Matthew Mead (minister)
Encyclopedia
Matthew Mead or Meade was an English Independent
minister.
, Buckinghamshire
, by his wife Joane, he was born about 1630 at Leighton Buzzard
, Bedfordshire
. In 1648 he was elected scholar, and on 6 August 1649 admitted a Fellow of King's College, Cambridge
. He resigned on 6 June 1651, William Cole
says to avoid expulsion, owing perhaps to refusal of the engagement
; but he had gained ill-will by urging the expulsion of Richard Johnson and others.
, Buckinghamshire, died in 1653; Mead hoped to succeed him, but the patron, John Duncombe
, presented Thomas Clutterbuck. Mead, on the ground that the patron's right had lapsed, obtained a presentation under the Great Seal
. Duncombe appealed to the law, and a verdict for Clutterbuck was given at the Aylesbury assizes. Mead began another suit on the plea of Duncombe's malignancy. Clutterbuck resigned his title, and Duncombe, in July 1655, presented Robert Hocknell, whom the ‘commissioners for approbation’ (triers) rejected, putting in Mead by aid of a troop of horse. After some violent proceedings, the matter was compromised by Duncombe's agreeing to present William Peirce, a nephew of Hugh Peters
. Mead now became morning lecturer at St. Dunstan's, Stepney, the afternoon lecturer being William Greenhill
, who held the vicarage. He lived in Gracechurch Street
, and was admitted a member, on 28 December 1656, of the congregational church formed at Stepney by Greenhill in 1644. On 22 January 1658 he was appointed by Oliver Cromwell
to the ‘new chapel’ of St Paul's Church, Shadwell.
From Shadwell, as well as from his lectureship, Mead was displaced at the Restoration
of 1660. He obtained a lectureship at St Sepulchre's, Holborn, from which he was ejected by the Uniformity Act of 1662.
of 1665. On 31 January 1669 he was called to Stepney as assistant to Greenhill at Stepney. Shortly after Greenhill's death he was called (13 October 1671) to succeed him as pastor, and was ordained on 14 December 1671 by John Owen
, Joseph Caryl
, and two others. In 1674 a meeting-house (opened 13 September) was built for him at Stepney; its roof was upheld by four round pine pillars, presented to him by the States of Holland
; above the ceiling was an attic with concealed entrance, a hiding-place for the congregation in troubled times. His congregation was the largest in London. On 1 May 1674 he instituted a Mayday sermon to the young; he always held a Good Friday service.
About 1680 Mead became the guardian of James Peirce
, the Exeter heretic, who lived in his house for some years. In December 1682 Sir William Smith with a strong guard invaded his meeting-house, pulled down the pulpit, and broke up the forms. In June 1683 Mead was apprehended on suspicion of complicity in the Rye House Plot
, and brought before the privy council, where the king ordered his discharge.
; he returned on King James's declaration for liberty of conscience in 1687.
After the Glorious Revolution
galleries were built (25 March 1689) in his meeting-house, and the adjoining residence and garden were settled (16 July) by the congregation on Mead and his heirs. Mead supported the movement initiated (1690) by John Howe for an amalgamation of the presbyterian and congregationalist bodies. The ‘happy union’ held its meeting at Stepney on 6 April 1691, when Mead preached his sermon ‘Two Sticks made One’ (Ezek. xxxvii. 19). On the rupture of the union (1694) over the alleged heresies of Daniel Williams
, Mead took a moderate part, but remained in the Pinners' Hall lectureship when the presbyterians seceded. When Edmund Calamy
applied to him (1694) for ordination he declined to act, for fear of giving umbrage to others.
He preached his last sermon on May day 1699, and died on 16 October 1699, aged 70. He was buried in Stepney churchyard; Calamy gives the Latin inscription on his tombstone. Howe preached his funeral sermon. Peirce describes him as a gentleman and a scholar. An elegy on his death, ‘Tristiæ Christianæ,’ was issued in a folio sheet, 1699.
(1692) and Timothy Cruso, he published:
Posthumous were:
He had a hand in the ‘English Greek Lexicon,’ 1661. His farewell sermon before ejection was published separately, 1662, and also in the ‘Compleat Collection,’ 1663. He wrote a preface to ‘The Life and Death of Nathaniel Mather,’ 1689.
was the eleventh. An elder son, Samuel, was a fellow-student with Calamy at Utrecht in 1687; published at Utrecht a ‘Disputatio,’ 1686, an ‘Exercitatio,’ 1687, and an ‘Oratio,’ 1689; in 1694 he was an evening lecturer at Salters' Hall, but was not ordained, and became a chancery practitioner.
Independent (religion)
In English church history, Independents advocated local congregational control of religious and church matters, without any wider geographical hierarchy, either ecclesiastical or political...
minister.
Early life
The second son of Richard Mead of MursleyMursley
Mursley is a small village in and also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district Buckinghamshire, England. It is located about three miles east of Winslow and four miles south west of Fenny Stratford....
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, by his wife Joane, he was born about 1630 at Leighton Buzzard
Leighton Buzzard
-Lower schools:*Beaudesert Lower School - Apennine Way*Clipstone Brook Lower School - Brooklands Drive*Greenleas Lower School - Derwent Road*Dovery Down Lower School - Heath Road*Heathwood Lower School - Heath Road*Leedon Lower School - Highfield Road...
, Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
. In 1648 he was elected scholar, and on 6 August 1649 admitted a Fellow of King's College, Cambridge
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
. He resigned on 6 June 1651, William Cole
William Cole
William Cole may refer to:* William Cole, 3rd Earl of Enniskillen , known as Viscount Cole* William Cole , Dean of Lincoln Cathedral and President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford...
says to avoid expulsion, owing perhaps to refusal of the engagement
Engagement controversy
The Engagement Controversy was a debate in England from 1649-1652 regarding loyalty to the new regime after the execution of Charles I. During this period hundreds of pamphlets were published in England supporting 'engagement' to the new regime or denying the right of English citizens to shift...
; but he had gained ill-will by urging the expulsion of Richard Johnson and others.
In search of a position
Francis Charlett, rector of Great BrickhillGreat Brickhill
Great Brickhill is a village and civil parish in Aylesbury Vale district, Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the very north of the non-metropolitan county, just outside and overlooking, Milton Keynes.-History:...
, Buckinghamshire, died in 1653; Mead hoped to succeed him, but the patron, John Duncombe
John Duncombe
Sir John Duncombe was an English politician.John Duncombe was the son of William Duncombe. He was educated at Eton College and St John's College, Cambridge. He was knighted in 1646. Duncombe was Member of Parliament for Bury St Edmunds from 1660 to 1678, and Chancellor of the Exchequer from 22...
, presented Thomas Clutterbuck. Mead, on the ground that the patron's right had lapsed, obtained a presentation under the Great Seal
Great Seal of the Realm
The Great Seal of the Realm or Great Seal of the United Kingdom is a seal that is used to symbolise the Sovereign's approval of important state documents...
. Duncombe appealed to the law, and a verdict for Clutterbuck was given at the Aylesbury assizes. Mead began another suit on the plea of Duncombe's malignancy. Clutterbuck resigned his title, and Duncombe, in July 1655, presented Robert Hocknell, whom the ‘commissioners for approbation’ (triers) rejected, putting in Mead by aid of a troop of horse. After some violent proceedings, the matter was compromised by Duncombe's agreeing to present William Peirce, a nephew of Hugh Peters
Hugh Peters
Hugh Peters [or Peter] was an English preacher.-Early life:He was baptized on 29 June 1598 in Fowey, and was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge....
. Mead now became morning lecturer at St. Dunstan's, Stepney, the afternoon lecturer being William Greenhill
William Greenhill
William Greenhill was an English nonconformist clergyman, independent minister, and member of the Westminster Assembly.-Life:He was born probably in Oxfordshire. At the age of thirteen he matriculated at the University of Oxford on 8 June 1604 and was elected a demy of Magdalen College, Oxford, on...
, who held the vicarage. He lived in Gracechurch Street
Gracechurch Street
Gracechurch Street is a street in the City of London which forms part of the A10. It is home to a number of shops, restaurants, offices and Leadenhall Market....
, and was admitted a member, on 28 December 1656, of the congregational church formed at Stepney by Greenhill in 1644. On 22 January 1658 he was appointed by Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
to the ‘new chapel’ of St Paul's Church, Shadwell.
From Shadwell, as well as from his lectureship, Mead was displaced at 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...
of 1660. He obtained a lectureship at St Sepulchre's, Holborn, from which he was ejected by the Uniformity Act of 1662.
Stepney congregation
In 1663 he was living at Worcester House, Stepney. Either the Conventicle Act (1664) or the Five Miles Act, which came into operation in 1666, drove him to Holland. He seems to have been in London during the great plagueGreat Plague of London
The Great Plague was a massive outbreak of disease in the Kingdom of England that killed an estimated 100,000 people, 20% of London's population. The disease is identified as bubonic plague, an infection by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, transmitted through a flea vector...
of 1665. On 31 January 1669 he was called to Stepney as assistant to Greenhill at Stepney. Shortly after Greenhill's death he was called (13 October 1671) to succeed him as pastor, and was ordained on 14 December 1671 by John Owen
John Owen (theologian)
John Owen was an English Nonconformist church leader, theologian, and academic administrator at the University of Oxford.-Early life:...
, Joseph Caryl
Joseph Caryl
Joseph Caryl was an English Nonconformist divine.-Life:He was born in London, educated at Merchant Taylors' School, and graduated at Exeter College, Oxford, and became preacher at Lincoln's Inn. He frequently preached before the Long Parliament, and was a member of the Westminster Assembly in 1643...
, and two others. In 1674 a meeting-house (opened 13 September) was built for him at Stepney; its roof was upheld by four round pine pillars, presented to him by the States of Holland
States of Holland
The States of Holland and West Frisia were the representation of the two Estates to the court of the Count of Holland...
; above the ceiling was an attic with concealed entrance, a hiding-place for the congregation in troubled times. His congregation was the largest in London. On 1 May 1674 he instituted a Mayday sermon to the young; he always held a Good Friday service.
About 1680 Mead became the guardian of James Peirce
James Peirce
James Peirce was an English dissenting minister, the catalyst for the Salter's Hall controversy.-Early life:The son of John Peirce, he was born at Wapping about 1674. His parents, who were in easy circumstances, were members of the congregational church at Stepney, under Matthew Mead...
, the Exeter heretic, who lived in his house for some years. In December 1682 Sir William Smith with a strong guard invaded his meeting-house, pulled down the pulpit, and broke up the forms. In June 1683 Mead was apprehended on suspicion of complicity in the Rye House Plot
Rye House Plot
The Rye House Plot of 1683 was a plan to assassinate King Charles II of England and his brother James, Duke of York. Historians vary in their assessment of the degree to which details of the conspiracy were finalized....
, and brought before the privy council, where the king ordered his discharge.
Later life
Mead succeeded John Owen in September 1683 as one of the Tuesday morning lecturers (presbyterian and congregational) at the merchants' lecture in Pinners' Hall. Pleading there on one occasion on behalf of poor ministers, he got a collection of £300., ladies putting their rings and watches into the plates. In 1686 he was again in Holland, preaching at UtrechtUtrecht
Utrecht is a city in the Netherlands.The name may also refer to:* Utrecht , of which Utrecht is the capital* Utrecht , including the city of Utrecht* Bishopric of Utrecht* Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Utrecht...
; he returned on King James's declaration for liberty of conscience in 1687.
After the Glorious Revolution
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
galleries were built (25 March 1689) in his meeting-house, and the adjoining residence and garden were settled (16 July) by the congregation on Mead and his heirs. Mead supported the movement initiated (1690) by John Howe for an amalgamation of the presbyterian and congregationalist bodies. The ‘happy union’ held its meeting at Stepney on 6 April 1691, when Mead preached his sermon ‘Two Sticks made One’ (Ezek. xxxvii. 19). On the rupture of the union (1694) over the alleged heresies of Daniel Williams
Daniel Williams
Sir Daniel Charles Williams, GCMG was a Governor-General of Grenada, from August 8, 1996 until November 18, 2008. He was formally appointed by Queen Elizabeth II on August 9, 1996 after having been nominated by Prime Minister Keith Mitchell.In 1997, he was Knighted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth...
, Mead took a moderate part, but remained in the Pinners' Hall lectureship when the presbyterians seceded. When Edmund Calamy
Edmund Calamy (historian)
Edmund Calamy was an English Nonconformist churchman, divine and historian.-Life:A grandson of Edmund Calamy the Elder, he was born in the City of London, in the parish of St Mary Aldermanbury. He was sent to various schools, including Merchant Taylors', and in 1688 proceeded to the university of...
applied to him (1694) for ordination he declined to act, for fear of giving umbrage to others.
He preached his last sermon on May day 1699, and died on 16 October 1699, aged 70. He was buried in Stepney churchyard; Calamy gives the Latin inscription on his tombstone. Howe preached his funeral sermon. Peirce describes him as a gentleman and a scholar. An elegy on his death, ‘Tristiæ Christianæ,’ was issued in a folio sheet, 1699.
Works
Besides separate sermons, 1660–98, including funeral sermons for Thomas RosewellThomas Rosewell
Reverend Thomas Rosewell was a non-conformist minister of Rotherhithe, Surrey who was found guilty of treason but subsequently pardoned by King Charles II.-Early years and education:...
(1692) and Timothy Cruso, he published:
- ‘Enoligōi Christianos, the Almost Christian Discovered,’ &c., 1662, (substance of sermons at St. Sepulchre's, Holborn, in 1661); often reprinted; in Dutch, Utrecht, 1682; in Welsh, Merthyr Tydfil, 1825.
- ‘Solomon's Prescription for the Removal of the Pestilence,’ &c., 1666; 1667, (with appendix).
- ‘The Good of Early Obedience,’ &c., 1683, (Mayday sermons).
- ‘The Vision of the Wheels,’ &c., 1689, (sermons on Ezekiel).
Posthumous were:
- ‘The Young Man's Remembrancer,’ &c., 3rd edit. 1701, (his last two Mayday sermons; often reprinted).
- ‘Original Sermons on the Jews; and on Falling into the Hands of … God … with a Memoir,’ &c., 1836, (edited from shorthand notes transcribed by James Andrews in 1703 and 1710).
He had a hand in the ‘English Greek Lexicon,’ 1661. His farewell sermon before ejection was published separately, 1662, and also in the ‘Compleat Collection,’ 1663. He wrote a preface to ‘The Life and Death of Nathaniel Mather,’ 1689.
Family
He had thirteen children, of whom the physician Richard MeadRichard Mead
Richard Mead was an English physician. His work, A Short Discourse concerning Pestilential Contagion, and the Method to be used to prevent it , was of historic importance in the understanding of transmissible diseases.-Life:The eleventh child of Matthew Mead , Independent divine, Richard was born...
was the eleventh. An elder son, Samuel, was a fellow-student with Calamy at Utrecht in 1687; published at Utrecht a ‘Disputatio,’ 1686, an ‘Exercitatio,’ 1687, and an ‘Oratio,’ 1689; in 1694 he was an evening lecturer at Salters' Hall, but was not ordained, and became a chancery practitioner.