John Walker (clerical historian)
Encyclopedia
John Walker was an English clergyman and ecclesiastical historian, known for his biographical work on the Church of England
priests during the English Civil War
and Interregnum.
, 21 January 1674. His father was mayor of Exeter in 1682. On 19 November 1691 he matriculated at Exeter College, Oxford, he was admitted Fellow on 3 July 1695, and became full Fellow on 4 July 1696 (vacated 1700).
On 16 January 1698 he was ordained deacon by Sir Jonathan Trelawny, then bishop of Exeter
; he graduated B.A. on 4 July, and was instituted to the rectory of St. Mary Major, Exeter, on 22 August 1698. On 13 October 1699 he graduated M.A. (incorporated at Cambridge, 1702).
By diploma of 7 December 1714 Walker was made D.D. at Oxford, and on 20 December he was appointed to a prebend at Exeter. On 17 October 1720 he was instituted to the rectory of Upton Pyne
, Devon
, on the presentation of Hugh Stafford, and here he ended his days. He died in June 1747, and was buried (20 June) in his churchyard, near the east end of the north aisle of the church. He had married at Exeter Cathedral
, on 17 November 1704, Martha Brooking, who died on 12 September 1748, aged 67.
's Account (1702–1713), on the nonconformist ministers silenced and ejected after the 1660 English Restoration
, suggested to Charles Goodall and to Walker a similar work on the deprived and sequestered clergy. Goodall advertised for information in the London Gazette
; finding that Walker was engaged on a similar task, he passed on the materials he had collected.
Walker gathered particulars by help of query sheets, circulated in various dioceses; those for Exeter and Canterbury were printed by Calamy. Among his helpers was Mary Astell
. His manuscript collections were presented to the Bodleian Library
in 1754 by Walker's son William, a druggist in Exeter; the lost ‘Minutes of the Bury Presbyterian Classis’ (Chetham Society, 1896) were edited from the transcript in the Walker manuscripts.
Walker's book Sufferings of the Clergy appeared in 1714, The subscription list contained over thirteen hundred names. The work consists of two parts:
It does not profess to give biographies; the list of names adds up to 3,334 (Calamy's ejected add up to 2,465), but if all the names of the suffering clergy could be recovered, Walker thinks they might reach ten thousand (i. 200). A third part, announced in the title-page as an examination of Calamy's work, was deferred (pref. p. li), and never appeared; Calamy is plentifully attacked in the preface. Walker tried to distinguish doubtful from authenticated matter, and mentions the charges brought against some of his sufferers; but his tone was counter-productive to his argument.
The work was hailed by Thomas Bisse in a sermon before the Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy
(6 December 1716) as a ‘book of martyrology’ and ‘a record which ought to be kept in every sanctuary.’ John Lewis disparaged it as ‘a farrago of false and senseless legends.’ It was criticised, from the nonconformist side, by John Withers (died 1729) of Exeter, in an appendix to his ‘Reply,’ 1714, to two pamphlets by John Agate, an Exeter clergyman; and by Calamy in ‘The Church and the Dissenters Compar'd as to Persecution,’ 1719.
An ‘Epitome’ of the ‘Attempt’ was published at Oxford, 1862. A small abridgment of the ‘Attempt,’ with biographical additions and an introduction by Robert Whittaker, was published under the title ‘The Sufferings of the Clergy,’ 1863.
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
priests 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...
and Interregnum.
Life
The son of Endymion Walker, he was baptised at St. Kerrian's, ExeterExeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
, 21 January 1674. His father was mayor of Exeter in 1682. On 19 November 1691 he matriculated at Exeter College, Oxford, he was admitted Fellow on 3 July 1695, and became full Fellow on 4 July 1696 (vacated 1700).
On 16 January 1698 he was ordained deacon by Sir Jonathan Trelawny, then bishop of Exeter
Bishop of Exeter
The Bishop of Exeter is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. The incumbent usually signs his name as Exon or incorporates this in his signature....
; he graduated B.A. on 4 July, and was instituted to the rectory of St. Mary Major, Exeter, on 22 August 1698. On 13 October 1699 he graduated M.A. (incorporated at Cambridge, 1702).
By diploma of 7 December 1714 Walker was made D.D. at Oxford, and on 20 December he was appointed to a prebend at Exeter. On 17 October 1720 he was instituted to the rectory of Upton Pyne
Upton Pyne
Upton Pyne is a parish and village in Devon, England. The parish lies just north west of Exeter, mainly between the River Exe and River Creedy. The village is located north of Cowley and west of Brampford Speke and Stoke Canon.-History:...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, on the presentation of Hugh Stafford, and here he ended his days. He died in June 1747, and was buried (20 June) in his churchyard, near the east end of the north aisle of the church. He had married at Exeter Cathedral
Exeter Cathedral
Exeter Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter at Exeter, is an Anglican cathedral, and the seat of the Bishop of Exeter, in the city of Exeter, Devon in South West England....
, on 17 November 1704, Martha Brooking, who died on 12 September 1748, aged 67.
Sufferings of the Clergy
The publication of Edmund CalamyEdmund Calamy (historian)
Edmund Calamy was an English Nonconformist churchman, divine and historian.-Life:A grandson of Edmund Calamy the Elder, he was born in the City of London, in the parish of St Mary Aldermanbury. He was sent to various schools, including Merchant Taylors', and in 1688 proceeded to the university of...
's Account (1702–1713), on the nonconformist ministers silenced and ejected after the 1660 English Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
, suggested to Charles Goodall and to Walker a similar work on the deprived and sequestered clergy. Goodall advertised for information in the London Gazette
London Gazette
The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published...
; finding that Walker was engaged on a similar task, he passed on the materials he had collected.
Walker gathered particulars by help of query sheets, circulated in various dioceses; those for Exeter and Canterbury were printed by Calamy. Among his helpers was Mary Astell
Mary Astell
Mary Astell was an English feminist writer and rhetorician. Her advocacy of equal educational opportunities for women has earned her the title "the first English feminist."-Life and career:...
. His manuscript collections were presented to the Bodleian Library
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library , the main research library of the University of Oxford, is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library...
in 1754 by Walker's son William, a druggist in Exeter; the lost ‘Minutes of the Bury Presbyterian Classis’ (Chetham Society, 1896) were edited from the transcript in the Walker manuscripts.
Walker's book Sufferings of the Clergy appeared in 1714, The subscription list contained over thirteen hundred names. The work consists of two parts:
- a history of ecclesiastical affairs from 1640 to 1660, the object being to show that the ejection of the Puritans at the Restoration was a just reprisal for their actions when in power;
- a catalogue of the deprived clergy with particulars of their sufferings.
It does not profess to give biographies; the list of names adds up to 3,334 (Calamy's ejected add up to 2,465), but if all the names of the suffering clergy could be recovered, Walker thinks they might reach ten thousand (i. 200). A third part, announced in the title-page as an examination of Calamy's work, was deferred (pref. p. li), and never appeared; Calamy is plentifully attacked in the preface. Walker tried to distinguish doubtful from authenticated matter, and mentions the charges brought against some of his sufferers; but his tone was counter-productive to his argument.
The work was hailed by Thomas Bisse in a sermon before the Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy
Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy
The Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy is a charity founded in 1655 which provides financial support to clergy of the Church of England.The Corporation was established in 1655 in response to the distress of the large number of clergymen who were dispossessed of their livings under the regime of...
(6 December 1716) as a ‘book of martyrology’ and ‘a record which ought to be kept in every sanctuary.’ John Lewis disparaged it as ‘a farrago of false and senseless legends.’ It was criticised, from the nonconformist side, by John Withers (died 1729) of Exeter, in an appendix to his ‘Reply,’ 1714, to two pamphlets by John Agate, an Exeter clergyman; and by Calamy in ‘The Church and the Dissenters Compar'd as to Persecution,’ 1719.
An ‘Epitome’ of the ‘Attempt’ was published at Oxford, 1862. A small abridgment of the ‘Attempt,’ with biographical additions and an introduction by Robert Whittaker, was published under the title ‘The Sufferings of the Clergy,’ 1863.