William Day (bishop)

William Day (1529 – 20 September 1596) was Bishop of Winchester (1595–96), Dean of Windsor (1572–95), and Provost of Eton College (1561–95).

Early life
William Day was born in Shropshire to Richard Day & Elizabeth Osborne. He was educated at Eton College and King's College, Cambridge, where he became a scholar in 1545 and a fellow in 1548, before graduating BA in 1550 and MA in 1553.

Early career (1559–1572)
He became Archdeacon of Nottingham in 1561 and a canon of St George's Chapel, Windsor in 1565, resigning from his position in Nottingham later that year.

He became a fellow of Eton College in 1560, and in 1561, after Richard Bruerne resigned, he was elected to be Provost, a position he held until 1595.

Dean of Windsor (1572–1595)
He was appointed Dean of the Chapel Royal (although since George Carew had not actually resigned this position, he was unable to take up this role) and Dean of Windsor in 1572. He remained Dean of Windsor for 24 years.

Day was recommended to be a bishop by numerous figures, including Matthew Parker, William Cecil, John Aylmer, and John Whitgift, from as early as 1568. However, he did not become a bishop until 1596.

Bishop of Winchester (1596)
He was elected unchallenged as Bishop of Winchester on 3 November 1595, and was consecrated as a bishop on 25 January 1596. He died later that year, on 20 September.

Personal life
George Day, Bishop of Chichester, was his elder brother. William had converted to Protestantism, but George remained Catholic, which caused a rift between the two brothers. His brother died in 1556.

He married Elizabeth Barlow (daughter of William Barlow, who was like Day's brother Bishop of Chichester) in around 1565.

William Day was probably the grandfather of Francis Day of Madras, through his son William Day of Bray.