John Disney (Unitarian)
Encyclopedia
John Disney was an English Unitarian
minister and biographical writer, initially an Anglican clergyman active against subscription to the Thirty Nine Articles.
. Disney was at Wakefield grammar school, under John Clarke, and subsequently at Lincoln grammar school. He was intended for the bar, but his health broke down under the preliminary studies, and he turned to the church. He entered Peterhouse, Cambridge
in 1764 (admitted pensioner 15 June 1765), and after graduation was ordained in 1768; in 1770 he proceeded LL.B. His sympathies with the latitudinarian
s were early; he appeared as a writer in April 1768 in defence of the ‘Confessional,’ by Francis Blackburne
. Immediately after his ordination he was appointed honorary chaplain to Edmund Law
, Master of Peterhouse and bishop of Carlisle
. In 1769 he was presented to the vicarage of Swinderby
, Lincolnshire
, and soon afterwards to the rectory of Panton
, in another part of the county; he held both livings, residing at Swinderby.
Disney became an active member of the association formed on 17 July 1771 to promote a petition to parliament for relief of the clergy from subscription. The petition was rejected by the House of Commons on 6 February 1772. Disney did not immediately follow the example of his friend Theophilus Lindsey
, who resigned his benefice in the following year. On his way to London in December 1773, Lindsey stayed for more than a week at Swinderby. Like some others, Disney accommodated the public service to suit his special views. He had always ignored the Athanasian Creed
; he now omitted the Nicene Creed
and the Litany
, and made other changes in reading the common prayer. On 5 June 1775 the University of Edinburgh
made him D.D., through the influence of Bishop Law with Principal William Robertson
; in 1778 he was admitted a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries
. For a time Disney concentrated on secular duties and political action. He was an energetic magistrate, and while staying at Flintham Hall, near Newark
, the seat of his eldest brother, he joined in 1780 the Nottingham county committee for retrenchment and parliamentary reform.
In November 1782 he threw up his church preferments, and offered his services as colleague to Lindsey. At the end of December he came to London with his family, having been engaged at a stipend of £150. In 1783 Disney became the first secretary of a largely Unitarian Society for Promoting the Knowledge of the Scriptures
. On the retirement of Lindsey from active duty in July 1793, Disney became sole minister. The services at Essex Street Chapel
had been conducted by means of a modified common prayer-book, on the basis of a revision made by Samuel Clarke
. In 1802 Disney introduced a new form of his own composition; the congregation, on his retirement, immediately reverted to the old model.
Disney's resignation of office was occasioned by a large bequest of property, which reached him indirectly. Thomas Hollis
, who died in 1774 left his estates in Dorset
to his friend Thomas Brand, who took the name of Hollis. Thomas Brand Hollis
died in 1804, and by will dated 1792, left both estates, worth about £5,000 a year, to Disney, who resigned his ministry on 25 March 1805, on the ground of ill-health, and in the following June left London and took up his residence at the Hyde, near Ingatestone
, Essex
. He was succeeded at Essex Street by Thomas Belsham
. He took up agriculture, and participated in the applications to Parliament which resulted in the Act of 1813 ‘to relieve persons who impugn the doctrine of the Holy Trinity from certain penalties.’ Falling into declining health, he resided for a time at Bath, Somerset. He died at the Hyde on 26 December 1816, and was buried in the churchyard of Fryerning, Essex.
, Robert Edward Garnham, Thomas Brand Hollis
, Edmund Law
, John Jebb, John Jortin
, Arthur Ashley Sykes
, and William Hopkins. His works include:
Besides these separate memoirs he contributed a few others to various publications, including the memoir of his grandfather in the Biographia Britannica
(Andrew Kippis
). Two volumes of Disney's Sermons were published in 1793; two others, in 1816. Disney edited, with biographical preface, the ‘Discourses’ of his cousin, Samuel Disney, LL.B., 1788; and, in conjunction with Charles Butler, he edited ‘A New Translation of the Book of Psalms,’ 1807, from the manuscript of Alexander Geddes
.
A collection of controversial literature occasioned by Blackburne's Confessional, arranged by Disney in fourteen volumes, was deposited in Dr. Williams's library, of which he had been a trustee from 1796 to 1806.
, Algernon, who entered the army, and Frances Mary, who married the Rev. Thomas Jervis.
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
minister and biographical writer, initially an Anglican clergyman active against subscription to the Thirty Nine Articles.
Life
He was the third son of John Disney of Lincoln, born 28 September 1746. His grandfather John Disney was rector of St. Mary's, Nottingham, his great-grandfather Daniel DisneyDaniel Disney
Daniel Disney of Swinderby was a Non-Comformist landowner in Lincoln who was the father of John Disney , great-grandfather of John Disney and great-great-grandfather of John Disney the barrister....
. Disney was at Wakefield grammar school, under John Clarke, and subsequently at Lincoln grammar school. He was intended for the bar, but his health broke down under the preliminary studies, and he turned to the church. He entered Peterhouse, Cambridge
Peterhouse, Cambridge
Peterhouse is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is the oldest college of the University, having been founded in 1284 by Hugo de Balsham, Bishop of Ely...
in 1764 (admitted pensioner 15 June 1765), and after graduation was ordained in 1768; in 1770 he proceeded LL.B. His sympathies with the latitudinarian
Latitudinarian
Latitudinarian was initially a pejorative term applied to a group of 17th-century English theologians who believed in conforming to official Church of England practices but who felt that matters of doctrine, liturgical practice, and ecclesiastical organization were of relatively little importance...
s were early; he appeared as a writer in April 1768 in defence of the ‘Confessional,’ by Francis Blackburne
Francis Blackburne (archdeacon)
Francis Blackburne was an English Anglican churchman, archdeacon of Cleveland and an activist against the requirement of subscription to the Thirty Nine Articles.-Life:...
. Immediately after his ordination he was appointed honorary chaplain to Edmund Law
Edmund Law
Edmund Law was a priest in the Church of England. He served as Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge, as Knightbridge Professor of Philosophy in the University of Cambridge from 1764 to 1769, and as bishop of Carlisle from 1768 to 1787....
, Master of Peterhouse and bishop of Carlisle
Bishop of Carlisle
The Bishop of Carlisle is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Carlisle in the Province of York.The diocese covers the County of Cumbria except for Alston Moor and the former Sedbergh Rural District...
. In 1769 he was presented to the vicarage of Swinderby
Swinderby
Swinderby is a settlement and civil parish in Lincolnshire, England, on the A46 road between Lincoln and Newark, within a rural agricultural community. It covers an area of , and has a population of 773....
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, and soon afterwards to the rectory of Panton
Panton
-Places:*Pantón, a municipality of northwestern Spain*Panton, Lincolnshire*Panton, Vermont*Panton Hill, Victoria-Other:*Panton Hill Football Club*Panton, Leslie & Company*Panton-Valentine leukocidin*Panton Records, a Czech record label...
, in another part of the county; he held both livings, residing at Swinderby.
Disney became an active member of the association formed on 17 July 1771 to promote a petition to parliament for relief of the clergy from subscription. The petition was rejected by the House of Commons on 6 February 1772. Disney did not immediately follow the example of his friend Theophilus Lindsey
Theophilus Lindsey
Theophilus Lindsey was an English theologian and clergyman who founded the first avowedly Unitarian congregation in the country, at Essex Street Chapel.-Life:...
, who resigned his benefice in the following year. On his way to London in December 1773, Lindsey stayed for more than a week at Swinderby. Like some others, Disney accommodated the public service to suit his special views. He had always ignored the Athanasian Creed
Athanasian Creed
The Athanasian Creed is a Christian statement of belief, focusing on Trinitarian doctrine and Christology. The Latin name of the creed, Quicumque vult, is taken from the opening words, "Whosoever wishes." The Athanasian Creed has been used by Christian churches since the sixth century...
; he now omitted the Nicene Creed
Nicene Creed
The Nicene Creed is the creed or profession of faith that is most widely used in Christian liturgy. It is called Nicene because, in its original form, it was adopted in the city of Nicaea by the first ecumenical council, which met there in the year 325.The Nicene Creed has been normative to the...
and the Litany
Litany
A litany, in Christian worship and some forms of Jewish worship, is a form of prayer used in services and processions, and consisting of a number of petitions...
, and made other changes in reading the common prayer. On 5 June 1775 the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
made him D.D., through the influence of Bishop Law with Principal William Robertson
William Robertson (historian)
William Robertson FRSE FSA was a Scottish historian, minister of religion, and Principal of the University of Edinburgh...
; in 1778 he was admitted a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
. For a time Disney concentrated on secular duties and political action. He was an energetic magistrate, and while staying at Flintham Hall, near Newark
Newark-on-Trent
Newark-on-Trent is a market town in Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands region of England. It stands on the River Trent, the A1 , and the East Coast Main Line railway. The origins of the town are possibly Roman as it lies on an important Roman road, the Fosse Way...
, the seat of his eldest brother, he joined in 1780 the Nottingham county committee for retrenchment and parliamentary reform.
In November 1782 he threw up his church preferments, and offered his services as colleague to Lindsey. At the end of December he came to London with his family, having been engaged at a stipend of £150. In 1783 Disney became the first secretary of a largely Unitarian Society for Promoting the Knowledge of the Scriptures
Society for Promoting the Knowledge of the Scriptures
The Society for Promoting the Knowledge of the Scriptures was a group founded in 1783 in London, with a definite but rather constrained plan for Biblical interpretation. While in practical terms it was mainly concerned with promoting Unitarian views, it was broadly based.-Founders:The founding...
. On the retirement of Lindsey from active duty in July 1793, Disney became sole minister. The services at Essex Street Chapel
Essex Street Chapel
Essex Street Chapel, also known as Essex Church, is a Unitarian place of worship in London. It was the first church in England set up with this doctrine, and was established at a time when Dissenters still faced legal threat...
had been conducted by means of a modified common prayer-book, on the basis of a revision made by Samuel Clarke
Samuel Clarke
thumb|right|200px|Samuel ClarkeSamuel Clarke was an English philosopher and Anglican clergyman.-Early life and studies:...
. In 1802 Disney introduced a new form of his own composition; the congregation, on his retirement, immediately reverted to the old model.
Disney's resignation of office was occasioned by a large bequest of property, which reached him indirectly. Thomas Hollis
Thomas Hollis
Thomas Hollis was an English political philosopher and author.-Early life:Hollis was educated at Adams Grammar School until the age 10, and then in St. Albans until 15, before learning French, Dutch and accountancy in Amsterdam. After the death of his father in 1735, his guardian was a John...
, who died in 1774 left his estates in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
to his friend Thomas Brand, who took the name of Hollis. Thomas Brand Hollis
Thomas Brand Hollis
Thomas Brand Hollis , born Thomas Brand, was a British political radical and dissenter.Thomas Brand was born the only son of Timothy Brand of Ingatestone, Essex and was educated at Felsted School, Trinity College, Cambridge, the Inner Temple and Glasgow University.In 1748-9 he toured Europe with...
died in 1804, and by will dated 1792, left both estates, worth about £5,000 a year, to Disney, who resigned his ministry on 25 March 1805, on the ground of ill-health, and in the following June left London and took up his residence at the Hyde, near Ingatestone
Ingatestone
Ingatestone is a small town in Essex, England, with a population of about 4500 people. To the immediate north lies the village of Fryerning, and the two form the civil parish of Ingatestone and Fryerning....
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. He was succeeded at Essex Street by Thomas Belsham
Thomas Belsham
Thomas Belsham was an English Unitarian minister- Life :Belsham was born in Bedford, England, and was the elder brother of William Belsham, the English political writer and historian. He was educated at the dissenting academy at Daventry, where for seven years he acted as assistant tutor...
. He took up agriculture, and participated in the applications to Parliament which resulted in the Act of 1813 ‘to relieve persons who impugn the doctrine of the Holy Trinity from certain penalties.’ Falling into declining health, he resided for a time at Bath, Somerset. He died at the Hyde on 26 December 1816, and was buried in the churchyard of Fryerning, Essex.
Words
Among his writings are biographical material relating to Michael DodsonMichael Dodson
-Life:The only son of Joseph Dodson, dissenting minister at Marlborough, Wiltshire, he was born there in September 1732. He was educated at Marlborough grammar school, and then, in accordance with the advice of Sir Michael Foster, justice of the king's bench, was entered at the Middle Temple 31...
, Robert Edward Garnham, Thomas Brand Hollis
Thomas Brand Hollis
Thomas Brand Hollis , born Thomas Brand, was a British political radical and dissenter.Thomas Brand was born the only son of Timothy Brand of Ingatestone, Essex and was educated at Felsted School, Trinity College, Cambridge, the Inner Temple and Glasgow University.In 1748-9 he toured Europe with...
, Edmund Law
Edmund Law
Edmund Law was a priest in the Church of England. He served as Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge, as Knightbridge Professor of Philosophy in the University of Cambridge from 1764 to 1769, and as bishop of Carlisle from 1768 to 1787....
, John Jebb, John Jortin
John Jortin
-Life:Jortin was the son of Renatus Jordain, a French Huguenot refugee and government official, and Martha Rogers, daughter of Daniel Rogers. He was educated at Jesus College, Cambridge, where he became a Fellow in 1721. He was Rede lecturer at Cambridge in 1724, and Boyle lecturer in 1749...
, Arthur Ashley Sykes
Arthur Ashley Sykes
-Life:Sykes was born in London in 1683 or 1684 and educated at St. Paul's School. In 1701 he was admitted to Corpus Christi College at Cambridge, where he received scholarship , B.A. , M.A. , and D.D....
, and William Hopkins. His works include:
- ‘A Short View of the Controversies occasioned by the Confessional and the Petition to Parliament,’ &c., 1775.
- ‘Reasons for … quitting the Church of England,’ &c., 1782; 2nd edit. 1783.
- ‘Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Arthur Ashley Sykes, D.D.,’ &c., 1785.
- ‘The Works … of John Jebb, M.D., with Memoirs,’ &c., 1787, 3 vols.
- ‘Arranged Catalogue of Publications on Toleration, Corporation, and Test Acts,’ &c., 1790.
- ‘Memoirs of the Life and Writings of John Jortin, D.D.,’ 1792.
- ‘Short Memoir of Bishop Edmund Law,’ 1800.
- ‘Short Memoir of Michael Dodson,’ 1800; reprinted without the notes in Arthur AikinArthur AikinArthur Aikin , English chemist, mineralogist and scientific writer, was born in Warrington, Lancashire into a distinguished literary family of prominent Unitarians....
's General Biography; and in full, with additions by John Towill RuttJohn Towill Rutt-Life:Born in London on 4 April 1760, was only son of George Rutt, at first a druggist in Friday Street, Cheapside, and afterwards a wholesale merchant in drugs in Upper Thames Street, who married Elizabeth Towill. In early boyhood he was placed for some time under the care of Joshua Toulmin at...
, in Monthly RepositoryMonthly RepositoryThe Monthly Repository was a British monthly Unitarian periodical which ran between 1806 and 1838.The Monthly Repository was established when Robert Aspland bought William Vidler's Universal Theological Magazine and changed the name to the Monthly Repository of Theology and General Literature...
1818, p. 601 sq.; Dodson had made Disney his residuary legatee, on the death of his widow. - ‘Memoirs of Thomas Brand Hollis,’ 1808.
- ‘Short Memoir of the late Rev. Robert Edward Garnham,’ 1814, (reprinted in Monthly Repository 1815, p. 13 sq.)
- ‘Short Memoir of the Rev. William Hopkins,’ 1815.
Besides these separate memoirs he contributed a few others to various publications, including the memoir of his grandfather in the Biographia Britannica
Biographia Britannica
Biographia Britannica was a multi-volume biographical compendium, "the most ambitious attempt in the latter half of the eighteenth century to document the lives of notable British men and women". The first edition, edited by William Oldys, appeared in 6 volumes between 1747 and 1766...
(Andrew Kippis
Andrew Kippis
Andrew Kippis was an English nonconformist clergyman and biographer.The son of Robert Kippis, a silk-hosier, he was born at Nottingham. Having gone to school at Sleaford in Lincolnshire he passed at the age of sixteen to the Dissenting academy at Northampton, of which Dr Philip Doddridge was then...
). Two volumes of Disney's Sermons were published in 1793; two others, in 1816. Disney edited, with biographical preface, the ‘Discourses’ of his cousin, Samuel Disney, LL.B., 1788; and, in conjunction with Charles Butler, he edited ‘A New Translation of the Book of Psalms,’ 1807, from the manuscript of Alexander Geddes
Alexander Geddes
Alexander Geddes was a Scottish theologian and scholar.He was born at Ruthven, Banffshire, of Roman Catholic parentage, and educated for the priesthood at the local seminary of Scalan, and at Paris; he became a priest in his native county.His translation of the Satires of Horace made him known as...
.
A collection of controversial literature occasioned by Blackburne's Confessional, arranged by Disney in fourteen volumes, was deposited in Dr. Williams's library, of which he had been a trustee from 1796 to 1806.
Family
He married, in 1774, Jane (died October 1809), eldest daughter of Archdeacon Blackburne, and left three children, JohnJohn Disney
John Disney was an English barrister and archaeologist. Born at Flintham Hall, Flintham, Nottinghamshire, he was the eldest son of John Disney, a former Anglican clergyman who became one of the founders of the Episcopal Unitarian Church, and from a long line of English Dissenters going back to...
, Algernon, who entered the army, and Frances Mary, who married the Rev. Thomas Jervis.