siastical commission; Sandys had joined the ecclesiastical commission in 1571. He took part in the translation of the Bible of 1572, his share being the books of Hosea, Joel, and Amos to Malachi inclusive (Strype, Parker, ii. 222). He was, as before, strongly repressive in tendency; he took part in disturbing the ‘massmongers’ at the house of the Portuguese ambassador, catching several who were ‘ready to worship the calf’ there. On the other hand, he was one of those who signed the order on 12 Dec. 1573 for the arrest of Cartwright, to whose influence he bears testimony in a curious letter (5 Aug. 1573) printed in Strype's ‘Whitgift’ (iii. 32). In this letter he mentions Dering, reader at St. Paul's, who was just then suspended; and yet it was through Sandys's agency that Dering was, to the great delight of the puritans, restored. For this Sandys was rebuked by the queen; and Dering, who had meanwhile had a dispute with the bishop, was not long afterwards again suspended. As bishop of London, indeed, Sandys had a very difficult part to play. He had belonged to the early puritan party, and yet had to join with Parker in trying to secure uniformity (cf. Strype, Parker, ii. 280 &c.). He was naturally much written against, and he felt what was said (ib. p. 290). In 1574, when the ‘prophesyings’ began in the diocese of Norwich, he upheld them, and with Smith, Mildmay, and Knollys, wrote a letter to that effect (ib. p. 360), soon to be overruled. On 6 June 1575 Sandys was chief mourner at Parker's splendid funeral; Parker left him a gold ring (Ayre says a walking staff) by his will.
On 8 March 1575–6 Sandys was translated to the archbishopric of York, succeeding Grindal. At York he had plenty of trouble. An attempt, which he successfully resisted, was made on his arrival to get him to give up Bishopthorpe in order that it might become the official residence of the presidents of the council of the north. He disputed with Aylmer as to the London revenues, with what result is unknown. He visited in 1577 the vacant see of Durham, and embroiled himself with the clergy there, among other things saying that the dean, William Whittingham, was not properly ordained. He fell out too on another point with Aylmer—namely dilapidations—and Aylmer got the better of him. He did not agree well with the dean of York [cf. Hutton, Matthew, (1529–1606)]. He found a more dangerous opponent in Sir Robert Stapleton. This man, in order to get advantageous leases of lands from the archbishop, contrived a disgraceful plot against him. In May 1581 at Doncaster he contrived, with the connivance of the husband, to introduce a woman into Sandys's bedroom. The husband then rushed in, and Stapleton appeared in the guise of a friend who wished to prevent a scandal. Sandys weakly gave money to the injured husband and a lease of lands to Stapleton. But when Stapleton pushed the business further and tried to extort a lease of the manors of Southwell and Scrowby on favourable terms from him, Sandys disclosed the outrage to the council. Those concerned were punished and Sandys cleared. Richard Hooker [q. v.] was tutor to Sandys's son Edwin, and in 1584–5 the archbishop assisted in securing his appointment as master of the Temple. In 1587 he resisted successfully an attempt to separate Southwell from his see. He often lived at Southwell, and was not a regular attendant at the meetings of the council of the north.
Sandys died on 10 July 1588, and was buried in Southwell Minster. His tomb is engraved in Rastall's ‘History of Southwell.’ The inscription is printed in Strype's ‘Whitgift’ (iii. 215). Sandys was a learned and vigorous man, keen in his many quarrels. Though he is said to have been too careful in money matters, he founded a grammar school at Hawkshead and endowed it; he also was a benefactor to the school at Highgate. Fortunately, in the main his interest coincided with that of the sees he occupied, for, as he once said, ‘These be marvellous times. The patrimony of the church is laid open as a prey unto all the world’ (Strype, Whitgift, i. 546). Extracts from his will, which contains much solid theology, are given by Strype (Whitgift, i. 547; Annals, III. ii. 579).
A portrait is at Ombersley, where descendants of the archbishop still live. Another belongs to the bishop of London (cf. Cat. First Loan Exhib. No. 369). Engraved portraits are in Holland's ‘Herωologia’ and Nash's ‘Worcestershire.’
Sandys married, first, a daughter of Mr. Sandys of Essex, who, with her child, died, as already stated, in exile. Secondly, on 19 Feb. 1558–9, Cicely, daughter of Sir Thomas Wilford of Cranbrook, Kent. By her he had seven sons and two daughters. The eldest son, Sir Samuel Sandys (1560–1623), who frequently sat in parliament, and was ancestor of the Barons Sandys of Ombersley, Worcestershire [see Sandys, Samuel, first Baron Sandys]. Others of the archbishop's sons were: Sir Edwin Sandys (1561–1629) [q. v.]; Sir Miles Sandys (1563–1644) of Wilberton in Cambridgeshire, who was created a baronet in 1612, and frequently sat
