read; refused to sign it, asking the justices, whether, they would have him set his hand to what was false. Their partiality was such that they would, not suffer, him to have friend with him, but one whom he brought was ordered out of the room. The chief thing insisted on against him was, They were not satisfied that he was in orders. He assured them he had been episcopally ordained; told them by what Bishop, aud at what time; and offered to fetch his orders to them. But he could not satisfy them, and they caused an order to be drawn up that he should resign, the living to Mr. Deker, because he was not in orders," and told him, that if he did not, they would send, the sheriff to turn him out. The same justices, meeting soon after at Cambridge, Mr. Wright went, and carried, his orders with him, but they refused to see them; and he not yielding to resign, they sent another order to the sheriff to dispossess him, which he executed Oct. 28, 1660. Coming to the parsonage-house, he turned Mr. Wright with three small children, and the rest of the family, into the street.

Upon the advice of Serjeant Brown, he brought his action against three of the parishioners for recovering his tithes, and likewise against Mr. Deker for making good his title to the living. The business came to a trial the next Lent assizes, before the faces of these justices, and he recovered his tithes of those that were sued, and the rest agreed with him. As to the living, the judge (lord chief baron Hale) declared that he had a title to it; but the justices so interested themselves in the business, that he was prevailed upon not to refer it to a country jury, but proposed that the counsel on both sides should draw up the case, and meet at his chambers in the Easter term following, when he would determine it. But Serjeant Keeling, who was counsel for Mr. Deker, would not appear; so that Mr. Wright, waited in London, at a great expence, all Easter-term, and then was forced to bring down the trial again the next assizes, when Serjeant Keeling, not being willing to refer it to a country jury, moved judge Hule that it might be referred to a special verdict, which was granted; and so they went upon a special verdict, and Mr. Wright, with his attorney, was forced to attend at London, to further the business, several terms, till the Act of uniformity was ready to come forth; when he spoke to his attor ney to do what he could for the perfecting of the verdict with the counsel, and then to lay it aside; telling him that he could not yield to such things as the act required. But Keeling

hindered

hindered the perfecting of it, having inserted what was false, and which Mr. Wright's counsel would not yield to: whereupon Mr. Wright was constrained to move the court of common pleas by counsel to alter the same. Then Keeling stood up and moved the court to defer it till they should see whether Mr. Wright would conform or not; which he not doing, there was a stop put to all proceedings in the business. Afterwards, when Mr. Deker understood that Mr. Wright had not conformed, he arrested him for having taken some tithes, after the sheriff had dispossessed him.-About the same time it pleased God to arrest Mr. Deker with sickness, so that he could not prosecute this business. He died the latter end of November following; and on his death-bed acknowledged, that instead of gaining, he was 200l. worse than at his coming thither.

Mr. Wright continued at Chevely, after his ejectment, till the passing of the Five-mile-act, and then he spent some time at the house of Mr. Meadows, of Ousden, in Suffolk, who entertained him very kindly. Afterwards, his children being gone from him, he removed to Wimbish, near Saffron Wal den in Essex, where he boarded with some of his relations, and preached occasionally at other places.-He always used a Form of prayer in the family, and before his sermon, only adding or varying some passages as there was occasion. It was pretty long; but he always uttered it with such life and fervency, that it was very affecting. In his preaching he delivered plain truths with much affection. He was a man of few words, but always seemed chearful. He died about 1685, aged 80 or upwards. He had a son who was a conforming minister in Suffolk.

CHIPPENHAM, [V. 411. 95. 4d.] RICHARD Parr, [M. A.] After his ejectment he lived in Lord Harry Crom well's family.

CRAWDEN [cum Clopton], Mr. KING. [Mr. Robin. son says, He either was only curate or lecturer, unless he was ejected before the Uniformity-act took place; as Mr. W. Hervey was inducted into this vicarage Jan. 7, 1662, and continued in it till his death, 1675.]

* DILLING [Q. Dullingham], Mr. EDWARD NEGUS. City of ELY. Mr. WILLIAM SEDGWICK. A pious man, but somewhat disordered in his head. After the Restoration

he

he lived mostly at Lewisham in Kent. In 1668 he retired to London, and died there soon afterwards. He was a zealous Royalist.

WORKS. Several Sermons and Discourses; particularlyJustice upon the Army Remonstrants-Inquisition for the blood of our late Sovereign.

Isle of ELY. Mr. THOMAS GYLES.

FOULMIRE, [R] Mr. EZEKIAH KING.

Of

East HATLY, [R.] RICHARD KENNET, B. D. Corp. Christi Col. Camb. Born in Kent. He was Fellow of his college many years, and had a good number of pupils, of whom he took great care. The learned Dr. Spencer (afterwards master of that college, and dean of Ely) was one of them, who shewed him great respect, frequently visited him as long as he lived, and for his sake was afterwards kind to his widow. He was turned out of his college for refusing the Engagement. Soon after being silenced by the Act of uniformity, Mr. (afterwards Bp.) Stillingfleet assisted him in taking a capacious house at Sutton in Bedfordshire, where he set up a private school, keeping a conformist to teach it. Many gentlemen (and some who were no friends to the Nonconformists) sent their sons to him. He afterwards took the care of the school upon himself, and was connived at, as the neighbouring gentry had a great esteem for him, and he was excellently qualified for his office.-He went to church both parts of the Lord's day, and was early there. He died of a fever, and was buried in the chancel at Sutton, Jun. 23, 1670. His funeral sermon was preached by the worthy Mr. Stephens, minister of the parish, who gave him his due character. He was very moderate in his principles and practice, generous in his temper, and communicative in conversation. His life was upright, and his end was peace. During his last sickness he was very patient and submissive to the divine will, confident that his heavenly Father, who had taken care of him all his life, would not forsake him at the last. He died in low circumstances, and his widow was reduced to great straits.

LITLINGTON, [V.] Mr. HENRY TOWNLEY. [His name Mr. Robinson says, is not in the Register of Inductions.]

OVER. ROBERT WILSON, B. A. Of Jesus Col. Camb, He was only an occasional preacher, and probably was never ordained. He lived at Cambridge, and being a good musi cian, got a comfortable subsistence by instructing the scholars there, and young gentlemen all the country round, in that noble art. But after conformity was required, he had few scholars in the colleges, being a zealous Dissenter, though then no preacher. He was eminently pious and charitable, and an ardent beggar for the Nonconformists. A great deal of money passed to them through his hands. The learned Dr. Henry More, and Dr. Spencer, dean of Ely, among others, made him their almoner. [Mr. Rastrick writes to Dr. Calamy, That he fell into company with Mr. Baines, a clergyman of Norfolk, (a sober, learned, studious, and good-natured man, though high in his principles) who speaking of the Doctor's book, remarked that his account of Mr. Wilson was very short and defective, and said that he was able to enlarge and compleat it, being by his mother's side his grandson. He promised to write to the author, but it does not appear that he did. In this conversation he gave an extraordinary character of Mr. Wilson for piety, using this expression : "He was as good and pious a man as ever lived upon God's earth." He added, that he was a constant hearer of Mr. Hussey in Cambridge, to the day of his death, and a great admirer of him.]

SUTTON, [V.] WILLIAM HUNT, [B. A.] of King's Col. Camb. He was a native of Hampshire, and was brought up in Eton-school. [He was presented to this benefice by the dean and chapter of Ely. His induction is dated July 1643; the last but one granted by Bp. Wren before his disgrace.] He was very useful here till his ejectment; when, being possessed of about 120l. he bought a house and a few cows; and by his diligence in teaching school, and the industry of his wife, who kept a dairy, with the kind assistance of charitable christians, he brought up five children, well.— He was a man of a very catholic spirit, and a great lover of all who feared and loved God. He was intimate with several worthy persons of the established church, and among the rest, with the learned Dr. Lightfoot, who expressed a high idea of his learning, and shewed him great kindness. When he had not liberty to preach, he went with his family to the public church, and instead of striving for the uppermost place, he chose the lowest, tho' the chief pew belonged to his near re

2

lations.

lations. He was a man of eminent piety, good ministerial abilities, and great fidelity. He had a more than common knowledge of Latin and Greek, and was a good poet in each of those languages. His thoughts were much taken up in the study of Daniel and the Revelations, in hopes of finding out the time of that more compleat reformation which he longed for. He was remarkably strict in keeping the Lord's day; and so careful to prepare for it, that there was seldom any work done in his family after Saturday noon. The whole day was spent in his family in praying, singing, reading, &c. He was very severe in reproving sin, wherever it came in his way; and had the greatest man in the nation, or one on whom he depended for bread, been guilty in his company, he would have thought it his duty to rebuke him, and not have wanted courage to do it. He was unwearied in visiting the sick; and ready to rise at midnight to go and pray with the poorest person in the parish. He was srictly faithful to his word, and would never promise but when he knew he could perform. He was much given to hospitality, and exceedingly charitable, seeming to take more pleasure in giving than in receiving. His house was common to poor travellers: such as were clean and decent, he took into his family, and lodged in his beds; and such as were not, he lodged in his barn: and he would often converse with them there, and carry them food, and in cold weather take them to his fire.

In the latter part of his life, he was many years much afflicted with the stone-cholic, but was always patient, and ready to speak well of God. Of this distemper he died at about 70 years of age, uttering these as some of his last "words: "I know that I am passed from death to life because I love the brethren."-He brought up two sons to the ministry among the Dissenters. His eldest son, Mr. IVm. Hunt, had a congregation at Little Baddow near Malden in Essex. His other son, Mr. John Hunt, was first at Royston, then at Northampton, and last at Newport Pagnel, where a son of his was afterwards settled. [This was the late Mr. Wm. Hunt, who afterwards removed to Hackney, as assistant to Mr. Barker, upon whose resignation he became sole pastor, and continued so many years, till the Editor of this work was ordained co-pastor with him, Nov. 21. 1764. He died there May 20, 1770.]

SWAFFHAM, [St. Mary's,] V. S. 30 l. Mr. JONATHAN JEPHCOT. Of Oxf. Univ. who succeeded Mr. Calamy in