Henry Airay
Encyclopedia
Henry Airay was an English
Puritan
preacher and author.
, near Kendal
, Westmorland
. His date of birth is uncertain. His father was William Airay, a favored servant of Bernard Gilpin
, "the apostle of the North". Gilpin generously agreed to send Henry and his brother Evan (or Ewan) to Gilpin's own endowed school, where they were educated "in grammatical learning," and were in attendance at Oxford
when Gilpin died. From Wood's Athenae we glean the details of Airay's college attendance:
His transference to Queen's is perhaps explained by its having been Gilpin's college, and by his Westmorland origin giving him a claim on Eaglesfield's foundation. He graduated B.A. on 19 June 1583, M.A. on 15 June 1586, B.D. in 1594 and D.D. on 17 June 1600—all in Queen's College. "About the time he was master" (1586) "he entered holy orders, and became a frequent and zealous preacher in the university."
His Commentary on the Epistle to the Philippians (1618, reprinted 1864) is a specimen of his preaching before his college, and of his fiery denunciation of Roman Catholicism and his fearless enunciation of that Calvinism
which Oxford in common with all England then prized. In 1598 he was chosen provost
of his college, and in 1606 was named vice-chancellor of the university. In the discharge of his vice-chancellor's duties he came into conflict with Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury
, who was beginning to manifest his antagonism to Puritanism.
Airay was also rector of Otmore (or Otmoor
), near Oxford
, a living which involved him in a trying but successful litigation, whereof later incumbents reaped the benefit. He died on 6 October 1616, and was buried in the Queen's Chapel. His character as a man, preacher, divine, and as an important ruler in the university, will be found portrayed in the Epistle by John Potter, prefixed to the Commentary.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
preacher and author.
Biography
Airay was born at KentmereKentmere
Kentmere is a valley, village and civil parish in the Lake District National Park, a few miles from Kendal in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. It is historically part of Westmorland...
, near Kendal
Kendal
Kendal, anciently known as Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish within the South Lakeland District of Cumbria, England...
, Westmorland
Westmorland
Westmorland is an area of North West England and one of the 39 historic counties of England. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974, after which the entirety of the county was absorbed into the new county of Cumbria.-Early history:...
. His date of birth is uncertain. His father was William Airay, a favored servant of Bernard Gilpin
Bernard Gilpin
Bernard Gilpin , was an Oxford theologian and then an influential clergyman in the emerging Church of England spanning the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary and Elizabeth I...
, "the apostle of the North". Gilpin generously agreed to send Henry and his brother Evan (or Ewan) to Gilpin's own endowed school, where they were educated "in grammatical learning," and were in attendance at Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
when Gilpin died. From Wood's Athenae we glean the details of Airay's college attendance:
- "He was sent to St Edmund's Hall in 1579, aged nineteen or thereabouts. Soon after he was translated to Queen's CollegeThe Queen's College, OxfordThe Queen's College, founded 1341, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Queen's is centrally situated on the High Street, and is renowned for its 18th-century architecture...
, where he became pauper puer serviens; that is, a poor serving child that waits on the fellows in the common hall at meals, and in their chambers, and does other servile work about the college."
His transference to Queen's is perhaps explained by its having been Gilpin's college, and by his Westmorland origin giving him a claim on Eaglesfield's foundation. He graduated B.A. on 19 June 1583, M.A. on 15 June 1586, B.D. in 1594 and D.D. on 17 June 1600—all in Queen's College. "About the time he was master" (1586) "he entered holy orders, and became a frequent and zealous preacher in the university."
His Commentary on the Epistle to the Philippians (1618, reprinted 1864) is a specimen of his preaching before his college, and of his fiery denunciation of Roman Catholicism and his fearless enunciation of that Calvinism
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
which Oxford in common with all England then prized. In 1598 he was chosen provost
Provost (education)
A provost is the senior academic administrator at many institutions of higher education in the United States, Canada and Australia, the equivalent of a pro-vice-chancellor at some institutions in the United Kingdom and Ireland....
of his college, and in 1606 was named vice-chancellor of the university. In the discharge of his vice-chancellor's duties he came into conflict with Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury
William Laud
William Laud was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633 to 1645. One of the High Church Caroline divines, he opposed radical forms of Puritanism...
, who was beginning to manifest his antagonism to Puritanism.
Airay was also rector of Otmore (or Otmoor
Otmoor
Otmoor or Ot Moor is an area of wetland and wet grassland in Oxfordshire, England, located halfway between Oxford and Bicester. It is about above sea level, and has an area of approximately ....
), near 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...
, a living which involved him in a trying but successful litigation, whereof later incumbents reaped the benefit. He died on 6 October 1616, and was buried in the Queen's Chapel. His character as a man, preacher, divine, and as an important ruler in the university, will be found portrayed in the Epistle by John Potter, prefixed to the Commentary.