John Fletcher.

English playwright. John Fletcher came from a family of distinction, though details of his early life are few. Fletcher’s father, Richard Fletcher, had a successful ecclesiastical career, attaining the positions of dean of Peterborough, bishop of Bristol, bishop of Worcester, chaplain to Queen Elizabeth I (r. 1558-1603), and finally bishop of London. On February 8, 1587, Richard Fletcher, then dean of Peterborough, officiated at the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots (r. 1542-1567). He gained notoriety for the vehemence with which he harassed the undeterred Mary about her Catholic convictions, even when she was upon the scaffold. Little is known about John Fletcher’s mother, Elizabeth Fletcher.