John Hooker or "Hoker" alias John Vowell c. From to his death he was Chamberlain of Exeter. He wrote an eye-witness account of the siege of Exeter during the Prayer Book Rebellion in He spent several years in Ireland as legal adviser to Sir Peter Carew , and following Carew's death in wrote his biography. He was one of the editors of the second edition of Raphael Holinshed 's Chronicles , published in His last, unpublished and probably uncompleted work was the first topographical description of the county of Devon.
He founded a guild of Merchant Adventurers under a charter from Queen Mary. He was the second son and eventual heir of Robert Vowell d. The original Welsh name was possibly ap-Howell. By the time he was born the family had been prominent in Exeter for several generations. Hooker received an excellent classical education, reading Roman law at Oxford followed by a period in Europe studying with leading Protestant divines, [8] notably Pietro Martire Vermigli.
During the Prayer Book Rebellion of Hooker experienced at first hand the siege of Exeter, and left a vivid manuscript account of its events in which he made no effort to conceal his anti-Catholic sympathies.
In he became the first chamberlain of Exeter, a post he held until his death. As chamberlain he was responsible for the city's finances, he dealt with disputes between guilds and merchants, oversaw the rebuilding of the high school, planted many trees in the city, and collected and put in order the city's archives.
At a time when it was deemed essential for cities and nations to have ancient lineage, Hooker described the supposed foundation of Exeter by Corinaeus, nephew of Brutus of Britain , son of Aeneas. He advocated emulating the governmental institutions of the Roman Republic, which in his opinion brought Rome to greatness, and held up the municipal government of Exeter as a model republican commonwealth worthy of emulation. In , possibly because he regarded himself as underpaid for the work he was doing for Exeter, Hooker was persuaded by Sir Peter Carew to accompany him to Ireland as his legal adviser.
