John Paget was an English nonconforming clergyman, who became pastor at the English Reformed Church, Amsterdam

English Reformed Church, Amsterdam

The English Reformed Church is one of the oldest buildings in Amsterdam, situated in the centre of the city. It is home to an English-speaking congregation which is affiliated to the Church of Scotland and to the Protestant Church in the Netherlands...

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Life

He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge

Trinity College, Cambridge

Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...

, proceeding B.A. in 1595, and M.A. in 1598. After having held some other benefices, he was appointed in 1598 rector of Nantwich

Nantwich

Nantwich is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The town gives its name to the parliamentary constituency of Crewe and Nantwich...

. Ejected for nonconformity, he went in 1605 to the Netherlands. There for two years he was chaplain to an English regiment, but in 1607 the presbytery of Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...

 appointed him minister of the newly founded English and Scottish church there. He remained in the post till 1637, when he resigned on account of age.. He was succeeded as pastor by Julines Herring, an English nonconformist who continued the Presbyterian tradition in Amsterdam.

He enjoyed the friendship of James I's daughter Elizabeth of Bohemia

Elizabeth of Bohemia

Elizabeth of Bohemia was the eldest daughter of King James VI and I, King of Scotland, England, Ireland, and Anne of Denmark. As the wife of Frederick V, Elector Palatine, she was Electress Palatine and briefly Queen of Bohemia...

. He engaged in controversies on infant baptism

Infant baptism

Infant baptism is the practice of baptising infants or young children. In theological discussions, the practice is sometimes referred to as paedobaptism or pedobaptism from the Greek pais meaning "child." The practice is sometimes contrasted with what is called "believer's baptism", or...

 and church government with Henry Ainsworth

Henry Ainsworth

-Life:He was born of a farming family of Swanton Morley, Norfolk. He was educated at Caius College, Cambridge, and, after associating with the Puritan party in the Church, eventually joined the Separatists....

, John Davenport

John Davenport (clergyman)

John Davenport was an English puritan clergyman and co-founder of the American colony of New Haven.-Early life:Born in Manchester, Warwickshire, England to a wealthy family, Davenport was educated at Oxford University...

, and William Best, who in reality was a cipher for the separatist John Canne

John Canne

-Life:The London separatist congregation of John Hubbard, who had moved with them to Ireland around 1621, on Hubbard’s death came back to London and chose Canne as minister. After a year or two he went to Amsterdam, and there became the successor of Henry Ainsworth as pastor of the congregation of...

. Davenport denounced him as an "unjust doer," tyrannical in government and corrupt in doctrine; but he was supported by the Amsterdam authorities.

He died, probably in the vicinity of Amsterdam, on 18 August 1638. Thomas Paget (d. 1660), his brother, also served the English Church at Amsterdam, but returned to England about 1639. He was a sizar

Sizar

At Trinity College, Dublin and the University of Cambridge, a sizar is a student who receives some form of assistance such as meals, lower fees or lodging during his or her period of study, in some cases in return for doing a defined job....

 of Trinity College, Cambridge, 1605, B.A. 1608, and M.A. 1612, Under the Commonwealth he was incumbent of Blackley

Blackley

Blackley is an area of the city of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England. It is north of Manchester city centre, by a meander of the River Irk. Further north is Middleton...

, near Manchester, till 1646, rector of St. Chad's, Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...

, till 1656, and rector of Stockport

Stockport

Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...

 till his death in 1660. He was father of Nathan Paget

Nathan Paget

-Life:He was the son of Thomas Paget, rector of Stockport, Cheshire, and nephew of John Paget, and was born at Manchester in 1615. He graduated M.A. at Edinburgh, and on 25 November 1638 entered as a student of medicine at the University of Leyden, where he graduated M.D...

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Works

His works comprise:

• A Primary of the Christian Religion London, 1601.
• An Arrow against the Separation of the Brownists, Amsterdam, 1618.
• Meditations of Death (dedicated by his widow to the princess palatine), Dort, 1639.
• A Defence of Church Government, 1641.
• A Censure upon a Dialogue of the Anabaptists, 1642.

Robert Paget, minister at Dort

Dordrecht

Dordrecht , colloquially Dordt, historically in English named Dort, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the fourth largest city of the province, having a population of 118,601 in 2009...

1638-85, who edited one of John Paget's works, was Paget's nephew. He described himself as a Leicestershire man.