Thomas Jollie
Encyclopedia
Thomas Jollie was an English Dissenter
, a minister ejected for his beliefs
from the Church of England
.
, near Manchester
, on 14 September 1629, and baptised on 29 September at Gorton Chapel, then in the parish of Manchester. His father, Major James Jollie (1610–1666), was provost-marshal general
of the forces in Lancashire
(1642–7), and was nominated (2 October 1646) an elder for Gorton in the first or Manchester classis in the presbyterial arrangement for Lancashire, but did not act, being an independent. He married Elizabeth Hall (d February 1689, aged 92), widow, of Droylsden, whose daughter by the former marriage was wife of Adam Martindale
. Thomas Jollie entered Trinity College, Cambridge
, in 1645, two years earlier than Oliver Heywood, with whom he formed a lifelong friendship. He does not seem to have graduated.
, a chapelry in the parish of Whalley, Lancashire, he settled there in September 1649. He formed at Altham despite opposition a ‘gathered church,’ and ministered there with growing repute. Excommunication was practised in his church with no respect of persons. In 1655 Jennet, daughter of Robert Cunliffe, a member of parliament for Lancashire
, was excommunicated for promising marriage to a papist (John Grimshaw) ‘against the advice of the church.’
. After the Restoration
Jollie got into trouble through not using the prayer-book
. Arrested on a warrant from three deputy-lieutenants, he was discharged on taking the oath of supremacy
. A second arrest was followed by an attempt to forcibly prevent his preaching. At length he was cited to the bishop's court at Chester
, and after three appearances was condemned to suspension. His suspension was delayed by the death of his bishop, Henry Ferne
, on 16 March 1662, but was carried into effect so as to prohibit him from preaching on 17 August. On the following Sunday (24 August) the Uniformity Act
came into force, and Jollie resigned his living.
After a time he moved to Healey, near Burnley
, Lancashire. Here in 1663 he was placed under arrest on suspicion, and was shortly afterwards committed to custody at Skipton
, on the charge of keeping a conventicle
. Soon after his release he was arrested while riding in Lancashire, and confined in York Castle
for some months in the winter. In 1664 he was seized at a conventicle and imprisoned for eleven weeks in Lancaster Castle
; in 1665 he was again under arrest. He had a friend in the presbyterian Lady Hoghton, whom he frequently visited at Hoghton Tower, Lancashire. In 1667 he bought the farmhouse of Wymondhouses, at the foot of Pendle Hill
, near Clitheroe
, in the parish of Whalley, Lancashire. In 1669 he was committed to gaol at Preston for six months, under the Five Miles Act
, for preaching near Altham. On the indulgence of 1672
he took out licenses for four preaching places at and about Wymondhouses. An ingenious arrangement of the staircase at Wymondhouses enabled him to evade arrest while preaching there after the revocation of indulgence. He was committed, however, for preaching at Slaidburn
, near Clitheroe, in 1674, and was fined £20. In 1684 he was brought before Chief-justice Jeffreys at Preston for keeping conventicles, was bound over to the next assizes, and was then discharged by Baron Atkins. At the revolution he built a meeting-house at Wymondhouses adjoining his residence. In 1689 an additional building was licensed at Sparth, and another later at Newton-in-Bowland, both in the parish of Whalley
.
and Oliver Heywood, he tried exorcism by prayer and fasting. The young man's recovery was slow; the religious meetings began on 8 May 1689, and were not effective till 24 March 1690. In a tract of 1697 Jollie ascribed his cure to the prayers of the nonconformists. Zachary Taylor (died 1703), vicar of Ormskirk
, son of an ejected minister of the same name, wrote two tracts (1697–9) to expose the ‘popery’ and ‘knavery’ of this business. John Carrington (died 1701), presbyterian minister at Lancaster, who had taken part in the exorcism, came forward in its defence; Frankland and Heywood were significantly silent.
, the Manchester presbyterian, to conduct the correspondence for the county. At the tenth meeting (12 April 1698) he preached the sermon. According to Calamy
‘he drew up a large essay for farther concord amongst evangelical reforming churches.’
and Samuel. His portrait hangs in Mansfield College, Oxford, the university's first Nonconformist college. Among his collateral descendants is William Bowland, the current 16th Lord of Bowland.
Curious extracts from an abstract of his Church Book are given by Hunter and Nightingale. Nightingale says the original is lost, but the portion of it from 1670 to 1693 was recovered by Mr. George Neilson of Glasgow.
English Dissenters
English Dissenters were Christians who separated from the Church of England in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.They originally agitated for a wide reaching Protestant Reformation of the Established Church, and triumphed briefly under Oliver Cromwell....
, a minister ejected for his beliefs
Great Ejection
The Great Ejection followed the Act of Uniformity 1662 in England. Two thousand Puritan ministers left their positions as Church of England clergy, following the changes after the restoration to power of Charles II....
from 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...
.
Biography
Thomas Jollie was born at DroylsdenDroylsden
Droylsden is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, in Greater Manchester, England. It is to the east of Manchester city centre, and west-southwest of Ashton-under-Lyne, it has a population of 23,172....
, near Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, on 14 September 1629, and baptised on 29 September at Gorton Chapel, then in the parish of Manchester. His father, Major James Jollie (1610–1666), was provost-marshal general
Provost Marshal
The Provost Marshal is the officer in the armed forces who is in charge of the military police .There may be a Provost Marshal serving at many levels of the hierarchy and he may also be the public safety officer of a military installation, responsible for the provision of fire, gate security, and...
of the forces in 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...
(1642–7), and was nominated (2 October 1646) an elder for Gorton in the first or Manchester classis in the presbyterial arrangement for Lancashire, but did not act, being an independent. He married Elizabeth Hall (d February 1689, aged 92), widow, of Droylsden, whose daughter by the former marriage was wife of Adam Martindale
Adam Martindale
Adam Martindale was a British presbyterian minister, closely involved in the evolution of presbyterianism in Lancashire in the seventeenth century.-Biography:...
. Thomas Jollie entered Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, in 1645, two years earlier than Oliver Heywood, with whom he formed a lifelong friendship. He does not seem to have graduated.
First ministry
Having received a unanimous call from the parishioners of AlthamAltham, Lancashire
Altham is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Hyndburn, in Lancashire, England. It is the only parish in the borough – the remainder is an unparished area. The village is west of Burnley, north of Accrington, and north-east of Clayton-le-Moors, and is on the A678 Blackburn to Burnley...
, a chapelry in the parish of Whalley, Lancashire, he settled there in September 1649. He formed at Altham despite opposition a ‘gathered church,’ and ministered there with growing repute. Excommunication was practised in his church with no respect of persons. In 1655 Jennet, daughter of Robert Cunliffe, a member of parliament for Lancashire
Lancashire (UK Parliament constituency)
Lancashire was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England from 1290, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832...
, was excommunicated for promising marriage to a papist (John Grimshaw) ‘against the advice of the church.’
Arrests
Jollie was one of twenty-one Lancashire ministers, presbyterian and independent, who met at Manchester on 13 July 1659 and subscribed ten articles of a proposed ‘accommodation’ between those two bodies. A further meeting was to have been held in the following September, but all such measures were broken off by the rising under George Booth, 1st Baron DelamerGeorge Booth, 1st Baron Delamer
George Booth, 1st Baron Delamer , known as Sir George Booth, 2nd Baronet, from 1652 to 1661, was an English peer.-Civil War:...
. After 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...
Jollie got into trouble through not using the prayer-book
Book of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
. Arrested on a warrant from three deputy-lieutenants, he was discharged on taking the oath of supremacy
Oath of Supremacy
The Oath of Supremacy, originally imposed by King Henry VIII of England through the Act of Supremacy 1534, but repealed by his daughter, Queen Mary I of England and reinstated under Mary's sister, Queen Elizabeth I of England under the Act of Supremacy 1559, provided for any person taking public or...
. A second arrest was followed by an attempt to forcibly prevent his preaching. At length he was cited to the bishop's court at Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
, and after three appearances was condemned to suspension. His suspension was delayed by the death of his bishop, Henry Ferne
Henry Ferne
-Life:Ferne was admitted to St Mary Hall, Oxford, in 1618, and to Trinity College, Cambridge in 1620. He graduated B.A. in 1623 and was elected fellow in 1624. He was awarded a D.D. at Cambridge in 1642...
, on 16 March 1662, but was carried into effect so as to prohibit him from preaching on 17 August. On the following Sunday (24 August) the Uniformity Act
Act of Uniformity 1662
The Act of Uniformity was an Act of the Parliament of England, 13&14 Ch.2 c. 4 ,The '16 Charles II c. 2' nomenclature is reference to the statute book of the numbered year of the reign of the named King in the stated chapter...
came into force, and Jollie resigned his living.
After a time he moved to Healey, near 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. Here in 1663 he was placed under arrest on suspicion, and was shortly afterwards committed to custody at Skipton
Skipton
Skipton is a market town and civil parish within the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is located along the course of both the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the River Aire, on the south side of the Yorkshire Dales, northwest of Bradford and west of York...
, on the charge of keeping a conventicle
Conventicle
A conventicle is a small, unofficial and unofficiated meeting of laypeople, to discuss religious issues in a non-threatening, intimate manner. Philipp Jakob Spener called for such associations in his Pia Desideria, and they were the foundation of the German Evangelical Lutheran Pietist movement...
. Soon after his release he was arrested while riding in Lancashire, and confined in York Castle
York Castle
York Castle in the city of York, England, is a fortified complex comprising, over the last nine centuries, a sequence of castles, prisons, law courts and other buildings on the south side of the River Foss. The now-ruinous keep of the medieval Norman castle is sometimes referred to as Clifford's...
for some months in the winter. In 1664 he was seized at a conventicle and imprisoned for eleven weeks in Lancaster Castle
Lancaster Castle
Lancaster Castle is a medieval castle located in Lancaster in the English county of Lancashire. Its early history is unclear, but may have been founded in the 11th century on the site of a Roman fort overlooking a crossing of the River Lune. In 1164, the Honour of Lancaster, including the...
; in 1665 he was again under arrest. He had a friend in the presbyterian Lady Hoghton, whom he frequently visited at Hoghton Tower, Lancashire. In 1667 he bought the farmhouse of Wymondhouses, at the foot of Pendle Hill
Pendle Hill
Pendle Hill is located in the north-east of Lancashire, England, near the towns of Burnley, Nelson, Colne, Clitheroe and Padiham, an area known as Pendleside. Its summit is above mean sea level. It gives its name to the Borough of Pendle. It is an isolated hill, separated from the Pennines to the...
, near 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...
, in the parish of Whalley, Lancashire. In 1669 he was committed to gaol at Preston for six months, under the Five Miles Act
Five Mile Act 1665
The Five Mile Act, or Oxford Act, or Nonconformists Act 1665, is an Act of the Parliament of England , passed in 1665 with the long title "An Act for restraining Non-Conformists from inhabiting in Corporations". It was one of the English penal laws that sought to enforce conformity to the...
, for preaching near Altham. On the indulgence of 1672
Royal Declaration of Indulgence
The Royal Declaration of Indulgence was Charles II of England's attempt to extend religious liberty to Protestant nonconformists and Roman Catholics in his realms, by suspending the execution of the penal laws that punished recusants from the Church of England...
he took out licenses for four preaching places at and about Wymondhouses. An ingenious arrangement of the staircase at Wymondhouses enabled him to evade arrest while preaching there after the revocation of indulgence. He was committed, however, for preaching at Slaidburn
Slaidburn
Slaidburn is a village and civil parish within the Ribble Valley district of Lancashire, England. With a population in 2001 of just under 300, it covers just over 5000 acres of the Forest of Bowland...
, near Clitheroe, in 1674, and was fined £20. In 1684 he was brought before Chief-justice Jeffreys at Preston for keeping conventicles, was bound over to the next assizes, and was then discharged by Baron Atkins. At the revolution he built a meeting-house at Wymondhouses adjoining his residence. In 1689 an additional building was licensed at Sparth, and another later at Newton-in-Bowland, both in the parish of Whalley
Whalley
Whalley is a large village in the Ribble Valley on the banks of the River Calder in Lancashire, England. It is overlooked by Whalley Nab, a large picturesque wooded hill over the river from the village....
.
Richard Dugdale
On 28 April 1689 Jollie took up the case of Richard Dugdale, the alleged ‘demoniack’ of Surey, near Clitheroe. He maintained that Dugdale's was ‘as real a possession as any in the gospels.’ With the aid of over twelve nonconforming divines, including Richard FranklandRichard Frankland (tutor)
Richard Frankland was an English nonconformist, notable for founding the Rathmell Academy, a dissenting academy in the north of England.-Biography:...
and Oliver Heywood, he tried exorcism by prayer and fasting. The young man's recovery was slow; the religious meetings began on 8 May 1689, and were not effective till 24 March 1690. In a tract of 1697 Jollie ascribed his cure to the prayers of the nonconformists. Zachary Taylor (died 1703), vicar of Ormskirk
Ormskirk
Ormskirk is a market town in West Lancashire, England. It is situated north of Liverpool city centre, northwest of St Helens, southeast of Southport and southwest of Preston.-Geography and administration:...
, son of an ejected minister of the same name, wrote two tracts (1697–9) to expose the ‘popery’ and ‘knavery’ of this business. John Carrington (died 1701), presbyterian minister at Lancaster, who had taken part in the exorcism, came forward in its defence; Frankland and Heywood were significantly silent.
Happy union
Though Jollie was a strong independent and a great stickler for his principles in the matter of ordination, he joined the ‘happy union’ of presbyterians and congregationalists, which was not introduced into Lancashire till 3 April 1693, when it had already been dissolved in London. At the third meeting (4 Sept. 1694) he was appointed, with Henry NewcomeHenry Newcome
-Life:He was the fourth son of Stephen Newcome, rector of Caldicote, Huntingdonshire. He was born at Caldicote, and baptised on27 Nov. 1627. His mother was Rose, daughter of Henry Williamson, B. D. ,...
, the Manchester presbyterian, to conduct the correspondence for the county. At the tenth meeting (12 April 1698) he preached the sermon. According to 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...
‘he drew up a large essay for farther concord amongst evangelical reforming churches.’
Death and family
Thomas died at Wymondhouses on 14 March 1703, and was buried on 18 March at Altham. He was three times a widower before he reached the age of thirty; his fourth wife died 8 June 1675, aged 42. He had two sons, TimothyTimothy Jollie
Timothy Jollie, , was a nonconformist minister and notable educator in the north of England.-Biography:Timothy Jollie, son of Thomas Jollie, was born at Altham, Lancashire, about 1659. On 27 August 1673 he entered the dissenting academy of Richard Frankland at Rathmell, Yorkshire...
and Samuel. His portrait hangs in Mansfield College, Oxford, the university's first Nonconformist college. Among his collateral descendants is William Bowland, the current 16th Lord of Bowland.
Publications
He published:- The Surey Demoniack, 1697. The tract appears to have been drafted by Jollie and expanded by Carrington; the preface, signed by ‘Thomas Jolly’ and five other divines, gives an account of the mysterious loss of the true copy; hence some particulars in this print were subsequently repudiated as inauthentic.
- A Vindication of the Surey Demoniack … By T. J., 1698, (at end is ‘Some Few Passages,’ &c., being the first draft of No. 1).
Curious extracts from an abstract of his Church Book are given by Hunter and Nightingale. Nightingale says the original is lost, but the portion of it from 1670 to 1693 was recovered by Mr. George Neilson of Glasgow.