William Forrest

William Forrest (fl. 1581) was an English Catholic priest and poet. Life Forrest is stated by Anthony Wood to have been a relative of John Forest, the Franciscan friar. He received his education at Christ Church, Oxford, and he was present at the discussions held at Oxford in 1530, when Henry VIII desired to procure the judgment of the university in the matter of his divorce; he appears to have attended the funeral of Queen Catherine of Aragon at Peterborough in 1536. He was an eyewitness of the erection of Wolsey's Cardinal College on the site of St Frideswide's Priory, and he was appointed to a post in the college as refounded by the king. In 1553 he came forward with congratulations on the accession of Queen Mary, and was soon afterwards nominated one of the queen's chaplains. Of his career after the death of Mary nothing certain is known. He was probably protected by Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk, to whom he dedicated his "History of Joseph" shortly before the duke's execution in 1572. Forrest remained a Catholic. This is shown by the fact that the two dates "27 Oct. 1572, per me Guil. Forrestum," and "1581" occur in a volume (Harley MS 1703) containing a poem which in a devout tone treats of the life of the Blessed Virgin and of the Immaculate Conception. But he was not papalist, and in one of his poems he speaks strongly of the right of each national branch of the church to enjoy self-government.