained