Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T17:17:26.428Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Providence, Protestant Union and Godly Reformation in the 1690s The Alexander Prize Essay, Proxime Accessit

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 February 2009

Craig Rose
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

This paper requires some justification. In what is otherwise an under-researched period, the campaign for reformation of manners in the 1690s has been a very well-ploughed furrow indeed. Since the publication in 1957 of Dudley Bahlman's The Moral Revolution of 1688, there have been half a dozen major essays on reformation of manners, as well as some outstanding unpublished research. The work has not only been copious, but also of a very high standard. Nevertheless, there is one aspect of reformation of manners that has only been dealt with tangentially in the existing literature: the relationship between godly reformation and the cause of Protestant union. Historians have noted that the societies for reformation of manners were composed of both churchmen and dissenters, and that this stimulated high church attacks upon the societies in Anne's reign. But there has been little analysis of the ways in which the ideal of Protestant union coloured some aspects of reformation of manners. The second half of this paper seeks to fill that gap. But first it will be necessary to explore the providentialist context of reformation of manners ideology. We shall begin by taking a brief excursion to the island of Jamaica.

Type
Research Article
Information
Transactions of the Royal Historical Society , Volume 3 , December 1993 , pp. 151 - 169
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Historical Society 1993

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1 Bahlman, D. W. R., The Moral Revolution of 1688 (New Haven, Connecticut, 1957)Google Scholar; Curtis, T. C. and Speck, W. A., ‘The Societies for the Reformation of Manners: A Case Study in the Theory and Practice of Moral Reform’, Literature and History, III (03, 1976), 45–64Google Scholar; Duffy, Eamon, ‘Primitive Christianity Revived: Religious Renewal in Augustan England’, in Renaissance and Renewal in Christian History: Studies in Church History 21, ed. Baker, Derek (Oxford, 1977), 287–300Google Scholar; Isaacs, Tina, ‘The Anglican Hierarchy and the Reformation of Manners 1688–1738’, Journal of Ecclesiastical History, XXXIII (1982), 391–411CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Hayton, David, ‘Moral Reform and Country Politics in the late Seventeenth-Century House of Commons’, Past & Present, CXXVII (1990), 48–91CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Spurr, John, ‘The Church, the Societies and the Moral Revolution of 1688’, in From Toleration to Tractarianism The Church of England 1689–1833, eds, Walsh, John, Haydon, Colin and Taylor, Stephen (Cambridge, forthcoming)Google Scholar; Craig, A. G., ‘The Movement for Reformation of Manners, 1688–1715’ (University of Edinburgh PhD dissertation, 1980)Google Scholar. Tony Claydon of London University is nearing completion of a PhD thesis on government propaganda and reformation of manners in the 1690s. For an earlier contribution, see Portus, G. V., Caritas Anglicana (1912)Google Scholar.

2 Craig, , ‘Movement for Reformation’, 271–92Google Scholar; Isaacs, , ‘Anglican Hierarchy’, 401–3Google Scholar.

3 For brief discussions, see Craig, , ‘Movement for Reformation’, 189Google Scholar; Bahlmann, , Moral Revolution, 80–2Google Scholar.

4 H[isiorical] M[anuscripts] C[ommission] Kenyan MSS, 268.

5 Hatton, Charles to Hatton, Lord, 10 Aug. 1692, Correspondence of the Family of Hatton … 1601–1704, ed. Thompson, E. M. (2 vols., Camden Society, 1878), II, 183Google Scholar.

6 Same to the same, ibid., 184–5.

7 Sir Edmund King to Lord Hatton, 8 Sept. 1692, ibid., 184.

8 HMC Kenyan MSS, 266–8.

9 Fleming, Robert, A Discourse of Earthquakes (1693), 15–17Google Scholar.

10 Abigail Harley to Sir Edward Harley, 8 Sept. 1692, B[ritish] L[ibrary] Add MS 70116, unfoliated bundle of Abigail Harley's letters.

11 Sir Thomas Clarges to Robert Harley, 8 Sept. 1692, BL Add MS 70016, fols. 108–9.

12 A True and Faithfull Account of all the Earthquakes, and the Dreadful Effects thereof, That have happened in England since the Norman Conquest, to this Day (1692), 1–2.

13 Lapthorne, Richard to Coffin, Richard, 10 Sept. 1692, The Portledge Papers, ed. Kerr, R. J. and Duncan, Ida Coffin (1928), 147Google Scholar.

14 Robert Harley to Sir Edward Harley, 25 July 1693, BL Add MS 70017, fol. 126.

15 Matthew Henry to Philip Henry, 18 July 1693, D[octor] W[illiams's] L[ibrary] MS 90.7, letter 30.

16 The Note Book of the Rev. Thomas Jolly 1671–1693, ed. Fishwick, Henry (Manchester, Chetham Soc., 1894), 118Google Scholar.

17 The Diary of John Evelyn, ed. de Beer, E. S. (6 vols., Oxford, 1955), V, 152Google Scholar.

18 Ibid., 148.

19 Johnston, Nathaniel, The Dear Bargain; or, a true Representation of the State of the English Nation under the Dutch (1690)Google Scholar, reprinted in Sir Walter Scott, ed., A Collection of Scarce and Valuable Tracts … particularly that of the late Lord Somers (13 vols., 1813), X, 349–77, quotation at 377.

20 Remarks upon the present Confederacy, and the late Revolution in England (1693), reprinted in Somers Tracts, X, 491–523, quotation at 522–3.

21 Halley, George, A Sermon Preached in the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of St Peter in York, On Thursday the Fourteenth of February, 1688/9 (1689), 22Google Scholar.

22 Ibid., 27–8.

23 A Word of Advice unto all those that have a Right to Choose Parliament-Men (1690), 1.

24 Goodwin, Thomas, Of the Happiness of Princes led by Divine Counsel. A Sermon Occasioned by the Death Of that most Excellent Princess, Our late Sovereign Queen Mary (1695), 24Google Scholar.

25 Bowber, Thomas, A Sermon Preached in the Parish-Church of St Swithin, London, March 10th 1694/5 Upon the Much lamented Death Of our Most Gracious Queen (1695), 2Google Scholar.

26 Ibid., 21–2.

27 Burnet, Gilbert, An Essay on the Memory Of the late Queen (1695), 38–43Google Scholar, quotation at 43.

28 Woodhouse, John, A Sermon Preach'd at Salters-Hall, to the Societies for Reformation of Manners, May 31 1697 (1697), 51Google Scholar.

29 Stephens, Edward, Reflections upon the Occurrences of the Last Year from 5 Nov. 1688 to 5 Nov. 1689 (1689), 12–13Google Scholar.

30 Ibid., 19–23, quotation at 22–3.

31 Ibid., 32. Soon after William's landing in England, Stephens had presented him with a draft of a declaration against debauchery. It was the King's failure to implement his scheme which lay at the bottom of Stephens's animus; see ibid., 21–2; idem., The True English Government, and Misgovenment Of the Four last Kings (1689), 7–8.

32 In the course of the 1690s, perhaps because of disillusion with King William, Stephens came to espouse fiercely anti-erastian views. In fact, he argued that the erastianism of the reformation had unchurched the Church of England. For a brief review of Stephens's ideas, see Duffy, , ‘Primitive Christianity’, 297–8Google Scholar.

33 DWL MS 28.4, fol. 59.

34 Ibid., fols. 61–2.

35 Marshall, D. N., ‘Protestant Dissent in England in the Reign of James II’ (University of Hull PhD dissertation, 1976), 554–9Google Scholar.

36 F[rancis] T[allents?] to Richard Baxter, 12 February 1690, DWL MS 59.5, fol. 125.

37 Stephens, Edward, A Caveat against Flattery and Profanation of Sacred things to Secular Ends (1689), 24–5Google Scholar.

38 G[ailhard], J[ean], Some Observations upon the Keeping the Thirtieth of January and Twenty-ninth of May (1694)Google Scholar, reprinted in Somers Tracts, IX, 481–509, quotation at 502.

39 Quoted in Papillon, A. F. W., Memoirs of Thomas Papillon, of London, Merchant (1623–1702) (Reading, 1877), 374–5Google Scholar.

40 DWL Morrice Ent'ring Book Q, 495. See also The Speech of the Right Honourable Henry Earl of Warrington, Lord Delamere, to the Grand Jury at Chester, April 13 1692 (1692), printed in A Collection of State Tracts, Publish'd during the Reign of King William III (3 vols., 1705–1707), II, 195–200Google Scholar, esp. 198–9.

41 Jacob, Margaret C., The Newtonians and the English Revolution (Hassocks, 1976), 71Google Scholar.

42 BL Add MS 70015, fol. 276. Of the thirteen signatories, at least ten were either strong supporters of comprehension or noted latitudinarians: Tillotson of Canterbury, Compton of London, Burnet of Salisbury, Patrick of Ely, Sharp of York, Hall of Bristol, Stillingfleet of Worcester, Stratford of Chester, Grove of Chichester, and Kidder of Bath and Wells. Of these ten, only Compton had sat on the bench before the revolution. The three other signatories were Mews of Winchester, Hough of Oxford and Moore of Norwich.

43 Craig, , ‘Movement for Reformation’, 59Google Scholar.

44 His Majesty's Letter to the Right Reverend Father in God Henry Lord Bishop of London, to be communicated to the Two Provinces of Canterbury and York, 13 February 1689/90 (1690), reprinted in Somers Tracts, IX, 588–90, quotation at 589.

45 Claydon, Tony, ‘Moral Reformation in the 1690s: Country or Court?’ (paper read at the Cambridge Early Modern British History Seminar, 30 12 1991)Google Scholar.

46 The Pepys Ballads, ed. Rollins, Hyder Edward (8 vols., Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1929–1932), V, 85Google Scholar.

47 Bowen, Marjorie, ed., The Third Mary Stuart: Mary of York, Orange and England. Being a Character Study with Memoirs and Letters of Queen Mary II of England 1662–1694 (1929), 238Google Scholar.

48 Ibid., 156.

49 Ibid., 249.

50 Burnet, , Essay on the Memory, 134Google Scholar.

51 Ibid., 102.

52 Howe, John, A Discourse Relating To the Much-lamented, And Solemn Funeral Of Our Incomparable and most Gracious Queen Mary, Of most Blessed Memory (1695), 36Google Scholar.

53 Bates, William, A Sermon Preached upon the much Lamented Death Of our Late Gracious Sovereign Queen Mary (1695), 20Google Scholar.

54 Payne, William, A Sermon Upon the Death of the Queen, Preached in the Parish-Church of St Mary White-Chappel (1695), 16Google Scholar.

55 Burnet, , Essay on the Memory, 102–3Google Scholar.

56 Bowen, , Third Mary Stuart, 161, 167, 231Google Scholar.

57 Birch, Thomas, The life of the Most Reverend Dr John Tillotson, Lord Archbishop of Canterbury (1752), 249. 338–9Google Scholar.

58 Bates, , Sermon Preached, 20Google Scholar.

59 Quoted in Birch, , Life of Tillotson, 432Google Scholar.

60 Howe, , Discourse Relating, 38Google Scholar.

61 Lapthorne, Richard to Coffin, Richard, 8 11 1690, Portledge Papers, 90Google Scholar.

62 Same to the same, 1 Aug. 1691, ibid., 117.

63 Craig, , ‘Movement for Reformation’, 25–8Google Scholar.

64 Ibid., 31–2.

65 Ibid., 41–63.

66 Ibid., 72–3; Bahlman, , Moral Revolution, 37–8Google Scholar. A reformation society established by Edward Harley the younger in 1693 was independent of the First Society.

67 Craig, , ‘Movement for Reformation’, 178Google Scholar.

68 Ibid., 95.

69 Draft biography of Colchester, History of Parliament Trust. I am grateful to Dr David Hayton for permitting me to consult this biography, and for enlightening me on Sir John Maynard's influence over his grandson.

70 Schwartz, Hillel, The French Prophets: The History of a Millenarian Group in Eighteenth-Century England (Berkeley, California, 1980), 79–80, 232, n.38Google Scholar.

71 Stephens, , Caveat against Flattery, 33, 36Google Scholar. Stephens's broad Protestant sympathies cast doubt on Eamon Duffy's characterisation of him as a ‘high-churchman’; see Duffy, , ‘Primitive Christianity’, 297Google Scholar.

72 An Account of the Societies for Reformation of Manners, In England and Ireland (2nd edn, 1699), 109.

73 Calamy, Edmund, A Sermon Preach'd before the Societies for Reformation of Manners, in London and Middlesex, upon Monday, Febr. 20 1698–9 (1699)Google Scholar, epistle dedicatory (unpaginated).

74 Williams, Daniel, A Sermon Preached at Salters-Hall, To the Societies for Reformation of Manners, May 16 1698 (1698)Google Scholar, preface (unpaginated).

75 Shower, John, A Sermon Preach'd to the Societies for Reformation of Manners, in the Cities of London and Westminster, Nov. 15 1697 (1698), 59–60Google Scholar.

76 Williams, , A Sermon Preach'd, 54Google Scholar.

77 [Hooke, John], A Short Account of Several Kind of Societies, Set up of late Years, for the promoting of God's Worship, for the Reformation of Manners, and for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge (1700), 2Google Scholar. For Hooke's authorship of this tract, see Rose, C. M., ‘Politics, Religion and Charity in Augustan London C.1680–C.1720’ (University of Cambridge PhD dissertation, 1989), 82Google Scholar.

78 Bradford, Samuel, A Sermon Preach'd at the Church of St Mary le Bow, to the Societies for Reformation of Manners, Octob. 4 1697 (1697), 42–3Google Scholar.

79 This term was coined by Colin Davis to denote a central characteristic of Cromwellian churchmanship; see Davis, Colin, ‘Cromwell's religion’, in Morrill, John, ed., Oliver Cromwell and the English Revolution (1990), 181–208, at 191Google Scholar.

80 Howe, John, A Sermon Preach'd Febr. 14 1698. And now Publish'd at the Request of the Societies for Reformation of Manners in London and Westminster (1698), 48Google Scholar.

81 Rogers, Henry, The Life and Character of John Howe. With an Analysis of His Writings (1836), 30–1, 82–4Google Scholar; Horton, R. F., John Howe (1895), 37, 49–50Google Scholar.

82 Davis, , ‘Cromwell's religion’, 201–7Google Scholar; Worden, Blair, ‘Toleration and the Cromwellian Protectorate’, in Persecution and Toleration: Studies in Church History 21, ed. Shiels, W. J. (Oxford, 1984), 199–233, esp. 210–11Google Scholar.