Henry Sacheverell
Encyclopedia
Henry Sacheverell was an English
High Church
clergyman and politician.
he was adopted by his godfather, Edward Hearst, and his wife, and was sent to Magdalen College, Oxford
, in 1689. He was a student there until 1701 and a fellow from 1701 to 1713. Joseph Addison
, another native of Wiltshire
, had entered the same college two years earlier; he later dedicated to Sacheverell his work on English poets (1694). Sacheverell took his degree of B.A. in 1693, and became M.A. in 1695 and D.D. in 1708. His first preferment was the small vicarage of Cannock in Staffordshire
; but he came to fame when preacher at St Saviour's, Southwark.
on 5 November 1709, entitled The Perils of False Brethren, in Church, and State. Such 5 November sermons usually compared the Gunpowder Plot
of 5 November 1605 with William of Orange
's landing at Torbay
on 5 November 1688 as "a double deliverance" from Catholicism. Sacheverell compared the Gunpowder Plot not to 1688 but to the date of the execution of Charles I
, 30 January 1649, as two days of the "rage and bloodthirstiness of both the popish and fanatick enemies of our Church and Government...These TWO DAYS indeed are but one united proof and visible testimonial of the same dangerous and rebellious principles these confederates in iniquity maintain". The threat to the church from Catholics was dealt with in three minutes; the rest of the one-and-a-half hour sermon was an attack on Nonconformists and the "false brethren" who aided them in menacing church and state. Sacheverell maintained that the Anglican doctrine of non-resistance had not been violated in 1688 but that as James II had fled the country he had abdicated, leading the way to the succession of William and Mary and the continued validity of the biblical words, "touch not the Lord's anointed".
They were immediately reprinted, the latter being dedicated to the lord mayor and the former to the author's kinsman, George Sacheverell who was high sheriff of Derbyshire
that year; and, as the passions of the whole British population were at this period keenly exercised between the rival factions of Whig and Tory; Sacheverell's arguments on behalf of the church which supplied the Tories with most of their support made him their idol. The Whig ministry, then slowly but surely losing the support of the country, were divided in opinion as to the propriety of prosecuting this zealous parson. John Somers was against such a measure; but Sidney Godolphin
, who was believed to be personally alluded to in one of these harangues under the nickname of "Volpone
," urged the necessity of a prosecution and gained the day.
places of worship, with some being burned down. The rioting in turn led to the downfall of the ministry later that year and the passing of the Riot Act
in 1714.
, Holborn
, by the new Tory
ministry, who despised the author of the sermons, although they dreaded his influence over the mob. Another set of "Sacheverell riots" broke out in 1715. Henry Sacheverell died at the Grove, Highgate
, on 15 June 1724.
used the speeches of Whig leaders at the Sacheverell trial in his An Appeal from the New to the Old Whigs (1791) to demonstrate true Whiggism
(as opposed to the beliefs of the Foxite
'New Whigs').
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...
High Church
High church
The term "High Church" refers to beliefs and practices of ecclesiology, liturgy and theology, generally with an emphasis on formality, and resistance to "modernization." Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term has traditionally been principally associated with the...
clergyman and politician.
Early life
The son of Joshua Sacheverell, rector of St Peter's, Marlborough,he was adopted by his godfather, Edward Hearst, and his wife, and was sent to Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
, in 1689. He was a student there until 1701 and a fellow from 1701 to 1713. Joseph Addison
Joseph Addison
Joseph Addison was an English essayist, poet, playwright and politician. He was a man of letters, eldest son of Lancelot Addison...
, another native of Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, had entered the same college two years earlier; he later dedicated to Sacheverell his work on English poets (1694). Sacheverell took his degree of B.A. in 1693, and became M.A. in 1695 and D.D. in 1708. His first preferment was the small vicarage of Cannock in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
; but he came to fame when preacher at St Saviour's, Southwark.
The Perils of False Brethren
His famous sermons on the church in danger from the neglect of the Whig ministry to keep guard over its interests were preached, the one at Derby on 15 August 1709, the other at St Paul's CathedralSt Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
on 5 November 1709, entitled The Perils of False Brethren, in Church, and State. Such 5 November sermons usually compared the Gunpowder Plot
Gunpowder Plot
The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I of England and VI of Scotland by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby.The plan was to blow up the House of...
of 5 November 1605 with William of Orange
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
's landing at Torbay
Torbay
Torbay is an east-facing bay and natural harbour, at the western most end of Lyme Bay in the south-west of England, situated roughly midway between the cities of Exeter and Plymouth. Part of the ceremonial county of Devon, Torbay was made a unitary authority on 1 April 1998...
on 5 November 1688 as "a double deliverance" from Catholicism. Sacheverell compared the Gunpowder Plot not to 1688 but to the date of the execution of Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
, 30 January 1649, as two days of the "rage and bloodthirstiness of both the popish and fanatick enemies of our Church and Government...These TWO DAYS indeed are but one united proof and visible testimonial of the same dangerous and rebellious principles these confederates in iniquity maintain". The threat to the church from Catholics was dealt with in three minutes; the rest of the one-and-a-half hour sermon was an attack on Nonconformists and the "false brethren" who aided them in menacing church and state. Sacheverell maintained that the Anglican doctrine of non-resistance had not been violated in 1688 but that as James II had fled the country he had abdicated, leading the way to the succession of William and Mary and the continued validity of the biblical words, "touch not the Lord's anointed".
They were immediately reprinted, the latter being dedicated to the lord mayor and the former to the author's kinsman, George Sacheverell who was high sheriff of Derbyshire
High Sheriff of Derbyshire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Derbyshire from 1568.The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been...
that year; and, as the passions of the whole British population were at this period keenly exercised between the rival factions of Whig and Tory; Sacheverell's arguments on behalf of the church which supplied the Tories with most of their support made him their idol. The Whig ministry, then slowly but surely losing the support of the country, were divided in opinion as to the propriety of prosecuting this zealous parson. John Somers was against such a measure; but Sidney Godolphin
Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin
Sir Sidney Godolphin, 1st Earl of Godolphin, KG, PC was a leading English politician of the late 17th and early 18th centuries...
, who was believed to be personally alluded to in one of these harangues under the nickname of "Volpone
Volpone
Volpone is a comedy by Ben Jonson first produced in 1606, drawing on elements of city comedy, black comedy and beast fable...
," urged the necessity of a prosecution and gained the day.
Trial
The trial lasted from 27 February to 21 March 1710 and the verdict was that Sacheverell should be suspended for three years and that the two sermons should be burnt at the Royal Exchange. This was the decree of the state, and it had the effect of making him a martyr in the eyes of the populace and (along with heavy taxes on Londoners) bringing about the first Sacheverell riots that year in London and the rest of the country, which included attacks on Presbyterian and other DissenterDissenter
The term dissenter , labels one who disagrees in matters of opinion, belief, etc. In the social and religious history of England and Wales, however, it refers particularly to a member of a religious body who has, for one reason or another, separated from the Established Church.Originally, the term...
places of worship, with some being burned down. The rioting in turn led to the downfall of the ministry later that year and the passing of the Riot Act
Riot Act
The Riot Act was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain that authorised local authorities to declare any group of twelve or more people to be unlawfully assembled, and thus have to disperse or face punitive action...
in 1714.
Later life
Immediately on the expiration of his sentence (13 April 1713) he was instituted to the valuable rectory of St Andrew'sSt Andrew, Holborn
St Andrew, Holborn is a Church of England church on the northwestern edge of the City of London, on Holborn within the Ward of Farringdon Without.-Roman and medieval:Roman pottery was found on the site during 2001/02 excavations in the crypt...
, Holborn
Holborn
Holborn is an area of Central London. Holborn is also the name of the area's principal east-west street, running as High Holborn from St Giles's High Street to Gray's Inn Road and then on to Holborn Viaduct...
, by the new Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
ministry, who despised the author of the sermons, although they dreaded his influence over the mob. Another set of "Sacheverell riots" broke out in 1715. Henry Sacheverell died at the Grove, Highgate
Highgate
Highgate is an area of North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath.Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has an active conservation body, the Highgate Society, to protect its character....
, on 15 June 1724.
Legacy
Writing later in the eighteenth century, the Whig member of parliament Edmund BurkeEdmund Burke
Edmund Burke PC was an Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist and philosopher who, after moving to England, served for many years in the House of Commons of Great Britain as a member of the Whig party....
used the speeches of Whig leaders at the Sacheverell trial in his An Appeal from the New to the Old Whigs (1791) to demonstrate true Whiggism
Whiggism
Whiggism, sometimes spelled Whigism, is a historical political philosophy that grew out of the Parliamentarian faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. The whigs' key policy positions were the supremacy of Parliament , toleration for Protestant dissenters, and opposition to a Catholic on the...
(as opposed to the beliefs of the Foxite
Charles James Fox
Charles James Fox PC , styled The Honourable from 1762, was a prominent British Whig statesman whose parliamentary career spanned thirty-eight years of the late 18th and early 19th centuries and who was particularly noted for being the arch-rival of William Pitt the Younger...
'New Whigs').
Further reading
- John Rouse BloxamJohn Rouse BloxamJohn Rouse Bloxam was an English academic and clergyman, the historian of Magdalen College, Oxford.-Life:Born at Rugby on 25 April 1807, he was the sixth son of Richard Rouse Bloxam, D.D. , under-master of Rugby School for 38 years, and rector of Brinklow and vicar of Bulkington, both in...
, Register of Magdalen and Hill Burton, Queen Anne, vol. ii. - Hearne, Thomas. Remarks and Collections of Thomas Hearne. Edited by C. E. Doble, D. W. Rannie, and H. E. Salter. Oxford: Printed for the Oxford Historical Society at the Clarendon Press, 1885-1921. 11 volumes.
- There is a bibliography covering the pamphlet battle on both sides by Francis Falconer Madan (Madan, Francis Falconer, 1886–1961) A Critical Bibliography of Dr. Henry Sacheverell. Edited by William Arthur Speck. University of Kansas Publications. Library Series 43. Lawrence KA: University of Kansas Libraries, 1978. Based on his father's (Francis Madan 1851-1935) A Bibliography of Dr. Henry Sacheverell, Oxford: Printed for the Author, 1884, 73 pp., which in turn was a reprinting of the father's series of articles in The Bibliographer, 1883–1884, with additions.) The Madan's collection, upon which much of their work is based, is now in the British Library.
- 'Book 1, Ch. 18: Queen Anne', A New History of London: Including Westminster and Southwark (1773), pp. 288-306. Date accessed: 16 November 2006.
- Geoffrey Holmes, 'The Sacheverell Riots: The Crowd and the Church in Early Eighteenth-Century London', Past and Present, No. 72 (Aug., 1976), pp. 55–85.