William Jenkyn
Encyclopedia
William Jenkyn was an English clergyman, imprisoned during the Interregnum
for his part in the ‘presbyterian plot’ of Christopher Love
, ejected minister in 1662, and imprisoned at the end of his life for nonconformity.
, Suffolk
, born at Sudbury and baptised at All Saints' Church in December 1613. His father, son of a gentleman of landed property at Folkestone
, Kent
, had been disinherited for his Puritan
ism. His mother, daughter of Richard Rogers of Wethersfield, Essex, was granddaughter of John Rogers, the protestant protomartyr in Mary's reign. On his father's death his grandfather sent for him to Folkestone; when he was nine years old his mother, who had remarried, claimed him, gave him a good education, and sent him to St John's College, Cambridge
, where he matriculated on 3 July 1628. He graduated B.A. 1632, migrated to Emmanuel College
in 1634, and graduated M.A. 1635. Some time afterwards he began to preach. Having held a lectureship at St. Nicholas Acons, London, he was presented by the crown (27 Jan. 1641) to the rectory of St. Leonard's (or the Hythe), Colchester
.
Fear of the ague
brought him back to London about 1642. On 1 February 1643 he was admitted to the vicarage of Christ Church, Newgate, which had been vacated by the death of Edward Finch
A few months later he obtained in addition a lectureship at St. Anne's, Blackfriars, of which William Gouge
, was rector. His controversy (1647-8) with John Goodwin exhibits him as a strong advocate of the presbyterian discipline.
Jenkyn was one of the Presbyterian remonstrants against the trial of Charles I, and would not observe the parliamentary thanksgiving for the destruction of the monarchy. His living was sequestrated (June 1650), and he was suspended from the ministry; his preferments were given to Christopher Feake
. He retired for six months to Billericay
, Essex
. Returning to London he joined in the abortive plot of Christopher Love for the restoration of Charles II. Thomas Cawton
, who had married his sister Elizabeth, was another of the plotters. Jenkyn was committed to the Tower of London
, and escaped execution only by help of a very submissive petition to the government. John Arthur, D.D., rector of Clapham, Surrey, drew it up for him, and parliament ordered it to be printed (15 October 1651; on 21 July 1688 it was burned by order of the convocation of Oxford University). Jenkyn was released from prison, and his sequestration removed, He allowed Feake to retain the vicarage of Christ Church, but conducted a Sunday-morning lectureship there (at seven o'clock), and another at St. Anne's, Blackfriars. On Gouge's death he succeeded him (1654) as rector of St. Anne's, but resigned this preferment on being again presented, some time (probably 1655) after Feake's deprival, to the vicarage of Christ Church.
His popularity was now at its height: he preached before parliament (24 September1656), and ceased to meddle with dangerous topics. Richard Baxter
calls him a 'sententious, elegant preacher.' He welcomed the Restoration
, but was ejected by the Uniformity Act of 1662.
Jenkyn preached two farewell sermons at Christ Church on 17 August 1662. He resolved to continue his ministry, and held conventicles in 1663. On the passing of the Conventicle Act (1664) he retired to a house of his own at King's Langley, Hertfordshire
, and continued to preach there every Sunday. The indulgence of 1672 brought him back to London; his license (2 April) for 'a howse or chamber in Home Alley, in Aldersgate Street,' was the first registered under the indulgence. In the same year he was chosen one of the first conductors of the 'merchants' lecture,' established jointly by Presbyterians and Independents at Pinners' Hall. His congregation built a meeting-house for him in Jewin Street; he always prayed for the king and government, and his service were connived at from the withdrawal of the indulgence in 1673 until 1682. Edmund Calamy
was present when his meeting was disturbed in the latter year by a band of soldiers.
After this he still preached privately, but was at length arrested (2 September1684) while attending a prayer-meeting with three other ministers. His friends escaped; Jenkyn owed his arrest to his politeness in stopping for a lady whose train blocked the stair. Refusing the Oxford oath (binding him to endeavour to make no change in church or state), he was committed to Newgate Prison
without option of a fine. His health soon failed; an ineffectual petition for his release was backed by medical certificate confirming that his life was in danger. He was forbidden to pray with any visitors, even his own daughter.
He died in Newgate on 19 January 1685. He was twice married, one of his wives being a daughter of Daniel Rogers
; his only son, William, was executed at Taunton
, on 30 September 1685, aged about 22, for complicity in Monmouth's rebellion.
(1654), and Lazarus Seaman
(1675). Also:
Verses by him are prefixed to the Marrow of Ecclesiastical History, 1654, by Samuel Clarke
. He prefixed an epistle to Jonathan Clapham's Full Discovery ... of the Quakers, &c., 1656; and subscribed the epistle prefixed to the second edition (1676) of Quakerism no Christianity, by John Faldo
.
His farewell sermons are in the Compleat Collection, &c., 1663; three of his sermons are in A Supplement to the Morning Exercise at Cripplegate, 1674-1676. He dissuaded Louis du Moulin from translating into Latin John Durel's View of the Government ... in the Reformed Churches (1662), threatening him, according to Anthony à Wood, with eternal damnation if he did it.
Interregnum
An interregnum is a period of discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order...
for his part in the ‘presbyterian plot’ of Christopher Love
Christopher Love
Christopher Love was a Welsh Protestant preacher and advocate of Presbyterianism at the time of the English Civil War. In 1651 he was executed by the government, after it was discovered that he had been in correspondence with the exiled Stuart court...
, ejected minister in 1662, and imprisoned at the end of his life for nonconformity.
Life
He was the eldest son of William Jenkyn (d. 1618), vicar of All Saints', SudburySudbury, Suffolk
Sudbury is a small, ancient market town in the county of Suffolk, England, on the River Stour, from Colchester and from London.-Early history:...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, born at Sudbury and baptised at All Saints' Church in December 1613. His father, son of a gentleman of landed property at Folkestone
Folkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
, 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...
, had been disinherited for his 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...
ism. His mother, daughter of Richard Rogers of Wethersfield, Essex, was granddaughter of John Rogers, the protestant protomartyr in Mary's reign. On his father's death his grandfather sent for him to Folkestone; when he was nine years old his mother, who had remarried, claimed him, gave him a good education, and sent him to St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
, where he matriculated on 3 July 1628. He graduated B.A. 1632, migrated to Emmanuel College
Emmanuel College, Cambridge
Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay on the site of a Dominican friary...
in 1634, and graduated M.A. 1635. Some time afterwards he began to preach. Having held a lectureship at St. Nicholas Acons, London, he was presented by the crown (27 Jan. 1641) to the rectory of St. Leonard's (or the Hythe), Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
.
Fear of the ague
Ague
Ague may refer to:* Fever* MalariaSee also:* Kan Ague, a residential area of Patikul, Sulu, Philippines...
brought him back to London about 1642. On 1 February 1643 he was admitted to the vicarage of Christ Church, Newgate, which had been vacated by the death of Edward Finch
Edward Finch
Edward Finch-Hatton was a diplomat and politician.He was born Hon. Edward Finch, 5th son of Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham and of Hon. Anne Hatton daughter and in her issue sole heiress of Christopher Hatton, 1st Viscount Hatton. He was educated at a school at Isleworth and at Trinity...
A few months later he obtained in addition a lectureship at St. Anne's, Blackfriars, of which William Gouge
William Gouge
William Gouge was an English clergyman and author. He was a minister and preacher at St Ann Blackfriars for 45 years, from 1608, and a member of the Westminster Assembly from 1643.-Life:...
, was rector. His controversy (1647-8) with John Goodwin exhibits him as a strong advocate of the presbyterian discipline.
Jenkyn was one of the Presbyterian remonstrants against the trial of Charles I, and would not observe the parliamentary thanksgiving for the destruction of the monarchy. His living was sequestrated (June 1650), and he was suspended from the ministry; his preferments were given to Christopher Feake
Christopher Feake
Christopher Feake was an English Independent minister and Fifth-monarchy man. He was imprisoned for maligning Oliver Cromwell in his preaching. He is a leading example of someone sharing both Leveller views and the millenarian approach of the Fifth Monarchists...
. He retired for six months to Billericay
Billericay
Billericay is a town and civil parish in the Basildon borough of Essex, England. It lies within the London Basin, has a population of 40,000, and constitutes a commuter town east of central London. The town has three secondary schools and a variety of open spaces...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. Returning to London he joined in the abortive plot of Christopher Love for the restoration of Charles II. Thomas Cawton
Thomas Cawton
Thomas Cawton, the elder was an English clergyman of presbyterian and royalist views. After the discovery of the plot of Christopher Love, he went into exile in the Netherlands.-Life:...
, who had married his sister Elizabeth, was another of the plotters. Jenkyn was committed to the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
, and escaped execution only by help of a very submissive petition to the government. John Arthur, D.D., rector of Clapham, Surrey, drew it up for him, and parliament ordered it to be printed (15 October 1651; on 21 July 1688 it was burned by order of the convocation of Oxford University). Jenkyn was released from prison, and his sequestration removed, He allowed Feake to retain the vicarage of Christ Church, but conducted a Sunday-morning lectureship there (at seven o'clock), and another at St. Anne's, Blackfriars. On Gouge's death he succeeded him (1654) as rector of St. Anne's, but resigned this preferment on being again presented, some time (probably 1655) after Feake's deprival, to the vicarage of Christ Church.
His popularity was now at its height: he preached before parliament (24 September1656), and ceased to meddle with dangerous topics. Richard Baxter
Richard Baxter
Richard Baxter was an English Puritan church leader, poet, hymn-writer, theologian, and controversialist. Dean Stanley called him "the chief of English Protestant Schoolmen". After some false starts, he made his reputation by his ministry at Kidderminster, and at around the same time began a long...
calls him a 'sententious, elegant preacher.' He welcomed 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...
, but was ejected by the Uniformity Act of 1662.
Jenkyn preached two farewell sermons at Christ Church on 17 August 1662. He resolved to continue his ministry, and held conventicles in 1663. On the passing of the Conventicle Act (1664) he retired to a house of his own at King's Langley, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, and continued to preach there every Sunday. The indulgence of 1672 brought him back to London; his license (2 April) for 'a howse or chamber in Home Alley, in Aldersgate Street,' was the first registered under the indulgence. In the same year he was chosen one of the first conductors of the 'merchants' lecture,' established jointly by Presbyterians and Independents at Pinners' Hall. His congregation built a meeting-house for him in Jewin Street; he always prayed for the king and government, and his service were connived at from the withdrawal of the indulgence in 1673 until 1682. Edmund Calamy
Edmund Calamy
Edmund Calamy may refer to:* Edmund Calamy the Elder , English Puritan divine* Edmund Calamy the Younger, English Puritan divine, son of Edmund Calamy the Elder...
was present when his meeting was disturbed in the latter year by a band of soldiers.
After this he still preached privately, but was at length arrested (2 September1684) while attending a prayer-meeting with three other ministers. His friends escaped; Jenkyn owed his arrest to his politeness in stopping for a lady whose train blocked the stair. Refusing the Oxford oath (binding him to endeavour to make no change in church or state), he was committed to Newgate Prison
Newgate Prison
Newgate Prison was a prison in London, at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey just inside the City of London. It was originally located at the site of a gate in the Roman London Wall. The gate/prison was rebuilt in the 12th century, and demolished in 1777...
without option of a fine. His health soon failed; an ineffectual petition for his release was backed by medical certificate confirming that his life was in danger. He was forbidden to pray with any visitors, even his own daughter.
He died in Newgate on 19 January 1685. He was twice married, one of his wives being a daughter of Daniel Rogers
Daniel Rogers (Puritan)
Daniel Rogers was an English nonconforming clergyman and religious writer. He is now best known for his conduct book Matrimoniall Honour.-Life:...
; his only son, William, was executed at Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
, on 30 September 1685, aged about 22, for complicity in Monmouth's rebellion.
Works
Jenkyn published a number of separate sermons, 1643–75, including a Latin concio ad theologos Londinensos (1659), funeral sermons for William GougeWilliam Gouge
William Gouge was an English clergyman and author. He was a minister and preacher at St Ann Blackfriars for 45 years, from 1608, and a member of the Westminster Assembly from 1643.-Life:...
(1654), and Lazarus Seaman
Lazarus Seaman
Lazarus Seaman , was an English clergyman, supporter in the Westminster Assembly of the Presbyterian party, intruded Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge, and nonconformist minister.-Life:...
(1675). Also:
- The Busie Bishop, or the Visitor Visited, &c., 1648, and The Blind Guide, or Doling Doctor, &.. 1648, (these two against John Goodwin).
- Certain Conscientious Queries, &c., 1651, (a defence of his petition after Love's plot).
- An Exposition of the Epistle of Jude, &c,, 1652-4, 2 vols.; reprinted 1658, fol. 1 vol.; also Glasgow, 1783, and London, 1840, 8vo, edited by James Sherman (Robert GroveRobert Grove (bishop)Robert Grove was an English Bishop of Chichester.-Life:Born in London in 1634 or 1635, he was the son of William Grove of Morden, Dorset. In 1645 he was sent to Winchester College, and was admitted a pensioner of St. John's College, Cambridge, on 18 October 1652. He was elected a scholar in 1653,...
, afterwards bishop of ChichesterBishop of ChichesterThe Bishop of Chichester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the Counties of East and West Sussex. The see is in the City of Chichester where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity...
, accused him of plagiarising from Thomas Adams. - Celeuma; seu Clamor ad Coelum adversus Theologos Hierarchiae Anglicanae, &c., 1679, (a vindication of the strong language used in his funeral sermon for Seaman).
- Refutatio eujusdem Scripti . . . Rob. Grovii, &c., 1681, fol. (defence of the foregoing from the Responsio, 1680, of Grove).
Verses by him are prefixed to the Marrow of Ecclesiastical History, 1654, by Samuel Clarke
Samuel Clarke (minister)
Samuel Clarke was an English clergyman and significant Puritan biographer.-Life:He was born 10 October 1599 at Wolston, Warwickshire, the son of Hugh Clarke , who was vicar of Wolston for forty years. Clarke was educated by his father till he was thirteen; then at the free school in Coventry; and...
. He prefixed an epistle to Jonathan Clapham's Full Discovery ... of the Quakers, &c., 1656; and subscribed the epistle prefixed to the second edition (1676) of Quakerism no Christianity, by John Faldo
John Faldo
-Life:Faldo is said to have been educated at Cambridge University, and to have been a chaplain in the army, so that he held no benefice when the Act of Uniformity 1662 became law. In 1673 he is described as a nonconforming minister at Barnet, and in 1684 was chosen pastor of the congregation at...
.
His farewell sermons are in the Compleat Collection, &c., 1663; three of his sermons are in A Supplement to the Morning Exercise at Cripplegate, 1674-1676. He dissuaded Louis du Moulin from translating into Latin John Durel's View of the Government ... in the Reformed Churches (1662), threatening him, according to Anthony à Wood, with eternal damnation if he did it.