William Sprigg (pamphleteer)
Encyclopedia
William Sprigg was an English pamphleteer, known for his republican work A Modest Plea (1659)
, Oxfordshire
, a younger son of William Sprigg, steward of New College, Oxford
, and brother of Joshua Sprigg
. He matriculated at Oxford on 2 October 1652, and the same year graduated B.A. (12 October), and was elected (11 December) fellow of Lincoln
on the recommendation of the chancellor of the university, Oliver Cromwell. Having proceeded M.A. on 15 June 1655, he was elected fellow of Cromwell's new foundation, Durham College
in 1657, and on the dissolution of that college in 1659 he was incorporated at Cambridge.
He was admitted on 27 November 1657 a member of Gray's Inn
, where he was called to the bar in 1664. He had been ejected from the Lincoln fellowship on the Restoration
, and soon after his call to the bar he migrated to Dublin, where he married and resided for some years. On his brother's death in 1684 he returned tn England, and thenceforth resided on the Crayford
estate. He was living in 1695.
Life
He was born in or near BanburyBanbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, a younger son of William Sprigg, steward of New College, Oxford
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
, and brother of Joshua Sprigg
Joshua Sprigg
Joshua Sprigg or Sprigge was an English Independent theologian and preacher. He acted as chaplain to Sir Thomas Fairfax, general for the Parliamentarians, and wrote or co-wrote the 1647 book Anglia Rediviva, a history of the part played up to that time by Fairfax's army in the Wars of the Three...
. He matriculated at Oxford on 2 October 1652, and the same year graduated B.A. (12 October), and was elected (11 December) fellow of Lincoln
Lincoln College, Oxford
Lincoln College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is situated on Turl Street in central Oxford, backing onto Brasenose College and adjacent to Exeter College...
on the recommendation of the chancellor of the university, Oliver Cromwell. Having proceeded M.A. on 15 June 1655, he was elected fellow of Cromwell's new foundation, Durham College
Durham College (17th-century)
New College, Durham was a university institution set up by Oliver Cromwell, to provide an alternative to the older University of Oxford and University of Cambridge. It also had the aim of bringing university education to Northern England. The idea met with opponents, including John Conant.Such a...
in 1657, and on the dissolution of that college in 1659 he was incorporated at Cambridge.
He was admitted on 27 November 1657 a member of Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
, where he was called to the bar in 1664. He had been ejected from the Lincoln fellowship on the 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...
, and soon after his call to the bar he migrated to Dublin, where he married and resided for some years. On his brother's death in 1684 he returned tn England, and thenceforth resided on the Crayford
Crayford
Crayford is a town and electoral ward in the London Borough of Bexley that was an important bridging point in Roman times across the River Cray, a tributary of the River Darent, which is itself a tributary of the River Thames.-History:...
estate. He was living in 1695.
Works
Sprigge was author of- Philosophical Essays, with brief Advisos, accommodated to the capacity of the Ladies and Gentlemen sometime Students of the English Academy lately erected at London, &c., London, 1657.
- A Modest Plea for an equal Commonwealth against Monarchy, in which the genuine Nature and true Interest of a Free State is briefly stated, and its consistency with a National Clergy, Mercenary Lawyers, and Hereditary Nobility examined; together with the expediency of an agrarian and rotation of officers asserted. Also An Apology for Younger Brothers, the Restitution of Gavilkind and Relief of the Poor. With a lift at Tythes, and Reformation of the Lawes and Universities, London, 1659.
- The Royal and Happy Poverty; or a Meditation on the Felicities of an Innocent and happy Poverty, grounded on Matt. v. 3, London, 1660.
Further reading
- Richard L. Greaves, William Sprigg and the Cromwellian Revolution, Huntington Library Quarterly, 34 (1970–71): 99-113.