Thomas Cawton
Encyclopedia
Thomas Cawton, the elder (1605–1659) was an English clergyman of presbyterian and royalist views. After the discovery of the plot of Christopher Love
, he went into exile in the Netherlands.
. in 1605. He was sent to Queens' College, Cambridge
, by Sir Roger Townshend, 1st Baronet
. After seven years at Cambridge, he studied theology at the house of Herbert Palmer
, vicar of Ashwell, Hertfordshire
. He was then for four years chaplain to Sir William Airmine, 1st Baronet
of Orton, Northamptonshire
, and in 1637 was presented by Sir Roger Townshend to the vicarage of Wivenhoe, Essex, where he persuaded his parishioners not to sell fish on Sunday.
He married Elizabeth, daughter of William Jenkin, a preacher of Sudbury
, and sister of William Jenkin, ejected in 1662. Seven years later he became minister of St Bartholomew-by-the-Exchange
, London. He joined in the declaration of the London ministers against the death of Charles, and preached a sermon before the mayor and aldermen at Mercers' Chapel on 25 Feb. 1649, when he prayed for the royal family and Charles II. He was brought before the council of state
, and, refusing to recant, was committed to the Gatehouse Prison
. He was released with other prisoners on 14 August 1649 as a thanksgiving for Michael Jones
's victory at the Battle of Rathmines
. He was concerned with his brother-in-law, William Jenkin, and others, in the plot to support Charles in Scotland, for which Christopher Love was executed on 22 August 1651, and escaped to Holland, where he was chosen pastor of the English church in Rotterdam
.
Here he became acquainted with scholars, and took pains to encourage Edmund Castell
's Lexicon Heptaglotton, and Brian Walton's polyglot bible. In 1658 Charles II addressed a letter to him, requesting Cawton to defend him among the Dutch ministers. Cawton died at Rotterdam on 7 August 1659. His son, Thomas Cawton the younger, was known as an orientalist.
Christopher Love
Christopher Love was a Welsh Protestant preacher and advocate of Presbyterianism at the time of the English Civil War. In 1651 he was executed by the government, after it was discovered that he had been in correspondence with the exiled Stuart court...
, he went into exile in the Netherlands.
Life
He was born at Rainham, NorfolkNorfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. in 1605. He was sent to Queens' College, Cambridge
Queens' College, Cambridge
Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou , and refounded in 1465 by Elizabeth Woodville...
, by Sir Roger Townshend, 1st Baronet
Sir Roger Townshend, 1st Baronet
Sir Roger Townshend, 1st Baronet , was an English Member of Parliament.Townshend was the son of Sir John Townshend. In 1617 he was created a Baronet, of Rainham in the County of Norfolk. He later sat as Member of Parliament for Orford from 1621 to 1622 and for Norfolk from 1628 to 1629...
. After seven years at Cambridge, he studied theology at the house of Herbert Palmer
Herbert Palmer (Puritan)
Herbert Palmer was an English Puritan clergyman, member of the Westminster Assembly, and President of Queens’ College, Cambridge. He is now remembered for his work on the Westminster Shorter Catechism, and as a leading opponent of John Milton's divorce tracts.-Biography:He was a younger son of Sir...
, vicar of Ashwell, Hertfordshire
Ashwell, Hertfordshire
Ashwell is a village and civil parish situated about four miles north of Baldock in Hertfordshire.It has a wealth of architecture spanning several centuries. The dates almost entirely from the 14th century and is renowned for its ornate church tower which stands at , and is crowned by an...
. He was then for four years chaplain to Sir William Airmine, 1st Baronet
Sir William Airmine, 1st Baronet
Sir William Airmine, 1st Baronet , of Osgodby in Lincolnshire, was an English Member of Parliament, and a leading member of the Long Parliament during the English Civil War.-Biography:...
of Orton, Northamptonshire
Orton, Northamptonshire
Orton is a village and civil parish in the Kettering borough of Northamptonshire, England....
, and in 1637 was presented by Sir Roger Townshend to the vicarage of Wivenhoe, Essex, where he persuaded his parishioners not to sell fish on Sunday.
He married Elizabeth, daughter of William Jenkin, a preacher of Sudbury
Sudbury, Suffolk
Sudbury is a small, ancient market town in the county of Suffolk, England, on the River Stour, from Colchester and from London.-Early history:...
, and sister of William Jenkin, ejected in 1662. Seven years later he became minister of St Bartholomew-by-the-Exchange
St Bartholomew-by-the-Exchange
St. Bartholomew-by-the-Exchange was a church in the City of London located on Bartholomew Lane, off Threadneedle Street. Recorded since the 13th century, the church was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666, then rebuilt by the office of Sir Christopher Wren. The rebuilt church was demolished in...
, London. He joined in the declaration of the London ministers against the death of Charles, and preached a sermon before the mayor and aldermen at Mercers' Chapel on 25 Feb. 1649, when he prayed for the royal family and Charles II. He was brought before the council of state
English Council of State
The English Council of State, later also known as the Protector's Privy Council, was first appointed by the Rump Parliament on 14 February 1649 after the execution of King Charles I....
, and, refusing to recant, was committed to the Gatehouse Prison
Gatehouse Prison
Gatehouse Prison was a prison in Westminster, built in 1370 as the gatehouse of Westminster Abbey and first used as a prison by the Abbot, a powerful churchman who held considerable power over the precincts and sanctuary...
. He was released with other prisoners on 14 August 1649 as a thanksgiving for Michael Jones
Michael Jones (soldier)
Lieutenant-General Michael Jones fought for King Charles I during the Irish Confederate War but joined the English Parliamentary side when the English Civil War started....
's victory at the Battle of Rathmines
Battle of Rathmines
The Battle of Rathmines was fought in and around what is now the Dublin suburb of Rathmines in August 1649, during the Irish Confederate Wars, the Irish theatre of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
. He was concerned with his brother-in-law, William Jenkin, and others, in the plot to support Charles in Scotland, for which Christopher Love was executed on 22 August 1651, and escaped to Holland, where he was chosen pastor of the English church in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
.
Here he became acquainted with scholars, and took pains to encourage Edmund Castell
Edmund Castell
Edmund Castell was an English orientalist.He was born at Tadlow, in Cambridgeshire. At the age of fifteen he entered Emmanuel College, Cambridge, gaining his BA in 1624-5 and his MA in 1628. Appointed Professor of Arabic in 1666, with the full title 'Sir Thomas Adams Professor of Arabic'. He...
's Lexicon Heptaglotton, and Brian Walton's polyglot bible. In 1658 Charles II addressed a letter to him, requesting Cawton to defend him among the Dutch ministers. Cawton died at Rotterdam on 7 August 1659. His son, Thomas Cawton the younger, was known as an orientalist.