Sherlock, Thomas (1678-1761)

Sherlock, Thomas

BISHOP, WRITER (ENGLAND)

BORN 1678, London - DIED 18 Jul 1761
GRAVE LOCATION London: All Saints Churchyard, Pryors Bank, Bishops Park, Fulham (near the church)

Thomas Sherlock was the son of Reverend William Sherlock (c1639-1707), who was Master of the Temple at Temple Church from 1684 and Dean of St Paul's Cathedral from 1691. Thomas was educated at Eton and at St Catherine's College, Cambridge. He succeeded his father as the Master of the Temple in 1704. In 1714 he became master of St Catherine's College and in 1715 he became Dean of Chichester. From 1728 he was Bishop of Bangor and from 1734 Bishop of Salisbury. He was appointed Bishop of London in 1748 and held this post until his death.

In his writings he defended the Christian religion against Deism. in 1725 he published "The Use and Intent of Prophecy in the Several Ages of the World" and in 1729 "The Tryal of the Witnesses of the Resurrection of Jesus". Between 1754 and 1758 he published several volumes of sermons and Jane Austen (1775-1817) wrote in 1814 that she was very fond of them. A collected edition of his works was published by Thomas Smart Hughes (1786-1847) in 1830.

Images

The grave of Thomas Sherlock at All Saints Churchyard, Fulham, London.
Picture by Androom (08 Aug 2025)