1799 A fine letter from George Pretyman, Bishop of Lincoln at Buckden Palace to Charles Howard, The 11th Duke of Norfolk, regarding the Rectory of Worksop, Nottinghamshire. Recently found in the Howard archives of Corby Castle.

Sir George Pretyman Tomline, 5th Baronet FRS (born George Pretyman; 9 October 1750 – 14 November 1827) was an English clergyman, theologian, Bishop of Lincoln and then Bishop of Winchester, and confidant of William Pitt the Younger. He was an opponent of Catholic emancipation.

He was born George Pretyman in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk to a family claiming to have been influential in the region as far back as the fourteenth century. His father, also George Pretyman (1722–1810) was a landowner and wool merchant. His mother, George's wife, was Susan née Hubbard (1720/1721 – 1807).

Pretyman attended Bury St Edmunds Grammar School and then Pembroke College, Cambridge, graduating in 1772 as senior wrangler and Smith's prizewinner. He was elected a fellow of Pembroke in 1773. He was ordained deacon in 1774 and priest in 1776:[1] by Philip Yonge, Bishop of Norwich at his Palace's chapel on 14 August 1774[2] and by John Hinchliffe, Bishop of Peterborough at Trinity College, Cambridge on 16 June 1776.

William Pitt the Younger was sent to Pembroke in 1773, at the age of fourteen, and Pretyman became his tutor and gradually his friend and confidant.[4] When Pitt unsuccessfully stood for election as Member of Parliament for Cambridge University in the 1780 British general election, Pretyman supported him.

On 3 September 1784, Pretyman married Elizabeth Maltby (died 13 June 1826), cousin of Edward Maltby, the future Bishop of Chichester and himself eighth wrangler, and appointed Edward his domestic chaplain.[5] George and Elizabeth were well-matched and he constantly consulted her on church and political issue

Bishop of Lincoln

In 1787, Pitt appointed Pretyman Bishop of Lincoln, having to overcome the opposition of George III who objected to Pretyman's youth. Having already become Dean of St Paul's (he was instituted to the Portpoole prebend by Robert Lowth, Bishop of London on 21 February 1787),[6] his election was confirmed by John Moore, Archbishop of Canterbury, at St Mary-le-Bow on 10 March 1787[7] and he was consecrated a bishop by Moore (assisted by William Ashburnham, Bishop of Chichester; Shute Barrington, Bishop of Salisbury and Beilby Porteus, Bishop of Chester) at Lambeth Palace chapel on 11 March 1787.

Pretyman maintained on close terms with Pitt, though Lincoln duties kept him from frequent visits to London, and shared Whig attitudes. In a sermon to the House of Lords on 30 January 1789, Pretyman condemned Charles I, executed by parliament in 1649, and praised his political opponents. John Wesley wrote to Pretyman in 1790 accusing him of driving the 'people called Methodists' out of the established church.[9] Pretyman continued to advise Pitt on finance and on Pitt's Ecclesiastical Plan. Pretyman was an opponent of Catholic emancipation and was against Pitt's 1801 decision to resign when he failed to effect the changes promised to the Irish Catholics in the compromises made over the passage of the Act of Union 1800.

Henry Addington's regime was still less to Pretyman's taste and his anti-Catholic sentiments strengthened. However, he remained on good terms with Pitt and was ready to help him out of his debts.

Pitt's second ministry

Already wealthy, in 1803 he inherited extensive property from a distant relative, Marmaduke Tomline, and took the name Tomline. Pitt returned to government in 1804 and, much to Tomline's satisfaction, promoted Tomline as Archbishop of Canterbury, even though there was an earlier provisional agreement with the King that Charles Manners-Sutton should be appointed. However, the King was not to be manœuvred and exercised his royal prerogative to appoint Manners-Sutton.

Tomline was offered the post of Bishop of London in 1813 but declined because he thought the duties too onerous. He was translated to Bishop of Winchester by the confirmation of his election (by Manners-Sutton) on 15 August 1820.

Tomline had inherited further property before he died of apoplexy at Kingston Hall, near Wimborne, Dorset and his estate was worth £200,000 (equivalent to £17,007,292 in 2018).[11] He was buried in Winchester Cathedral. His monument was sculpted by Richard Westmacott (the younger).[12] Tomline and his wife had three sons but they relinquished their claim to the baronetcy:

William Edward Tomline (1787–1836),[13] MP for, successively, Christchurch, Truro, and Minehead.

George-Thomas Tomline, became Chancellor of Lincoln and prebendary of Winchester.

Richard Tomline, his third son, became precentor of Lincoln

Buckden Towers, formerly known as Buckden Palace, is a 12th-century fortified manor house, located on High Street, Buckden, Cambridgeshire, England.

Although it is often stated as being built in the 15th century, the first (wooden) Palace was actually built in the late 12th century, when records show it as being used to house the Bishops of Lincoln. Subsequently, the wooden structure was replaced by more substantial buildings and a tall brick tower was added in 1475, protected by walls and a moat, and surrounded by an outer bailey. Parts of the complex were demolished in 1632 on the orders of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. The Victorian House now present on the site was built in 1872. The Claretian Missionaries were given the site by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Northampton in 1956. Initially it was used a Junior Seminary carrying out the preliminary training of 11- to 18-year-olds aspiring to become Claretian Missionary priests or brothers. The Junior Seminary closed in July 1965. Since then the Towers complex has been developed by the Claretians as a Retreat and Conference Centre. Also located on the site is the Catholic Parish Church of St Hugh of Lincoln, which stands on the site of the great chamber of the medieval palace and was originally built as the chapel for the Junior Seminary. The grounds, but not the buildings, of the Towers are open to visitors at all reasonable times but dogs are not permitted.[citation needed] It is a scheduled monument and a Grade I listed building.

Little now remains of the bishops' moated palace except the great tower, the inner gatehouse, part of the battlemented wall, which used to surround the inner court within the moat, and the outer gate and wall. On 16 July 1551, Henry, Duke of Suffolk and his brother Lord Charles died here from the sweating sickness. They had come to Buckden to avoid the sickness at Cambridge.

In the 1630s Bishop Williams held state at Buckden, entertaining his neighbours with lavish displays of hospitality.

The antiquary Edward John Rudge published a history, Illustrated and Historical Account of Buckden Palace, in 1839