George Abbot (1562-1633), Archbishop of Canterbury

Sitter associated with 21 portraits
George Abbot studied, and then taught, at Balliol College, Oxford. He was chosen Master of University College in 1597, and appointed Dean of Westminster in 1600. Abbot was three times Vice Chancellor of the university, and took a leading part in preparing the authorised version of the New Testament. In 1608 he went to Scotland with George Home, 1st Earl of Dunbar to arrange for a union between the churches of England and Scotland. He so pleased King James in this affair that he was made Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry in 1609 and was translated to the see of London a month afterwards. The following year Abbot was appointed as Archbishop of Canterbury.