Juxon, William

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Juxon, William (1582–1663). Juxon, a bishop and statesman, came to prominence through the favour of Laud, who persuaded Charles I to make him bishop of London in 1633 and, three years later, lord treasurer. As the first ecclesiastic to hold this key government post for 170 years, Juxon's appointment intensified fears of a return to clerical rule, but although a conscientious administrator, he preferred persuasion to compulsion. Juxon's unwavering commitment to Anglican values brought him close to the king, and he acted as Charles's spiritual adviser until the very end, standing beside him on the scaffold. Thereafter he lived quietly in the countryside until the restoration of Charles II in 1660, when he was appointed archbishop of Canterbury, but old age and infirmity made him little more than a figurehead. He had the rare distinction, in an age of bitter passions, of being widely loved and respected.

Roger Lockyer

The Oxford Companion to British History