Richard Steward
Encyclopedia
Richard Steward or Stewart (1593?-1651) was an English royalist churchman, clerk of the closet
to Charles I
and designated Dean of St. Paul's and Westminster, though not able to take up his position because of the wartime circumstances.
, on 3 August 1595, probably some two years after his birth. He was third son of Nicholas Steward, esq., of Pateshull. His mother's maiden name was Madox. From Westminster School
he matriculated at Magdalen Hall, Oxford, on 1 December 1609. He graduated B.A. in 1612, M.A. in 1615, B.C.L. in 1617, and D.C.L. on 3 July 1624. In 1613 he was elected fellow of All Souls' College, and in 1622 served the office of proctor.
Having taken orders, he became rector of Harrietsham
, Kent
, in 1626, and on 17 July 1629 was named prebendary of Worcester. In the following year he also became vicar of Aldbourne
, and rector of Mildenhall, Norfolk, and of Alton Barnes, Wiltshire
. With the last benefice he also held a canonry at Salisbury. He was made a chaplain in ordinary and clerk of the closet to Charles I in 1633, and two years later he received an annuity of £100. from the royal exchequer. On 6 March 1635 he received in addition the deanery of Chichester. In 1638 he resigned his stall at Worcester on becoming prebendary of Westminster.
On 24 December 1639, on the nomination of the king, who dispensed with the statutory obligation requiring membership of the foundation, Steward became Provost of Eton College
in succession to Sir Henry Wotton. In April of the following year he acted as prolocutor of convocation, working to obtain the vote of subsidies. He was rewarded by the nomination to the deanery of St. Paul's in 1641, but for some reason was not definitely appointed. On 15 March 1642 he was admitted to the prebend of St. Pancras, and in 1643 he was made dean of the Chapel Royal
. But in the same year he was dispossessed by parliament of the provostship of Eton in favour of Francis Rous
, and was subsequently deprived of his other preferments. The First English Civil War
also prevented him from taking possession of the deanery of Westminster, to which he was nominated in 1645 on the expiry of Archbishop John Williams's commendam.
Steward was held in high favour by Charles I. In January 1645 he, together with five other divines, was sent by the king to the Treaty of Uxbridge
. There he vigorously defended episcopacy, and treated the arguments for the presbyterian government in the church of England of Alexander Henderson
and Stephen Marshall
as too diffuse. In August 1646 Charles I, writing from Newcastle, recommended Steward to the Prince of Wales
and desired him to defer to his opinion in church affairs. From this time Steward seems to have followed the fortunes of Prince Charles. In 1649 he strongly opposed a clause in the proposed royal declaration drawn up by Edward Hyde
. In the summer of 1650 he was in Jersey
, in correspondence with Sir Edward Nicholas. In August he told Nicholas that he had been received into James, Duke of York's favour. He followed the Duke from Paris to Brussels, but returned to Paris in 1651, and John Evelyn
heard him preach on 21 July. Steward died at Paris on 14 November 1651. He was buried in the Protestant cemetery near St. Germain des Pres. Steward married a daughter of Sir William Button of Tokenham, Wiltshire, and left two sons: Charles (1666–1735), and Knightley Steward (1673–1746), both of whom were beneficed clergymen.
Steward published:
'The Old Puritan detected and defeated,' 1689, is also attributed to him by the printer Sherlock; it was an attempt to prove that the fifty-fifth canon of James I did not favour extempore prayers.
Clerk of the Closet
The College of Chaplains of the Ecclesiastical Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom is under the Clerk of the Closet, an office dating from 1437. It is normally held by a diocesan bishop, who may however remain in office after leaving his see...
to Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
and designated Dean of St. Paul's and Westminster, though not able to take up his position because of the wartime circumstances.
Life
He was baptised at Pateshull, NorthamptonshireNorthamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, on 3 August 1595, probably some two years after his birth. He was third son of Nicholas Steward, esq., of Pateshull. His mother's maiden name was Madox. From Westminster School
Westminster School
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
he matriculated at Magdalen Hall, Oxford, on 1 December 1609. He graduated B.A. in 1612, M.A. in 1615, B.C.L. in 1617, and D.C.L. on 3 July 1624. In 1613 he was elected fellow of All Souls' College, and in 1622 served the office of proctor.
Having taken orders, he became rector of Harrietsham
Harrietsham
Harrietsham is a rural village and civil parish in the Maidstone District of Kent, England. According to the United Kingdom Census 2001, it has a population of around 1,504. The parish is located on the slope of the North Downs, east of Maidstone...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, in 1626, and on 17 July 1629 was named prebendary of Worcester. In the following year he also became vicar of Aldbourne
Aldbourne
Aldbourne is a village and civil parish about northeast of Marlborough in Wiltshire, England. It is in a valley in the south slope of the Lambourn Downs, part of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
, and rector of Mildenhall, Norfolk, and of Alton Barnes, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
. With the last benefice he also held a canonry at Salisbury. He was made a chaplain in ordinary and clerk of the closet to Charles I in 1633, and two years later he received an annuity of £100. from the royal exchequer. On 6 March 1635 he received in addition the deanery of Chichester. In 1638 he resigned his stall at Worcester on becoming prebendary of Westminster.
On 24 December 1639, on the nomination of the king, who dispensed with the statutory obligation requiring membership of the foundation, Steward became Provost of Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
in succession to Sir Henry Wotton. In April of the following year he acted as prolocutor of convocation, working to obtain the vote of subsidies. He was rewarded by the nomination to the deanery of St. Paul's in 1641, but for some reason was not definitely appointed. On 15 March 1642 he was admitted to the prebend of St. Pancras, and in 1643 he was made dean of the Chapel Royal
Chapel Royal
A Chapel Royal is a body of priests and singers who serve the spiritual needs of their sovereign wherever they are called upon to do so.-Austria:...
. But in the same year he was dispossessed by parliament of the provostship of Eton in favour of Francis Rous
Francis Rous
Francis Rous or Rouse was an English politician and a prominent Puritan. He was also Provost of Eton, and wrote several theological and devotional works.-Early life:...
, and was subsequently deprived of his other preferments. The First English Civil War
First English Civil War
The First English Civil War began the series of three wars known as the English Civil War . "The English Civil War" was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations that took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1651, and includes the Second English Civil War and...
also prevented him from taking possession of the deanery of Westminster, to which he was nominated in 1645 on the expiry of Archbishop John Williams's commendam.
Steward was held in high favour by Charles I. In January 1645 he, together with five other divines, was sent by the king to the Treaty of Uxbridge
Treaty of Uxbridge
The Treaty of Uxbridge of early 1645 was a significant but abortive negotiation to try to end the First English Civil War.-Background:Parliament drew up 27 articles in November 1644 and presented them to Charles I of England at Oxford. Much input into these Propositions of Uxbridge was from...
. There he vigorously defended episcopacy, and treated the arguments for the presbyterian government in the church of England of Alexander Henderson
Alexander Henderson (theologian)
Alexander Henderson was a Scottish theologian, and an important ecclesiastical statesman of his period. He is considered the second founder of the Reformed Church in Scotland, and its Presbyterian churches are largely indebted to him for the forms of their dogmas and organization.-Life:He was born...
and Stephen Marshall
Stephen Marshall
Stephen Marshall was an English Nonconformist churchman.His sermons, especially that on the death of John Pym in 1643, reveal eloquence and fervour...
as too diffuse. In August 1646 Charles I, writing from Newcastle, recommended Steward to the Prince of Wales
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
and desired him to defer to his opinion in church affairs. From this time Steward seems to have followed the fortunes of Prince Charles. In 1649 he strongly opposed a clause in the proposed royal declaration drawn up by Edward Hyde
Edward Hyde
Edward Hyde may refer to:* Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon , English historian and statesman* Edward Hyde , British MP* Edward Hyde, 3rd Earl of Clarendon , Governor of New York and New Jersey* Edward Hyde Edward Hyde may refer to:* Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon (1609–1674), English...
. In the summer of 1650 he was in Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
, in correspondence with Sir Edward Nicholas. In August he told Nicholas that he had been received into James, Duke of York's favour. He followed the Duke from Paris to Brussels, but returned to Paris in 1651, and John Evelyn
John Evelyn
John Evelyn was an English writer, gardener and diarist.Evelyn's diaries or Memoirs are largely contemporaneous with those of the other noted diarist of the time, Samuel Pepys, and cast considerable light on the art, culture and politics of the time John Evelyn (31 October 1620 – 27 February...
heard him preach on 21 July. Steward died at Paris on 14 November 1651. He was buried in the Protestant cemetery near St. Germain des Pres. Steward married a daughter of Sir William Button of Tokenham, Wiltshire, and left two sons: Charles (1666–1735), and Knightley Steward (1673–1746), both of whom were beneficed clergymen.
Works
Steward supplied him with some materials for Clarendon's History of the Rebellion, particularly regarding the Uxbridge conference.Steward published:
- 'Three Sermons,' 1656; reissued in 1658 with a fourth by Samuel HarsnettSamuel HarsnettSamuel Harsnett , born Samuel Halsnoth, was an English writer on religion and Archbishop of York from 1629.- Early life :...
, and an 'Epistle to the Reader,' by T. H. - 'Catholique Divinity; or the most solid and sententious expressions of the Primitive Doctors of the Church, with other Ecclesiastical and Civil Authors,' &c., 1657, (prefatory remarks by H. M.)
- 'Trias Sacra: a second ternary of Sermons,' 1659; reissued as 'Golden Remains, being the last and best Monuments that are likely to be made publick,' 1660.
- 'A Discourse of Episcopacy and Sacrilege,' 1683; originally printed in 1647 as an answer to a 'Letter to Dr. Samuel Turner' by John FountaineJohn FountaineJohn Fountaine was commissioner of the great seal of England from 1659-60. He was imprisoned for refusing to pay the parliament's war tax in 1642, during the First English Civil War....
.
'The Old Puritan detected and defeated,' 1689, is also attributed to him by the printer Sherlock; it was an attempt to prove that the fifty-fifth canon of James I did not favour extempore prayers.