Samuel Badcock
Encyclopedia
Samuel Badcock was an English nonconformist minister, theological writer and literary critic.
, Devon
on 23 February 1747. His parents were dissenter
s, and he was educated in a school at Ottery St. Mary, for the sons of those opposed to the Church of England
. He was trained for the dissenting ministry, and in 1766 became the pastor of a congregation at Wimborne in Dorset
. After three years of residence in that county he was appointed to a similar post at Barnstaple
in Devon, and remained there until 1778.
He became known, through his contributions to the Theological Repository
to Joseph Priestley
, and sought his acquaintance in correspondence, and personally by a journey to Bowood, where Priestley was living with Lord Shelburne. Badcock adopted some of Priestley's theological views, and this led to an estrangement from his congregation at Barnstaple. Badcock returned to South Molton, where he ministered from 1778 to 1786, when he became dissatisfied with the doctrines of dissent and with the position assigned to its ministers.
He sought for ordination in the Church of England, and, having obtained a title for the curacy of Broad Clyst, was ordained by John Ross
, bishop of Exeter
, becoming deacon and priest within a week in June 1787. Harassed by failing health and money troubles, he assisted for the last six months of his life at the Octagon Chapel, Bath
; and whilst on a visit to Sir John Chichester, one of his Devon patrons, at his town house in Queen Street
, Mayfair
, London
, died on 19 May 1788.
, General Evening Post, and St. James's Chronicle, but his best known contributions appeared in the Monthly Review.
Although he had been friendly with Priestley, and had published in 1780 'A slight Sketch of the Controversy between Dr. Priestley and his Opponents,' a severe notice from his pen of the doctor's 'History of the Corruptions of Christianity' appeared in the pages of the Monthly Review for June 1783. This, and an article by him the next year on 'Priestley's Letters to Dr. Horsley,' produced two answers from Priestley and pamphlets from J. E. Hamilton and Edward Harwood
.
While living at Barnstaple, Badcock became acquainted with the daughter of Samuel Wesley
, the master of Blundell's School
in Tiverton and elder brother of John Wesley
. The letters and anecdotes which he obtained from her were transmitted by him to the Westminster Magazine in 1774. A subsequent account, based on her statements, of the Wesley family, provoked a correspondence with John Wesley; this biography was printed in the Bibliotheca Topographica Britannica, and reprinted, with the letters which it occasioned, in John Nichols
's Literary Anecdotes. Several letters from Wesley which Badcock gave to Priestley were published by the latter in 1791 under the title of 'Original Letters by Rev. John Wesley and his Friends.' A sermon which Badcock preached at the Octagon Chapel, Bath, for the benefit of the General Infirmary, 23 December 1787, was printed for private distribution.
After Badcock's death, his friend Rev. Robert Burd Gabriel alleged that he was the virtual author of Dr. Joseph White
's Bampton lectures
on the effects of Christianity and Mahometanism. A fierce war of words raged in the papers. Dr. Gabriel published 'Facts relating to the Rev. Dr. White's Bampton lectures,' and the lecturer rejoined with 'A Statement of Dr. White's Literary Obligations to the late Rev. Mr. Samuel Badcock and the Rev. Samuel Parr
, LL.D.' (1790).
The papers which William Chapple had collected for an improved edition of Tristram Risdon
's Survey of Devon, were entrusted to Badcock's care for arrangement and revision. The prosecution of the work was stopped by Badcock's death.
Life
He was born at South MoltonSouth Molton
"Molton" redirects here. Or see Molten or Moulton.South Molton is a small town in Devon, England. It is part of the North Devon local government district. The town is on the River Mole. According to the 2001 census the civil parish of South Molton had a population of 4,093.The town was one of...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
on 23 February 1747. His parents were dissenter
Dissenter
The term dissenter , labels one who disagrees in matters of opinion, belief, etc. In the social and religious history of England and Wales, however, it refers particularly to a member of a religious body who has, for one reason or another, separated from the Established Church.Originally, the term...
s, and he was educated in a school at Ottery St. Mary, for the sons of those opposed to the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. He was trained for the dissenting ministry, and in 1766 became the pastor of a congregation at Wimborne 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...
. After three years of residence in that county he was appointed to a similar post at Barnstaple
Barnstaple
Barnstaple is a town and civil parish in the local government district of North Devon in the county of Devon, England, UK. It lies west southwest of Bristol, north of Plymouth and northwest of the county town of Exeter. The old spelling Barnstable is now obsolete.It is the main town of the...
in Devon, and remained there until 1778.
He became known, through his contributions to the Theological Repository
Theological Repository
The Theological Repository was a periodical founded and edited from 1769 to 1771 by the eighteenth-century British polymath Joseph Priestley...
to Joseph Priestley
Joseph Priestley
Joseph Priestley, FRS was an 18th-century English theologian, Dissenting clergyman, natural philosopher, chemist, educator, and political theorist who published over 150 works...
, and sought his acquaintance in correspondence, and personally by a journey to Bowood, where Priestley was living with Lord Shelburne. Badcock adopted some of Priestley's theological views, and this led to an estrangement from his congregation at Barnstaple. Badcock returned to South Molton, where he ministered from 1778 to 1786, when he became dissatisfied with the doctrines of dissent and with the position assigned to its ministers.
He sought for ordination in the Church of England, and, having obtained a title for the curacy of Broad Clyst, was ordained by John Ross
John Ross (bishop of Exeter)
-Life:He wss born at Ross in Herefordshire, on 24 or 25 June 1719, the only son of John Rosse, attorney in that town. He was educated at the grammar school in Hereford, was admitted a pensioner at St John's College, Cambridge , and on the following 22 June became a Somerset scholar of the third...
, bishop of Exeter
Bishop of Exeter
The Bishop of Exeter is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. The incumbent usually signs his name as Exon or incorporates this in his signature....
, becoming deacon and priest within a week in June 1787. Harassed by failing health and money troubles, he assisted for the last six months of his life at the Octagon Chapel, Bath
Octagon Chapel, Bath
The Octagon Chapel in Milsom Street, Bath, Somerset, England was built in 1767 and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.- History :...
; and whilst on a visit to Sir John Chichester, one of his Devon patrons, at his town house in Queen Street
Queen Street
Queen Street is a popular street name in English-speaking countries . Examples include:-Asia:* Queen Street, Hong Kong in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong* Queen Street, Singapore in Singapore...
, Mayfair
Mayfair
Mayfair is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...
, 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...
, died on 19 May 1788.
Works and controversies
Most of Badcock's contributions to literature appeared in the magazines of the day. From 1774, when he sent to the Westminster Magazine a series of articles, until his death, his services were in constant demand. He wrote in the Gentleman's Magazine, the London MagazineLondon Magazine
The London Magazine is a historied publication of arts, literature and miscellaneous interests. Its history ranges nearly three centuries and several reincarnations, publishing the likes of William Wordsworth, William S...
, General Evening Post, and St. James's Chronicle, but his best known contributions appeared in the Monthly Review.
Although he had been friendly with Priestley, and had published in 1780 'A slight Sketch of the Controversy between Dr. Priestley and his Opponents,' a severe notice from his pen of the doctor's 'History of the Corruptions of Christianity' appeared in the pages of the Monthly Review for June 1783. This, and an article by him the next year on 'Priestley's Letters to Dr. Horsley,' produced two answers from Priestley and pamphlets from J. E. Hamilton and Edward Harwood
Edward Harwood
Edward Harwood was a prolific English classical scholar and biblical critic.-Life:He was born at Darwen, Lancashire, in 1729. After attending a school at Darwen, he went in 1745 to the Blackburn grammar school under Thomas Hunter, afterwards vicar of Weaverham, Cheshire. Hunter wished him to enter...
.
While living at Barnstaple, Badcock became acquainted with the daughter of Samuel Wesley
Samuel Wesley
Samuel Wesley was an English organist and composer in the late Georgian period. Wesley was a contemporary of Mozart and was called by some "the English Mozart."-Personal life:...
, the master of Blundell's School
Blundell's School
Blundell's School is a co-educational day and boarding independent school located in the town of Tiverton in the county of Devon, England. The school was founded in 1604 by the will of Peter Blundell, one of the richest men in England at the time, and relocated to its present location on the...
in Tiverton and elder brother of John Wesley
John Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
. The letters and anecdotes which he obtained from her were transmitted by him to the Westminster Magazine in 1774. A subsequent account, based on her statements, of the Wesley family, provoked a correspondence with John Wesley; this biography was printed in the Bibliotheca Topographica Britannica, and reprinted, with the letters which it occasioned, in John Nichols
John Nichols (printer)
John Nichols was an English printer, author and antiquary.-Early life and apprenticeship:He was born in Islington, London to Edward Nichols and Anne Wilmot. On 22 June 1766 he married Anne Cradock daughter of William Cradock...
's Literary Anecdotes. Several letters from Wesley which Badcock gave to Priestley were published by the latter in 1791 under the title of 'Original Letters by Rev. John Wesley and his Friends.' A sermon which Badcock preached at the Octagon Chapel, Bath, for the benefit of the General Infirmary, 23 December 1787, was printed for private distribution.
After Badcock's death, his friend Rev. Robert Burd Gabriel alleged that he was the virtual author of Dr. Joseph White
Joseph White (professor)
Joseph White was an English orientalist and theologian, Laudian Professor of Arabic and then Regius Professor of Hebrew at the University of Oxford.-Early life and career:...
's Bampton lectures
Bampton Lectures
The Bampton Lectures at the University of Oxford, England, were founded by a bequest of John Bampton,. They have taken place since 1780.They were a series of annual lectures; since the turn of the 20th century they have typically been biennial. They continue to concentrate on Christian theological...
on the effects of Christianity and Mahometanism. A fierce war of words raged in the papers. Dr. Gabriel published 'Facts relating to the Rev. Dr. White's Bampton lectures,' and the lecturer rejoined with 'A Statement of Dr. White's Literary Obligations to the late Rev. Mr. Samuel Badcock and the Rev. Samuel Parr
Samuel Parr
Samuel Parr , was an English schoolmaster, writer, minister and Doctor of Law. He was known in his time for political writing, and as "the Whig Johnson", though his reputation has lasted less well that Samuel Johnson's, and the resemblances were at a superficial level, Parr being no prose stylist,...
, LL.D.' (1790).
The papers which William Chapple had collected for an improved edition of Tristram Risdon
Tristram Risdon
Tristram Risdon was an English antiquary and topographer, and the author of Survey of the County of Devon. He was able to devote most of his life to writing this work. After he completed it in about 1632 it circulated around interested people in several manuscript copies for almost 80 years before...
's Survey of Devon, were entrusted to Badcock's care for arrangement and revision. The prosecution of the work was stopped by Badcock's death.