Gilbert Sheldon

Archbishop of Canterbury from 1663-79, Gilbert Sheldon had been Warden of All Souls until he was expelled from the College by the Parliamentarians in 1648. The Restoration of the monarchy in 1660 not only returned him to the Wardenship but saw him promoted to become Bishop of London. He effectively ran the Church of England from then on and was one of the backers of the Act of Uniformity in 1662. This legislation led to the expulsion of those Dissenters who could not accept patterns of worship and hierarchy that Sheldon sought to restore. He became Chancellor of the University in 1667 and paid for the Sheldonian Theatre. This was not only his memorial, but also a sign of change. It fulfilled his predecessor William Laud’s intention of taking secular events out of the University Church. It also symbolized the expulsion of the Dissenters in its elaborate ceiling decoration.

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