Hadleigh Nub News delves into the life of Hadleigh born bishop John Overall.

Overall was born in Hadleigh in 1559 at a time of radical Protestantism in the area.

He studied at Hadleigh Grammar School, where he studied alongside Bible translator John Bois. Here, he was educated by John Still, Lady Margaret's Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge.

Due to his mentor Still, he applied to St. John's College in Cambridge where Still was Master. He later moved with him to Trinity college as Master and scholar.

In 1592, on behalf of Elizabeth I, he was made vicar of Epping, Essex. Three years later, he was appointed Regius Professor of Divinity at Cambridge.

In 1599, Overall clashed with the authorities when he maintained that the perseverance of a truly justified man was conditional upon repentance.

Following in his mentor Still's footsteps, he became Master of St. Catharine's College. Therefore, he was occasionally chosen to give sermons before the queen. Despite this appointment, he was dissatisfied with having to give sermons in English after years of lecturing in Latin.

He was further made Dean of St. Paul's in 1602, a position he held for twelve years.

Following a decision to make a new English translation of the Bible, Overall served as a translator of the Authorised King James Version of the Bible. He is credited in the 1611 and 1613 printings. He is associated with having translated chapter from Genesis to 2 Kings.

However, during this period, he was met with marital scandal as his wife Anne ran off with a Yorkshire courtier, Sir John Selby.

John eventually brought her back to London but the scandal, by then, was well-known and, unfortunately for him, there was a verse made of the situation, which goes as followed:

The Dean of St Paul's did search for his wife

Even upon Sir John Selby's bed,