Nehemiah Wallington
Encyclopedia
Nehemiah Wallington was an English Puritan
artisan (a wood turner
) and chronicler. from Eastcheap
. He left over 2,500 pages and 50 volumes on himself, religion and politics.
A little before 1620 Nehemiah entered into business on his own account as a turner, and took a house in Little Eastcheap, between Pudding Lane
and Fish-street Hill. There he passed the remainder of an uneventful life. H In 1639 he and his brother John were summoned before the court of Star-chamber on the charge of possessing prohibited books. He acknowledged that he had possessed William Prynne
's Divine Tragedie, Matthew White's Newes from Ipswich, and Henry Burton
's Apology of an Appeale, but pleaded that he no longer owned them. He was kept under surveillance by the court for about two years, but suffered no further penalty.
Wallington died in the summer or autumn of 1658. In 1619 or 1620 he was married to Grace, sister of Zachariah and Livewell Rampain (Rampaigne). Zachariah was killed in Ireland on a plantation in 1641. Livewell was minister at Burton
, near Lincoln
, and afterwards at Broxholme
. By her Wallington had several children, of whom only a daughter, Sara, survived him. She was married to a puritan, named John Haughton, on 20 November 1641.
Wallington's Historical Notes were published in 1869 (London, 2 vols. 8vo) under the editorship of Miss R. Webb, with the title Historical Notices of Events occurring chiefly in the Reign of Charles I.
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...
artisan (a wood turner
Woodturning
Woodturning is a form of woodworking that is used to create wooden objects on a lathe . Woodturning differs from most other forms of woodworking in that the wood is moving while a stationary tool is used to cut and shape it...
) and chronicler. from Eastcheap
Eastcheap
Eastcheap is a street in the City of London. Its name derives from cheap, market, with the prefix "East" distinguishing it from the other former City of London market of Westcheap . In medieval times Eastcheap was the City's main meat market, with butchers' stalls lining both sides of the street...
. He left over 2,500 pages and 50 volumes on himself, religion and politics.
Life
Born on 12 May 1598, he was the tenth child of John Wallington (d. 1641), a turner of St. Leonard's, Eastcheap, by his wife Elizabeth (d. 1603), daughter of Anthony Hall (d. 1597), a citizen and skinner of London.A little before 1620 Nehemiah entered into business on his own account as a turner, and took a house in Little Eastcheap, between Pudding Lane
Pudding Lane
Pudding Lane is a street in London, formerly the location of Thomas Farriner's bakehouse where the Great Fire of London began in 1666. It is off Eastcheap in the City of London, near London Bridge. The nearest tube station is Monument, a short distance to the west...
and Fish-street Hill. There he passed the remainder of an uneventful life. H In 1639 he and his brother John were summoned before the court of Star-chamber on the charge of possessing prohibited books. He acknowledged that he had possessed William Prynne
William Prynne
William Prynne was an English lawyer, author, polemicist, and political figure. He was a prominent Puritan opponent of the church policy of the Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud. Although his views on church polity were presbyterian, he became known in the 1640s as an Erastian, arguing for...
's Divine Tragedie, Matthew White's Newes from Ipswich, and Henry Burton
Henry Burton (Puritan)
Henry Burton , was an English puritan. Along with John Bastwick and William Prynne, Burton's ears were cut off in 1637 for writing pamphlets attacking the views of Archbishop Laud.-Early life:...
's Apology of an Appeale, but pleaded that he no longer owned them. He was kept under surveillance by the court for about two years, but suffered no further penalty.
Wallington died in the summer or autumn of 1658. In 1619 or 1620 he was married to Grace, sister of Zachariah and Livewell Rampain (Rampaigne). Zachariah was killed in Ireland on a plantation in 1641. Livewell was minister at Burton
Burton, Lincolnshire
Burton is a village in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, situated approximately north of Lincoln. It sits on the side of the cliff overlooking the Trent Valley.Burton Grade II listed Anglican church is dedicated to St Vincent....
, near Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
, and afterwards at Broxholme
Broxholme
Broxholme is a village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. The village is about 8 miles north-west of the city of Lincoln. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 58....
. By her Wallington had several children, of whom only a daughter, Sara, survived him. She was married to a puritan, named John Haughton, on 20 November 1641.
Works
Wallington left three compilations of contemporary events.- In 1630 he commenced his Historical Notes and Meditations, 1583-1649. It consists of classified extracts from contemporary journals and pamphlets, which he enlarged with hearsay knowledge and enriched with pious reflections. The work is chiefly occupied with political affairs. The latest event recorded is the execution of Charles I.
- In December 1630 he commenced a record of his private affairs, under the title Wallington's Journals, in a quarto volume. It was formerly in the possession of William UpcottWilliam Upcott-Life:Born in Oxfordshire, he was the illegitimate son of Ozias Humphry by Delly Wickens, daughter of an Oxford shopkeeper, called Upcott from the maiden name of Humphry's mother. His father bequeathed to him his miniatures, pictures, drawings, and engravings, as well as correspondence with many...
, who indexed its contents. - In 1632 he commenced a third quarto, in which be recorded numerous strange portents which had occurred in various parts of England, taking notice of "Gods iudgments upon Sabbath breakers and on Drunkards." It contains many extracts from his Historical Notes.
Wallington's Historical Notes were published in 1869 (London, 2 vols. 8vo) under the editorship of Miss R. Webb, with the title Historical Notices of Events occurring chiefly in the Reign of Charles I.
Further reading
- Paul Seaver, Wallington's World: A Puritan Artisan in Seventeenth-Century London (Stanford University Press, 1985).
- David Booy, The Selected Writings of Nehemiah Wallington: The Thoughts and Considerations of a London Puritan and Wood-Turner, 1618-1654 (Ashgate, 2007).