BANCROFT, RICHARD archbishop of Canterbury, was burn at Farnworth, in Lancashire. He was edu cated at Cambridge. He received important preferments and came into prominence through a passionate sermon against the Puritans preached at Paul's Cross on Feb. 9, 1589. He was chaplain succes sively to Lord Chancellor Hatton and Archbishop Whitgift. In June he was consecrated bishop of London; and from this time, in consequence of the age of Archbishop Whitgift, he was virtually invested with the power of primate. Among the more noteworthy cases which fell under his direction were the pro ceedings against "Martin Mar-Prelate," Thomas Cartwright and his friends, and John Penry, whose "seditious writings" he caused to be intercepted and given up to the lord keeper. In 1600 he was sent on an embassy to Embden, for the purpose of settling certain matters in dispute between the English and the Danes. He took a prominent part in the famous conference of prelates and Presbyterian divines held at Hampton Court in 1604. By the king's desire he undertook the vindication of the practices of con firmation, absolution, private baptism and lay excommunication; he urged, but in vain, the reinforcement of an ancient canon, "that schismatics are not to be heard against bishops." In March 1604 Bancroft, on Whitgift's death, was appointed president of convo cation then assembled ; and in the following November he was elected successor to Whitgift in the see of Canterbury. In 1608 he was chosen chancellor of the university of Oxford. Ban croft was "the chief overseer" of the authorized version of the Bible.