Archbishop Laud

William Laud (1573-1645) was a pre-eminent churchman under Charles I who became archbishop of Canterbury in 1633. An opponent of Puritanism, his attempt to interfere with the Scottish church led to his downfall when he was impeached for high treason by Parliament in 1640, and executed in 1645. DPG420 is a bust-length grisaille copy of a portrait by Van Dyck known in several versions.