John Dolben

The Most Reverend John Dolben
Archbishop of York
Archdiocese	York
Installed	1683
Term ended	1686
Predecessor	Richard Sterne
Successor	Thomas Lamplugh
Other posts	Dean of Westminster, Bishop of Rochester
Orders
Consecration	1683
Personal details
Born	1625
Died	1686

John Dolben (1625–1686) was an English priest and Church of England bishop and archbishop.

He was the son of William Dolben (died 1631), prebendary of Lincoln and bishop-designate of Gloucester, and Elizabeth Williams, niece of John Williams, Archbishop of York. The leading judge Sir William Dolben was his brother.

He was educated at Westminster School under Richard Busby and at Christ Church, Oxford. He fought on the Royalist side at the Battle of Marston Moor, in 1644, and in the defence of York, and was wounded twice. By 1646 like most Royalists he had abandoned all hope of victory and resumed his studies.

Subsequently he took orders and maintained in private the proscribed Anglican service; during these years he lived at St Aldates, Oxford, home of his wife's father Ralph Sheldon, brother of the future Archbishop Sheldon.

At the Restoration, he became canon of Christ Church (1660) and prebendary of St Paul's, London (1661), no doubt partly due to the influence of Sheldon, now Bishop of London. As Dean of Westminster (1662–1683), he opposed an attempt to bring the abbey under diocesan rule. His charm, eloquence, generoisty and frankness gained him enormous popularity. In 1666 he was made Bishop of Rochester. The fall of his friend Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon the next year is said to have caused him to be in temporary disgrace, but he was quickly restored to favour. In 1675 he was appointed Lord High Almoner and in 1683 he was made Archbishop of York; he distinguished himself by reforming the discipline of the cathedrals in these dioceses. He was the first president of the Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy when it received its Royal Charter in 1678.

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