Clergy

Clergy, particularly those of the Church of England, had major roles in the county. As well as conducting services and pastoral work, many vicars and rectors enjoyed the fruits of significant landholdings - at least whilst they were in post - and some made a substantial contribution to providing education locally, as well as being involved in local government. The majority of Anglican clergy had university education with many originating in the upper ranks of society, but by no means all.

The caricatures in the picture shown above come from A Clerical Alphabet by Richard Newton which was published in 1795. Naturally, other types of personality were also to be found amongst the men of the cloth.

Northamptonshire & Rutland Clergy from 1500 by Henry Isham Longden (**)

Northamptonshire is fortunate in having exceptionally thorough lists of the Anglican clergy who at any stage of their careers served in the county. These volumes were published between 1938 and 1943. They record, where discovered by the author, the education and career of each individual including posts held outside the two counties. In many cases, details of the person's family are recorded and even wills that they witnessed are often identified. Essays about some particular individuals and related subjects can be found in the earlier pages of each book before an alphabetically arranged directory of the clergy whose surnames are in the relevant range (shown below in brackets for each volume).

The link to a volume leads to its catalogue entry and opportunities to search the contents of that book or to select "view inside" which provides access page-by-page.

• Volume 1 (Abbey to Bass)
• Volume 2 (Bassendyn to Byworth)
• Volume 3 (Cable to Cutt)
• Volume 4 (Dacres to Eyres)
• Volume 5 (Facer to Goodriche)
• Volume 6 (Goodwin to Higham)
• Volume 7 (Hill to Jemson)
• Volume 8 (Jeniver to Liptrott)
• Volume 9 (Lisset to Morton)
• Volume 10 (Morwen to Phytheon)
• Volume 11 (Picard to Royston)
• Volume 12 (Ruby to Sparkes)
• Volume 13 (Sparrow to Tournay)
• Volume 14 (Tow to Wethered)
• Volume 15 (Wetherle or Wetherley to Zulley) - The preface of this volume consists largely of a substantial biography of Henry Isham Longden, composed by Miss Joan Wake.
• Volume 16 Corrections and extensive additional material to the contents of volumes 1 to 15. There are separate indexes to the persons, places and subjects that appear in the whole series. The Contents and Preface pages assist navigation and in understanding the scope of volume 16 itself.

Material about local clergy in general

• Clergy deprived in Queen Mary's Reign Names and parishes of 32 individuals who were deprived of their livings in 1554 and 1555.
• Clergy of the Church of England is an extensive but not comprehensive database where the clergy and parishes in Northamptonshire can be explored by filtering the search to the Diocese of Peterborough. There are more detailed references to primary sources than in Longden's books but the non-clerical details that he often supplied are absent.
• Walker Revised being a revision of John Walker’s Sufferings of the Clergy during the Grand Rebellion 1642-1660 by AG Matthews [1948] This greatly expands material that was published in 1714 by John Walker about the clergy who had been deprived of their livings or suffered other sanctions during the Civil War and Commonwealth. Separate chapters concern those with posts in cathedrals, collegiate churches, the universities, London and county-by-county. Clergy of Peterborough cathedral are listed on page 13 and those with Northamptonshire parishes start at page 275. There is a comprehensive index of the sufferers.

Nonconformity

From the seventeenth century onwards, a growing number and variety of nonconformist churches and chapels operated in Northamptonshire. Our Nonconformity page flags up sources about the history of the denominations and their places of worship in the county. Some nonconformist ministers had notable roles locally and further afield and appear among the individuals listed below.

Prebendaries of Peterborough Cathedral

Names of groups of prebendaries (later called canons) with details of their careers, are arranged within articles about each of the Cathedral stalls that they occupied:

• First stall
• Second stall
• Third stall

Individual clergy

This section lists works about specific members of the clergy regardless of their denomination:

• Ambrose The Prodigal Rector in the Fleet by Barbara Hornby [2007] (page 72) Why Rev John Ambrose, rector of Blisworth from 1797 to 1839, spent some of that time imprisoned for debt.
• Ambrose The Prodigal Rector of Blisworth by George Freeston and Barbara Hornby [2002] (page 44) Background and incidents in the wayward life of Rev John Ambrose.
• Benedict Benedict of Peterborough and the Cult of Thomas Becket by Edmund King [1996] (page 213)
• Bill William Bill by J S W Gibson [1973] (page 32) Probate records for this vicar of Easton Neston who was buried at Banbury in 1612.
• Blaydes Frederick Blaydes of Harringworth: A Victorian Scholar-Parson and his Family by Nigel Aston [1995) (page 159)
• Brown John Turland Brown by John Taylor [1897] (page 50) Born at Bugbrooke, he was minister of College Street Baptist chapel, Northampton from 1843 to 1894. His ministry extended as far as America and Jamaica.
• Browne Robert Browne, Leader of the Brownists by E Ruth Wagstaff [1996] (page 227)
• Bugg The Rev. George Bugg: The Fortunes of a 19th Century Curate by Rosemary Dunhill [1983] (page 41)
• Carey William Carey: A Biography by Joseph Belcher [1853]
• Cary-Elwes Bishop Charles Dudley Cary–Elwes of Billing and Northampton: a Reappraisal by Margaret Osborne [2014] (page 66)
• Castell William Castell of Courteenhall: A Seventeenth Century Pioneer of Missionary Work by Peter Gordon [1993] (page 354)
• Compton Rev Thomas Compton rector of Great Holland 1725-1761 by John Taylor [1896]
• Davis Richard Davis (1658-1714), Independent Minister Minister of Rothwell independent chapel from 1689 to 1714.
• Davis Richard Davis and Revival in Northamptonshire by Stephen Pickles Graham Ward's review of this book includes discussion of Davis' ministry and influence at Rothwell and beyond.
• Doddridge Memoirs of Philip Doddridge D.D. of Northampton by Job Orton [1766]
• Doddridge Philip Doddridge and Northamptonshire by Geoffrey F Nuttall [1980] (page 127)
• Fuller Memoirs of the life and writings of the Rev. Andrew Fuller by John Webster Morris [1830] From 1782 until his death in 1815, Andrew Fuller pastored the Baptist congregation at Kettering. He had a major role in founding the Baptist Missionary Society.
• Hellins Potterspury's Clerical Mathematician by J D Clamp [1992] (page 275) John Hellins, vicar of Potterspury from 1790 until his death in 1827, was noted for his scientific attainments.
• Hervey The works of the Rev James Hervey [1837] A short biography of this vicar of Weston Favell, followed by more than 900 pages of his essays, sermons and letters on theological and other subjects.
• Holdich A Victorian Rector and his Village: J H Holdich at Bulwick by Tony Ireson [1984] (page 106)
• Holthouse Charles Scrafton Holthouse, MA (1815-1881); his Life and Works as Vicar of Hellidon 1848-1881 by Jenifer Fell [1999] (page 69)
• Hopkins Charles Edward Hopkins, Rector of Grafton Underwood 1894-1928 by Tony Ireson [1996] (page 278)
• Jackson Brixworth - An 18th Century Parish Register Analysis by Francis Howcutt [1985] James Jackson, vicar of Brixworth from 1735 to 1770, compiled one of the earliest transcriptions of a parish register.
• Jenkinson Baptist as Radical: The Life and Opinions of the Rev. John Jenkinson of Kettering (1799-1876) by R L Greenall [1991] (page 210)
• Jenkinson The Autobiography of The Rev John Jenkinson edited by R L Greenall [2010] The life and work of a market gardener who later served as a Baptist minister at Kettering and Oakham.
• Litchfield Parson as a Man of Affairs: The Rev Francis Litchfield of Farthinghoe (1792-1876) by R L Greenall [1990] (page 121)
• Longden Biography of Henry Isham Longden by Joan Wake [1943] (page v) (**) As well as being Rector of Heyford from 1897 to 1942, he was a major local historian.
• Magee William Connor Magee by John Taylor [1896]  The notable bishop of Peterborough from 1868 to 1891.
• Maynard A Place in History through Memoirs by Barbara Hornby [1998] (page 22) Biography and description of memoir written by Dr Edward Maynard, the Rector of Boddington from 1696-1740.
• Palmer Gregory Palmer of West Haddon by Francis Howcutt [2024] The story of the vicar of West Haddon from 1641 to 1693 and his family.
• Percy Thomas Percy and Samuel Johnson by Gyles Isham [1968] (page 139) Thomas Percy was vicar of Easton Maudit from 1753 to 1780.
• Poole George Ayliffe Poole Obituary of the vicar of Welford and Rector of Winwick who died in 1883, including lists of his many published works.
• Sanderson Cecily Sanderson of Little Addington & Moulton by Francis Howcutt [2025] includes much about Cecily's father, Laurence Sanderson, who was vicar of Little Addington from 1627 to 1646.
• Saunderson The Last of the Saundersons Recollections about Rev Thomas Saunderson of Little Addington who died in 1855.
• Sargeaunt Sargeaunts and Shoemakers by W T Sargeaunt [1965] (page 280) John Sargeaunt (1799-1858), vicar of Doddington and then rector of Stanwick, was also a noted opponent of the Corn Laws.
• Troop Thomas Troop: from weaver's son to vicar by Francis Howcutt [2026] Thomas Troop from Stamford was the curate of Clopton in 1665.
• Whiting A 17th Century Northamptonshire Poet-Parson by J R S Whiting [1969] (page 223) Nathaniel Whiting lost his living at All Saints, Aldwincle in 1662, after which he ministered to a dissenting congregation at Cranford.
• Yate A Whittlebury Curate Tribute to Rev John Yate.