Isaac Bargrave

1586–1643

A pious Dean of Canterbury, Isaac Bargrave was one of many whose lives were cut short by the religious and political upheaval of the English Civil War. 

Bargrave was a keen scholar who gained his BA from Clare before proceeding to a Fellowship. He left the College in 1612 having been ordained to the priesthood, but remained close to his alma mater. He returned to Clare in 1615 to perform for King James I in the inaugural production of Ignoramus, the famed play by Clare Fellow George Ruggle (q.v.). Indeed, drama was one of Bargrave’s great passions; later in his career, he enjoyed performances of Latin plays. 

After gaining his Doctorate of Divinity in 1622, Bargrave was appointed royal chaplain to Prince Charles (the future King Charles I), as well as Prebendary at Canterbury Cathedral. These appointments proved fruitful in 1625, when he became chaplain to the King upon Charles’ succession, and also succeeded John Boys as Dean of Canterbury. As an Anglican aligned with neither the puritans nor the royalists, Bargrave was initially popular in both his roles. But as the English political climate deteriorated in the 1630s, his position proved increasingly untenable. With the outbreak of Civil War, the Canterbury deanery was attacked, and Bargrave was thrown into prison. Though soon freed, he never recovered from the cruel experience and died just months later.