MINISTERS EJECTED OR SILENCED

IN

GLOUCESTERSHIRE.

STON SOMERVIL, Mr. WOOD. § The name of the place, before doubtful, is now indentified, but nothing more than the name of the person can be procured.

BECKFORD [C,] RICHARD EEDS, M. A. After his ejectment he lived at Cleve. He was an affectionate, useful preacher, and one of the Worcestershire association. He was overcome with melancholy before he died, which was at Gretton in this county, in April 1686.

WORKS. The Great Salvation; a Discourse on Heb. ii. 3. to which Mr. Baxter wrote a Preface.

He

BRIMSFIELD [R.] Mr. THOMAS JENNINGS. signed the Testimony of the ministers in this county, as minister of Matson. He was a moderate Baptist. § Crosby, in his History of the Baptists, has nothing more concerning him than this passage quoted from Calamy, tho' he takes care to give the Dr, a sarcastic stroke,

BOURTON on the Water, [R.] ANTONY PALMER, M. A. Educated in Oxford, and some time Fellow of Baliol College. Born in Worcestershire. He was forced out by some of the neighbouring gentry, before the Act for uniformity was framed. He put in a curate, who also was disturbed for disusing the Common Prayer. He had a congregation afterwards in London, and exercised his ministry there till his death, on Jan. 26, 1678. He possessed good ministerial abilities, and was of the congregational persuasion.

§ Atkyns, in his History of Gloucestershire, says, " 1649 Anthony Palmer, Rector of this place, was a great instrument in ejecting loyal and orthodox ministers, and after the Restora

tion of Cha. II, he engaged in all rebellious plots."-But Bigland, in his Collections (tho' he carefully omits the puritani cal preachers, putting asterics instead of their names) has the following noble testimony in Mr. Palmer's favour: "1649 Anthony Palmer M. A. appointed by the parliament: was born at Great Cumberton, co. Warwick, admitted Fel. of Bal. Col. 1640. He is pourtrayed by the severe pencil of A. Wood with the strongest traits of party zeal, being appointed a Commissioner for ejecting scandalous ministers' by the parliament; and adopting their virulent and unprincipled measures. His writings were frequent in support of his religious tenets and party. The Gospel New Creature, which was published in 1658, is the most approved of his productions. He died in 1678. The high esteem in which his memory is held by his followers, compensates for the extreme severity with which the Royalists have marked his chaIt may be candid to determine from such opposite descriptions, that he was a man of strong parts, enterprizing and undaunted in the prosecution of what he thought his duty; and it is but just to allow, that no part of his private life could justify any suspicion of his integrity."

WORKS. A Scripture Rail to the Lord's Table; against Mr. J. Humphreys's Treatise of Free Admission. Memorials of God liness and Christianity.-The Christian's Freedom by Christ-The Gospel New Creature.

CHARLTON (Kings) [C. or D.] Mr. THOMAS HAR

RISON.

Ho

CHELTENHAM [C. or D.] Mr. JOHN COOPER. CHURCHDOWN. Mr. THOMAS MOUNT. CIRENCESTER. Mr. ALEXANDER GREGORY. was one of the Country Triers. When the king's army besieged this town, a cannon-ball fell upon the house where he lived, and tore a great part of it to pieces, while he was at prayer; but he was wonderfully preserved. When the town could hold out no longer, he with one other person attempted to make an escape. One of the king's soldiers pursued them, and quickly killed his companion; but tho' he ran at him several times, he parried off the blows, and got away unhurt. Upon the town's being taken by the king's army, Mr. Gregory was forced away from his people; and when the war was at an end, he settled at another place, at some considerable

distance,

distance, where he was well beloved: but upon the earnest solicitation of his old friends at Cirencester, he returned to them again, tho' his benefice there was of considerably less value than the other. There he continued till the Act of uniformity passed; when he was much solicited to conform, by a person at that time in great power; who signified to him, that his so doing would be very acceptable to his majesty, who was inclined to prefer him, and would resent his noncompliance. But he could not satisfy his conscience with the terms, and drew up a paper, containing the reasons of his Nonconformity, which he sent to the person who solicited him.

In his last sermon in public, he told his flock, That tho' he should be deprived of his benefice, which was all that he and his family had to subsist upon, he would yet continue to minister to them, as long as the government would suffer him. But at last the Five-mile-act forced him away, when he removed to Minching-Hampton, and there he finished his course not long after. Upon taking leave of his friends, he told some with whom he was most intimate, that he should see their faces no more; and it fell out accordingly; for the very day on which some of them had agreed to make him a visit, he was taken ill and died. He was a very humble man, a serious and affectionate preacher, exceedingly desirous to promote the good of souls; and his unwearied labours had great success. He kept up a weekly lecture every Tuesday, and on Thursdays in the afternoon he catechized in his own house, which he did in a very acceptable manner, taking great care not to discourage such as were bashful, or had bad memories, for whom he was so solicitously concerned, that he would often follow them to their own houses, (even the meanest in his parish) to give them private instruction in a plain and familiar way. He was always very tender of giving offence to any, and was generally beloved.-After being ejected and silenced, he was much taken notice of, and respectfully visited, both by Conformists and Nonconformists.

CLAPTON [C.] Mr. THOMAS PAXFORD. Tho' he was not brought up a scholar, he had good natural abilities, and both preached and prayed well. He sometimes officiated for Mr. Palmer at Burton on the Water. After his ejectment he became a Baptist, and fell under some censures as to his morals. Crosby has nothing more than this quotation from Calamy, except abuse of the author for relating this last circumstance, which he does not attempt to disprove.

COMPTON

COMPTON [R.] Mr. BECKET. He was originally a tradesman, and no scholar; but it was not on that account he was ejected. He was a good man, and useful particularly to many of the lower sort of people. There are three

Comptons in this county.

DIRHURST (or Deerhurst) [C.] Mr. FRANCIS HARRIS” It

DUNTSBORNE [R.] Mr. EDWARD FLETCHER. appears from Mr. Jessey's tract, entitled, The Lord's Loud Call to England, (in which he relates the rudeness of the cavaliers in this county, in 1660) that Mr. Fletcher in particular was treated very inhumanly by them, and his life threatened. Upon this he returned to New-England from whence he came, and there he died. § He is not mentioned by Mather in his History.

DURSLEY [R.] JOSEPH WOODWARD, M. A. Of Oxford University. He was born at Upper Cam in this county, where his father was a tanner. He did not at first take orders, but was master of the free-school at Wooton-under-edge. His carriage was very obliging, but he had at that time very little seriousness, and much frequented the company of some gentlemen whose character for virtue or sobriety was not very eminent: but it pleased God, by a seemingly little accident, to awaken him to a serious consideration about the things of another world. Being out late one evening, as he was coming home, some dogs fell a fighting about him so furiously that he thought himself in great danger; which occasioned him seriously to reflect, What would have become of his soul, if he had been torn in pieces by those creatures. Hereupon he left his former company, and changed it for that of the godly professors at Wooton, who used to pray and repeat sermons, and sing together; which edifying society he found so beneficial, that he afterwards used to say, "Tho' Oxford made him a scholar, the professors of Wooton "fitted him for the ministry." Another person relates, That he did not so much as look into a Bible till he found one of his own scholars (Mr. Sprint, afterwards minister of Andover) reading the scripture in his chamber. The master was struck with shame to think that he should do less than a school-boy, and immediately procured a Bible, which he' read and studied with care; and shortly after he set about a reformation in his school. Whereas Latin prayers only had been read in it, and those made in popish times, for a dead patroness

patroness, he introduced praying in English, 'reading the scriptures, singing of psalms, and all pious exercises.

Some time after this visible change in him, being urged by many to undertake the ministerial office, he with much diffidence consented to be ordained, and became very useful. The people of Dursley unanimously invited him to be their minister; upon which he fixed with them. And tho' he was afterwards tempted to Wells with double the stipend, he would not accept it. He took a great deal of pains among his people, and after some time, he vigorously set about the reformation of many disorders in discipline and manners among them; endeavouring to set up the Presbyterian government. In this attempt however, he met with many discouragements. Some withdrew from his ministry; others withheld their part of the stipend solemnly promised him, and others refused to pray and sing, and receive the sacrament, under pretence of [it being unlawful in] a mixed multitude. When he declared his resolution to admit none to the Lord's-supper but those who, besides a visible probity of conversation, had a competent knowledge of divine things, a certain person said, "He would not submit to examination; "and if Mr. Woodward would not give him the sacrament, "he would take it." In pursuance of his resolution, this man was coming to church on the sacrament-day, but he had scarcely set one foot over the threshold, before he fell down dead. The troubles which his people occasioned him, so much affected him, as to bring upon him disorders, from the effects of which he was never perfectly recovered. At length he determined upon a removal; and several persons came to Dursley, with a design to take him to another place, where he had better prospects; and he was much inclined to go with them. But the very persons that opposed and slighted him before, when they found he was likely to leave them, came and begged his pardon, promising a better carriage for the future; and so he consented to stay. Some time after, however, his troubles were renewed. There were about seven men who had formed a resolution to ruin him, some by swearing against him, and some in other ways; but it pleased God that several of them died; and his principal enemy fell desperately ill, who upon his death-bed sent for him to pray with him, and confessing his wicked design, desired Mr. Woodward to preach his funeral sermon, to warn all his associates to desist from their vile purposes, as they would not provoke God to visit them with his judgments.

Mr.