Roger Brereley
Encyclopedia
Roger Brereley (1586–1637) was an English clergyman, known as the founder of the Grindletonian sect. His actual views are known from surviving sermons, perhaps reconstituted from notes; those held by the Grindletonians may well have differed considerably from those attributed to them by opponents in polemics. Brereley was in his own view a supporter of Calvinistic orthodoxy, not a sectary, and he censures Jacobus Arminius
.
, then a hamlet in the parish of Rochdale
, where Thomas Brereley, his father, and Roger, his grandfather, were farmers. He had three brothers and two sisters younger than himself. Brereley himself began life as a puritan
. He took orders and became perpetual curate
of Grindleton Chapel, in the parish of Mitton in Craven; Grindleton is about two miles north of Clitheroe
. He held (in 1626) a close in Castleton
, in the manor of Rochdale, which had belonged to his grandfather. His preaching was simple and spiritual, and his followers soon became distinguished as a group. Brereley himself, in his piece Of True Christian Liberty, writes:
Some fifty charges were exhibited against Brereley at York by direction of the high commission, in his first appearance in 1617. This trial was one of two such occasions and was followed by another in 1627, still held before Archbishop Tobias Matthew
, who died in 1628. Matthew sustained Brereley in the exercise of his ministry, and he preached in York Cathedral. In 1631 Brereley was instituted to the living of Burnley
, Lancashire
. He died in June 1637, and was buried 13 June. He was married, and had a daughter Alice, living in 1636.
parish of Christopher Shute, but became more widely known after the proceedings against him. In 1618 the diarist Nicholas Assheton
records the burial of one John Swinglehurst as of a follower of 'Brierley'. Thomas Shephard knew of him in 1622.
In a sermon preached at Paul's Cross on 11 February 1627, and published under the title of The White Wolfe, 1627, Stephen Denison, minister of St. Catherine Cree, charges the 'Gringltonian (sic) familists' with holding nine points of an antinomian tendency. These nine points are repeated from Denison by Ephraim Pagitt in his Heresiography (2nd ed. 1645, p. 89), and glanced at by Alexander Ross
, Πανσεβεια (2nd ed. 1655, p. 365). In 1635 John Webster
, curate at Kildwick
, was before a church court charged with being a Grindletonian, and simultaneously in New England
John Winthrop
thought that Anne Hutchinson
was one. The last known Grindletonian died in the 1680s.
Jacobus Arminius
Jacobus Arminius , the Latinized name of the Dutch theologian Jakob Hermanszoon from the Protestant Reformation period, served from 1603 as professor in theology at the University of Leiden...
.
Life
He was born on 4 August 1586, at MarlandMarland
-People:* Douglas Marland, soap opera script writer* E. W. Marland, Oklahoma governor* Jonathan Marland, Baron Marland, a British businessman and Conservative politician* Lydie Marland, American socialite* Margaret Marland, Canadian politician...
, then a hamlet in the parish of Rochdale
Rochdale
Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...
, where Thomas Brereley, his father, and Roger, his grandfather, were farmers. He had three brothers and two sisters younger than himself. Brereley himself began life as a puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
. He took orders and became perpetual curate
Perpetual curate
A Perpetual Curate was a clergyman of the Church of England officiating as parish priest in a small or sparsely peopled parish or districtAs noted below the term perpetual was not to be understood literally but was used to indicate he was not a curate but the parish priest and of higher...
of Grindleton Chapel, in the parish of Mitton in Craven; Grindleton is about two miles north of Clitheroe
Clitheroe
Clitheroe is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is 1½ miles from the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. It has a population of 14,697...
. He held (in 1626) a close in Castleton
Castleton, Greater Manchester
Castleton is an area of Rochdale and an electoral ward of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England. It is south-southwest of Rochdale town centre and north-northwest of the city of Manchester....
, in the manor of Rochdale, which had belonged to his grandfather. His preaching was simple and spiritual, and his followers soon became distinguished as a group. Brereley himself, in his piece Of True Christian Liberty, writes:
- And now men say, I'm deeply drown'd in schism,
- Retyr'd from God's grace unto Grindletonism.
Some fifty charges were exhibited against Brereley at York by direction of the high commission, in his first appearance in 1617. This trial was one of two such occasions and was followed by another in 1627, still held before Archbishop Tobias Matthew
Tobias Matthew
Tobias Matthew was Archbishop of York.-Life:He was the son of Sir John Matthew of Ross in Herefordshire, England, and of his wife Eleanor Crofton of Ludlow. He was born at Bristol and was educated at Wells, Somerset, and then in succession at University College and Christ Church, Oxford...
, who died in 1628. Matthew sustained Brereley in the exercise of his ministry, and he preached in York Cathedral. In 1631 Brereley was instituted to the living of Burnley
Burnley
Burnley is a market town in the Burnley borough of Lancashire, England, with a population of around 73,500. It lies north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Brun....
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
. He died in June 1637, and was buried 13 June. He was married, and had a daughter Alice, living in 1636.
Works
His literary remains are:- A Bundle of Soul-convincing, directing, and comforting Truths; clearly deduced from divers select texts of Holy Scripture, sermons printed for James Brown, bookseller in Glasgow, 1670 (this edition consists of twenty-seven sermons, and the biographical Epistle to the Reader, by J. C., identified as Josias Collier or Collyer, who says of the origin of the volume: 'After his death a few headnotes of some of his sermons came to my view,' perhaps implying that the notes were Brereley's own).
- Another edition, London, printed by J. R. for Samuel Sprunt, 1677, is probably a reprint from an earlier issue; it reckons the sermons as twenty-six in number, what is Sermon 22 in the 1670 edition being not numbered, but headed ' Exposition,' &c. (it is on the beatitudes). It contains also, after the sermons, pieces in verse: The Preface of Mr. Brierly; Of True Christian Liberty; The Lord's Reply in four sections alternating with three headed The Soul's Answer; The Song of the Soul's Freedom, Self Civil War.
Grindletonians and their reputation
Brereley had a local following, attracting worshippers from the nearby GiggleswickGiggleswick
Giggleswick is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England near the town of Settle. It is the site of Giggleswick School.-Origin of name:A Dictionary of British Place Names contains the entry:...
parish of Christopher Shute, but became more widely known after the proceedings against him. In 1618 the diarist Nicholas Assheton
Nicholas Assheton
Nicholas Assheton , a country squire and writer who lived at Downham, near Clitheroe, Lancashire, is noteworthy on account of a brief diary which he left illustrating the character of the country life of that part of West Lancashire which is associated with the poet Spenser...
records the burial of one John Swinglehurst as of a follower of 'Brierley'. Thomas Shephard knew of him in 1622.
In a sermon preached at Paul's Cross on 11 February 1627, and published under the title of The White Wolfe, 1627, Stephen Denison, minister of St. Catherine Cree, charges the 'Gringltonian (sic) familists' with holding nine points of an antinomian tendency. These nine points are repeated from Denison by Ephraim Pagitt in his Heresiography (2nd ed. 1645, p. 89), and glanced at by Alexander Ross
Alexander Ross (writer)
Alexander Ross was a prolific Scottish writer and controversialist. He was Chaplain-in-Ordinary to Charles I.-Life:He was born in Aberdeen, and entered King's College, Aberdeen, in 1604. About 1616 he succeeded Thomas Parker in the mastership of the free school at Southampton, an appointment which...
, Πανσεβεια (2nd ed. 1655, p. 365). In 1635 John Webster
John Webster (minister)
John Webster , also known as Johannes Hyphastes, was an English clergyman, physician and chemist with occult interests, a proponent of astrology and a sceptic about witchcraft. He is known for controversial works.-Life:...
, curate at Kildwick
Kildwick
Kildwick, or Kildwick-in-Craven, is a village and civil parish of the District of Craven in North Yorkshire, England. It is situated between Skipton and Keighley and has a population of 191...
, was before a church court charged with being a Grindletonian, and simultaneously in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
John Winthrop
John Winthrop
John Winthrop was a wealthy English Puritan lawyer, and one of the leading figures in the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the first major settlement in New England after Plymouth Colony. Winthrop led the first large wave of migrants from England in 1630, and served as governor for 12 of...
thought that Anne Hutchinson
Anne Hutchinson
Anne Hutchinson was one of the most prominent women in colonial America, noted for her strong religious convictions, and for her stand against the staunch religious orthodoxy of 17th century Massachusetts...
was one. The last known Grindletonian died in the 1680s.
Further reading
- Nigel Smith, Elegy for a Grindletonian: poetry and heresy in northern England, 1615-1640. Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies, 33:2 (2003), 335-52.