Life

He was born on February 2, 1633 at Rose Castle

Rose Castle

Rose Castle is a fortified house in Cumbria, England, on a site that was home to the bishops of Carlisle from 1230 to 2009. It is within the parish of Dalston, from Dalston itself...

 in Cumberland

Cumberland

Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....

, England. His father, Captain Philip Ellis (1606–1663), was the steward for Barnaby Potter

Barnaby Potter

Barnaby Potter was a Church of England priest, Bishop of Carlisle from 16 March 1628-9 to 1642. He was educated at The Queen's College, Oxford, where he graduated MA in 1602 and DD in 1615. He was elected a fellow in 1604 and served as Provost, 1616–1626. Although leaning towards Puritanism...

 (1577–1643) Bishop of Carlisle

Bishop of Carlisle

The Bishop of Carlisle is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Carlisle in the Province of York.The diocese covers the County of Cumbria except for Alston Moor and the former Sedbergh Rural District...

 who resided in Rose Castle

Rose Castle

Rose Castle is a fortified house in Cumbria, England, on a site that was home to the bishops of Carlisle from 1230 to 2009. It is within the parish of Dalston, from Dalston itself...

 and who was also Ellis' godfather. He was educated as a child along with the bishop's children. During the English Civil War

English Civil War

The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...

 Captain Ellis defended the castle for four years for the king with his own private funds after the death of the Bishop.

Clement Ellis was educated at The Queen's College, Oxford. While in college he received several anonymous donations for his father's suffering during the Civil War and to fund Ellis' education. Ellis would later become a fellow of the college as well. In 1656 he was ordained at Oxford

Oxford

The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...

 where he preached for several years. Afterwards he became the private chaplain for William then Marquis of Newcastle (later Duke of Newcastle) for a few years. Around the time his book "The Gentle Sinner; or England's Brave Gentlemen" in 1660 he became the rector (Perish Priest) of the perish of Kirkby-in-Ashfield

Kirkby-in-Ashfield

Kirkby-in-Ashfield is a market town in Nottinghamshire, England, with a population of 25,265 . It is a part of the Mansfield Urban Area. The Head Offices of Ashfield District Council are located there....

. At the time that he became the rector the perish was in disorder from the Civil War. Through his charitable work and his church sermons he was able to help bring about unity to the parish that had been lost during the Civil War. While in Kirkby he was offered several opportunities to sever as rector to larger perishes all of which he turned down in favor for his smaller congregation of Kirkby. In 1693 he was appointed to be a prebendary in the collegiate perish church in Southwell

Southwell

Southwell may mean the following towns in England:* Southwell, Dorset* Southwell, Nottinghamshire**Southwell Minster, historic cathedral**Southwell Racecourse, horse racing venue located near Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire...

. The appointment was indented to be a reward for all of Ellis' work in Kirkby. However, again not wanting to leave his congregation in Kirkby and also because of his ailing health prevented him form fulfilling all of his duties he decided to resign his preferment.

Family

On June 4, 1664 he married Elizabeth Remington. The couple were married by Rev. Robert Remington in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. Elizabeth was born November 17, 1636 in Lund to Sir Thomas Remington (1610–1681) and Dame Hannah Gee Remington (1611–1691). The couple had four sons and a daughter:

• Margereta Ellis (1665–1741)
• Clement Ellis (1668- ? )
• Philip Ellis (1669–1671)
• Thomas Ellis (1672- ? )
• Philip Ellis (1674–1747)

In July of 1691 his wife Elizabeth died of a stroke. On June 28, 1700 Clement died after a lingering illness. The two were buried at the Church in Kirkby in Ashfield at which he had been the rector for several years. It is also interesting to note that Ellis was also the 6th-great-grandfather of the British film actor Donald Pleasence

Donald Pleasence

Sir Donald Henry Pleasence, OBE, was a British actor who gained more than 200 screen credits during a career which spanned over four decades...

.

Literary works

Ellis wrote several books, sermons, and even a few poems. His literary works tended to focus on Christian spirituality, Christian life styles, and etc.

Title of Book	Year Published	Notes
The Gentile Sinner; or, England's Brave Gentlemen	1660
Catechism	1674
The vanity of Scoffing, in a letter to a witty gentleman,	1674
Christianity in Short; or, the way to be a good Christian	1682
Right Foundation of Seriousness Quietness and Concord	1684
The Protestant Resolved	1688	co-authored with William Sherlock
The Reflector's Defence of his letter to a good Friend	1688
Necessity of Consideration and Repentance	1691
The Parable of Dives and Lazurus	1704	Published by his son after his death
On that of the Unjust Steward	1704	Published by his son after his death
On the Ten Virgins	1704	Published by his son after his death