Abdias Ashton graduated BA from St John's in 1582, MA in 1585, BD in 1592, and was elected a Fellow in 1590. He was ordained deacon and priest at Peterborough in 1591, and was chaplain to the Earl of Essex, before becoming rector of Halesworth in Suffolk, and then moving to parishes in Yorkshire, and finally Lancashire.

Ashton's gift to the Library

Ambrose Gilbert gained his BA in 1614, followed by an MA in 1617, and BD in 1624. He was rector of Orsett in Essex.

Gilbert's bequest

Gilbert left various choice volumes to St John's, which were delivered to the Library in 1632. These are all late 16th- and early 17th-century theological works, including Bibles.

Provenance markings

The books given by Gilbert bear a simple book label. In translation it reads:

Given by the Reverend Ambrose Gilbert, Batchelor of Sacred Theology, and a most virtuous alumnus of this College.

The poet Edward Benlowes matriculated from St John's in 1620, staying for two years before finishing his education at Lincoln's Inn in London. After making the grand tour he settled at the family home, Brent Hall, near Finchingfield in Essex, and became a wealthy patron of the arts, particularly poetry. He often lavished gifts of books on his protégés, such as Francis Quarles, and on his old College, to which he also gave two globes. During the Civil War he played a minor role on the Royalist side, for which he was heavily fined by Parliament.

Robert Heath left St John's without taking his degree, to become a lawyer. A protégé of George Villiers, later Duke of Buckingham, Heath became recorder for the corporation of London in 1618, soliciter-general in 1621 and attorney-general in 1625. He was also MP for East Grinstead in the parliaments of 1624-5. After Buckingham's assasination in 1628 his career went into decline. He was made a judge in the Court of Common Pleas in 1631, but was dismissed in 1634, possibly due to the machinations of William Laud.

John Thompson gained his BA from St John's in 1616, and his MA in 1620, becoming a Fellow in the same year. He was MP for Cambridge from 1625 to 1626 and served as secretary to John Williams, his fellow Johnian.

Thomas Morton graduated BA from St John's in 1584, MA in 1590, and became a Fellow in 1592. He was ordained in 1594, and embarked upon a career in the Church, beginning as chaplain to the Earl of Huntingdon , and then the the Earl of Rutland, before moving on to the deaneries of Gloucester, and subsequently Winchester. Throughout this period Morton demonstrated his moderate Calvinism, through disputations with local catholics, and the publication of polemical pamphlets against papal authority. In 1612 he also attempted, unsuccessfully, to become master of St John's.

Lord William Howard was the younger son of Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, executed by Queen Elizabeth for treason. After his father's death William was placed under the guardianship of William Cecil, Lord Burghley, and, following in his footsteps, entered St John's in 1577. In the 1580s Howard embraced Catholicism and was twice incarcerated in the Tower of London. During his second stay he was imprisoned with Nicholas Roscarrock, a noted antiquary, and this may have influenced his subsequent development as an antiquary and collector of manuscripts and books.

Valentine Carey was the illegitimate son of Henry Carey, first Baron Hunsdon. He graduated BA from Christ's College before becoming a Fellow at St John's in 1591. Following his early ecclesiastical career he became Master of Christ's in 1610, and had hopes of becoming Master of St John's in 1612, when Owen Gwyn was elected. Instead he became Vice-Chancellor of the University. He also served as royal chaplain, rector of Orsett (1611), dean of St Paul's (1614) and Bishop of Exeter (1621).

William Crashaw (1572-1625/6)

The religious controversialist and poet William Crashaw built up an impressive library while serving as preacher to the Inner and Middle Temples in London. He even went to the expense of extending his official lodgings to house it. In 1615, however, due to tensions between himself and his employers, he was forced by his financial and family circumstances to move away from London.

Saint John Fisher, humanist, prelate, and later martyr, was instrumental in the founding of St John's College. He had originally come to Cambridge in the 1480s, gaining his BA in 1488. He went on to become one of the Fellows of Michaelhouse, one of the two Colleges later refounded as Trinity College by Henry VIII. After ordination he became confessor to Lady Margaret Beaufort, the mother of Henry VII, and, later, Chancellor of the University of Cambridge and Bishop of Rochester (both 1504).