#15411, John FISHER

In 1780 John was appointed Preceptor to Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and in 1781 chaplain to King George III and deputy Clerk of the Closet, a post he held until 1785.  In 1786 he was made Canon of St. George's Chapel, Windsor and in 1805 was appointed Preceptor to Charlotte, Princess Royal.  He also served as Chancellor of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.

He was consecrated Bishop of Exeter in 1803 and translated to Salisbury in 1807, a position he held until his death in 1825.  He is notable for his friendship with the painter John Constable, presiding at Constable's wedding and commissioning his Salisbury Cathedral.  Over time, Fisher became Constable's biggest patron and a close friend.  Fisher became known as 'King's Fisher' due to his connections to the Royal family and his patronage of Constable became a valuable asset

He introduced Constable to his nephew, another John Fisher, the son of his brother Philip who was Master of Charterhouse School in London.  The younger John Fisher (later Archdeacon of Berkshire) became the painter's best friend and another important patron.

Much of our knowledge of Constable today is derived from letters between the Fishers and Constable extracted by his biographer C R Leslie and published in his Memoirs of the Life of John Constable in 1843.