Thomas Pyle
Encyclopedia
The Reverend Thomas Pyle (born at Stody
, Norfolk
, 1674, died Swaffham
, Norfolk, 31 December 1756) was a Church of England
clergyman and religious controversialist.
, he was educated at Gresham's School
, Holt
, and at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
, where he was admitted sizar on 17 May 1692, at the age of seventeen. He was elected a scholar of the College later the same year. He graduated BA
in 1696 and MA in 1699.
, bishop of Norwich
, whose chaplain, William Whiston
, commented that Pyle was one of the two best scholars he had ever examined.
He was appointed vicar of Thorpe Market
in 1698. In 1701, he was appointed minister of St Nicholas's Chapel in King's Lynn
. He was lecturer and curate of St Margaret's, King's Lynn, from 1711, and Rector of Outwell
(1709–18), Bexwell
(1708–9), and Watlington
(1710–26).
Pyle was a strong Whig
, and the accession of George I, together with the fact that King's Lynn
was represented in parliament by the prime minister, Robert Walpole
, gave Pyle hope of preferment in the church. His publications on the Bangorian controversy
gained him the friendship of Benjamin Hoadly
. After Hoadly became bishop of Salisbury
, Pyle gained the living of Durnford, in Wiltshire
. Pyle preached in London
, and his Paraphrase of the Acts and Epistles, in the Manner of Dr Clarke (1725) and another volume of paraphrases gained the support of dissenters and latitudinarians such as Samuel Chandler
, Samuel Clarke
, and Thomas Herring
. But Pyle never received additional preferment, even after Herring became Archbishop of Canterbury
.
Pyle made no secret of his views on the Trinity
, in which he adopted an Arian
position, revelling in what he called "the glorious prerogative of private judgement, the birth-right of Protestants".
In 1732, he exchanged his old livings for the vicarage of St Margaret's, King's Lynn, which he retained until 1755, when he retired to Swaffham and died on 31 December 1756.
, in 1701, and they had three sons, all clergymen. Edmund (1702–1776) was lecturer at St Nicholas's, King's Lynn, archdeacon of York
, chaplain to Bishop Benjamin Hoadly
and chaplain to the King. Thomas (1713–1807), became a canon of Salisbury
and of Winchester
. Philip (1724–1799), was Rector of North Lynn.
Stody
Stody is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is west south west of Cromer, north north west of Norwich and north north east of London. The village lies south west of the town of Holt.The nearest railway station is at Sheringham for the Bittern Line which...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, 1674, died Swaffham
Swaffham
Swaffham is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is situated east of King's Lynn and west of Norwich.The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 6,935 in 3,130 households...
, Norfolk, 31 December 1756) was a 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...
clergyman and religious controversialist.
Background and education
The son of the Reverend John Pyle (died 1709), Rector of StodyStody
Stody is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is west south west of Cromer, north north west of Norwich and north north east of London. The village lies south west of the town of Holt.The nearest railway station is at Sheringham for the Bittern Line which...
, he was educated at Gresham's School
Gresham's School
Gresham’s School is an independent coeducational boarding school in Holt in North Norfolk, England, a member of the HMC.The school was founded in 1555 by Sir John Gresham as a free grammar school for forty boys, following King Henry VIII's dissolution of the Augustinian priory at Beeston Regis...
, Holt
Holt, Norfolk
Holt is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...
, and at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Gonville and Caius College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college is often referred to simply as "Caius" , after its second founder, John Keys, who fashionably latinised the spelling of his name after studying in Italy.- Outline :Gonville and...
, where he was admitted sizar on 17 May 1692, at the age of seventeen. He was elected a scholar of the College later the same year. He graduated BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1696 and MA in 1699.
Career
Pyle was ordained deacon on 30 May 1697 and priest on 25 September 1698, by Dr John MooreJohn Moore (Bishop of Ely)
John Moore was an English cleric, scholar, and book collector. He was bishop of Norwich and bishop of Ely ....
, bishop of Norwich
Bishop of Norwich
The Bishop of Norwich is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Norwich in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers most of the County of Norfolk and part of Suffolk. The see is in the City of Norwich where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided...
, whose chaplain, William Whiston
William Whiston
William Whiston was an English theologian, historian, and mathematician. He is probably best known for his translation of the Antiquities of the Jews and other works by Josephus, his A New Theory of the Earth, and his Arianism...
, commented that Pyle was one of the two best scholars he had ever examined.
He was appointed vicar of Thorpe Market
Thorpe Market
Thorpe Market is a village in the English county of Norfolk. The village is 4.4 miles south of Cromer, and 20.5 miles north of Norwich. The nearest railway station is at Gunton for the Bittern Line which runs between Sheringham, Cromer and Norwich. The nearest airport is Norwich International...
in 1698. In 1701, he was appointed minister of St Nicholas's Chapel in King's Lynn
King's Lynn
King's Lynn is a sea port and market town in the ceremonial county of Norfolk in the East of England. It is situated north of London and west of Norwich. The population of the town is 42,800....
. He was lecturer and curate of St Margaret's, King's Lynn, from 1711, and Rector of Outwell
Outwell
Outwell is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk The village is west of Norwich, south-west of King's Lynn and north of London. The nearest town is Wisbech which is north west of the village. The Village is on the route of the A1101 Bury St. Edmunds to Long Sutton road...
(1709–18), Bexwell
Bexwell
Bexwell is a small village in Norfolk, England.Its church, St. Mary, is one of 124 existing round-tower churches in Norfolk.-External links:*, a round-tower church...
(1708–9), and Watlington
Watlington
Watlington could be*Watlington, Norfolk, England*Watlington, Oxfordshire, England*Whatlington, Sussex, England*Watlington, New Zealand...
(1710–26).
Pyle was a strong Whig
British Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
, and the accession of George I, together with the fact that King's Lynn
King's Lynn
King's Lynn is a sea port and market town in the ceremonial county of Norfolk in the East of England. It is situated north of London and west of Norwich. The population of the town is 42,800....
was represented in parliament by the prime minister, Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, KG, KB, PC , known before 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British statesman who is generally regarded as having been the first Prime Minister of Great Britain....
, gave Pyle hope of preferment in the church. His publications on the Bangorian controversy
Bangorian Controversy
The Bangorian Controversy was a theological argument within the Church of England in the early 18th century, with strong political overtones. The origins of the controversy lay in the 1716 posthumous publication of George Hickes's Constitution of the Catholic Church, and the Nature and...
gained him the friendship of Benjamin Hoadly
Benjamin Hoadly
Benjamin Hoadly was an English clergyman, who was successively Bishop of Bangor, Hereford, Salisbury, and Winchester. He is best known as the initiator of the Bangorian Controversy.-Life:...
. After Hoadly became bishop of Salisbury
Bishop of Salisbury
The Bishop of Salisbury is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset...
, Pyle gained the living of Durnford, in 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...
. Pyle preached in 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 his Paraphrase of the Acts and Epistles, in the Manner of Dr Clarke (1725) and another volume of paraphrases gained the support of dissenters and latitudinarians such as Samuel Chandler
Samuel Chandler
Samuel Chandler was an English Nonconformist minister.-Life:He was born at Hungerford in Berkshire, where his father was a minister. He was sent to school at Gloucester, where he began a lifelong friendship with Bishop Butler and Archbishop Secker; and he afterwards studied at Leiden...
, Samuel Clarke
Samuel Clarke
thumb|right|200px|Samuel ClarkeSamuel Clarke was an English philosopher and Anglican clergyman.-Early life and studies:...
, and Thomas Herring
Thomas Herring
Thomas Herring was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1747 to 1757.He was educated at Wisbech Grammar School and later Jesus College, Cambridge. At Cambridge, he was a contemporary of Matthew Hutton, who succeeded him in turn in each of his dioceses...
. But Pyle never received additional preferment, even after Herring became Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
.
Pyle made no secret of his views on the Trinity
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
, in which he adopted an Arian
Arianism
Arianism is the theological teaching attributed to Arius , a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt, concerning the relationship of the entities of the Trinity and the precise nature of the Son of God as being a subordinate entity to God the Father...
position, revelling in what he called "the glorious prerogative of private judgement, the birth-right of Protestants".
In 1732, he exchanged his old livings for the vicarage of St Margaret's, King's Lynn, which he retained until 1755, when he retired to Swaffham and died on 31 December 1756.
Publications
- On the Bangorian controversy, Pyle wrote A Vindication of the Bishop of Bangor, in Answer to the Exceptions of Mr Law (1718) and A Second Vindication (1718). He also published two tracts in reply to Henry Stebbing's on the matter.
- Paraphrase of the Acts and Epistles, in the Manner of Dr Clarke (1725)
- Three collections of his religious discourses were published by Philip Pyle in 1773, 1777, and 1783.
Family
Pyle married Mary Rolfe (1681/2–1748) of King's LynnKing's Lynn
King's Lynn is a sea port and market town in the ceremonial county of Norfolk in the East of England. It is situated north of London and west of Norwich. The population of the town is 42,800....
, in 1701, and they had three sons, all clergymen. Edmund (1702–1776) was lecturer at St Nicholas's, King's Lynn, archdeacon of York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, chaplain to Bishop Benjamin Hoadly
Benjamin Hoadly
Benjamin Hoadly was an English clergyman, who was successively Bishop of Bangor, Hereford, Salisbury, and Winchester. He is best known as the initiator of the Bangorian Controversy.-Life:...
and chaplain to the King. Thomas (1713–1807), became a canon of Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
and of Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
. Philip (1724–1799), was Rector of North Lynn.