Richard Cecil
Encyclopedia
Richard Cecil was a leading Evangelical Anglican clergyman of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Cecil was born in London. His father (died 1779) and grandfather were scarlet dyers to the British East India Company
. His mother (died 1777) was the sister of Benjamin Grosvenor (author of The Mourner). His father was an Anglican while his mother was a Dissenter, whose family had been devout Christians for generations.
He went to Queen's College, Oxford in 1773, was ordained deacon in 1776 on the title of Rev Mr Pugh of Rauceby, Lincolnshire, and was admitted to priest's orders in 1777.
Shortly thereafter he went to serve three Leicestershire churches: Thornton
, Bagworth
, and Markfield
. His evangelical preaching produced many conversions and flourishing congregations here.
He later became minister of two small livings in Lewes
, Sussex
. After the death of his parents, he moved, because of bad health, to Islington
, London
and preached at different churches and chapels there. For some years he preached a lecture at Lothbury
at 6 o'clock on a Sabbath morning, and later an evening lecture in Orange Street, followed by the chapel in Long Acre. From 1787 he preached the evening lecture at Christ Church, Spitalfields. He alternated with a Mr Foster in these two last lectureships during the period 1784 to 1801, though he had help from Mr Pratt in the last few years there.
In 1788 he became minister of St John's Chapel, Bedford Row
, which became a major Evangelical Anglican venue continuing into the mid 19th century.
He was seized by further ill-health in 1798, and later (1808-9) visited Bath, Clifton, and Tunbridge Wells for health reasons before relinquishing the lease of the chapel, moving in April 1810 to Hampstead, where he died four months later.
He was associated with the Clapham Sect
whose best known member was William Wilberforce
, and was a founding member and leader of the Eclectic Society
, an evangelical Anglican society which was started along with John Newton
and Henry Foster
in the upstairs room of a pub in 1783, but later moved to the vestry at Bedford Row in 1784.
Cecil was born in London. His father (died 1779) and grandfather were scarlet dyers to the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
. His mother (died 1777) was the sister of Benjamin Grosvenor (author of The Mourner). His father was an Anglican while his mother was a Dissenter, whose family had been devout Christians for generations.
He went to Queen's College, Oxford in 1773, was ordained deacon in 1776 on the title of Rev Mr Pugh of Rauceby, Lincolnshire, and was admitted to priest's orders in 1777.
Shortly thereafter he went to serve three Leicestershire churches: Thornton
Thornton, Leicestershire
Thornton is a village in Leicestershire, England. The village is within the civil parish of Bagworth and Thornton. It is a linear village lying along a scarp overlooking Thornton Reservoir....
, Bagworth
Bagworth
Bagworth is a village in Leicestershire, England, west of Leicester.-History:There are records of the manor of Bagworth from the early 14th and early 15th centuries, when it was held by the same feudal lords as the neighbouring manor of Thornton....
, and Markfield
Markfield
Markfield is a commuter village sitting within both the National Forest and Charnwood Forest and in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England. The settlement dates back to at least the time of the Norman conquest and is mentioned in the Domesday Book under the name...
. His evangelical preaching produced many conversions and flourishing congregations here.
He later became minister of two small livings in Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
. After the death of his parents, he moved, because of bad health, to Islington
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and preached at different churches and chapels there. For some years he preached a lecture at Lothbury
Lothbury
Lothbury is a street in the City of London. It runs east-west, between Gresham Street to the west and Throgmorton Street to the east. The area was populated with coppersmiths in the Middle Ages before later becoming home to a number of merchants and bankers. The Bank of England is on the southern...
at 6 o'clock on a Sabbath morning, and later an evening lecture in Orange Street, followed by the chapel in Long Acre. From 1787 he preached the evening lecture at Christ Church, Spitalfields. He alternated with a Mr Foster in these two last lectureships during the period 1784 to 1801, though he had help from Mr Pratt in the last few years there.
In 1788 he became minister of St John's Chapel, Bedford Row
St John's Chapel, Bedford Row
St John's Chapel, Bedford Row, in Bloomsbury, London, was a proprietary chapel and the home of a large evangelical Anglican congregation in the 19th century. According to The Eclectic Review it was built for people who seceded from the congregation of St Andrew's, Holborn after Henry Sacheverell...
, which became a major Evangelical Anglican venue continuing into the mid 19th century.
He was seized by further ill-health in 1798, and later (1808-9) visited Bath, Clifton, and Tunbridge Wells for health reasons before relinquishing the lease of the chapel, moving in April 1810 to Hampstead, where he died four months later.
He was associated with the Clapham Sect
Clapham Sect
The Clapham Sect or Clapham Saints were a group of influential like-minded Church of England social reformers based in Clapham, London at the beginning of the 19th century...
whose best known member was William Wilberforce
William Wilberforce
William Wilberforce was a British politician, a philanthropist and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780, eventually becoming the independent Member of Parliament for Yorkshire...
, and was a founding member and leader of the Eclectic Society
Eclectic Society (Christian)
The Eclectic Society was founded in 1783 by a number of Anglican clergymen and laymen as a discussion group, and was instrumental in the founding of the Church Missionary Society in 1799.-Origins:...
, an evangelical Anglican society which was started along with John Newton
John Newton
John Henry Newton was a British sailor and Anglican clergyman. Starting his career on the sea at a young age, he became involved with the slave trade for a few years. After experiencing a religious conversion, he became a minister, hymn-writer, and later a prominent supporter of the abolition of...
and Henry Foster
Henry Foster
Henry Foster is the name of:*Henry Foster , British naval officer, explorer and scientist*Henry Foster , failed nominee to the position of Surgeon General of the United States...
in the upstairs room of a pub in 1783, but later moved to the vestry at Bedford Row in 1784.