John Breynton (1719 – 15 July 1799) was a minister in Halifax,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, Canada. He was born in

Trefeglwys Trefeglwys is a village and community in Powys, Wales, within the historic county of Montgomeryshire. The name derives from the Welsh language ''tref'' 'township' and ''eglwys'' 'church'. The village sits on the Afon Trannon. There are many a ...

Montgomeryshire Montgomeryshire, also known as ''Maldwyn'' ( cy, Sir Drefaldwyn meaning "the Shire of Baldwin's town"), is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It is named after its county tow ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

to John Breynton (born 1670

Llanidloes Llanidloes () is a town and community on the A470 and B4518 roads in Powys, within the historic county boundaries of Montgomeryshire ( cy, Sir Drefaldwyn), Wales. The population in 2011 was 2,929, of whom 15% could speak Welsh. It is the third ...

) and his second wife, and baptised on 13 April 1719. He spent his first 14 years between his home at

and school in nearby Newtown. From 1733 to 1738, he attended

Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13 –18) in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by Royal Charter, it was originally a boarding school for boys; girls have been admitted into the ...

, and in 1738, matriculated at

Magdalene College, Cambridge Magdalene College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary ...

, subsequently gaining a BA in 1741. In 1742, he was commissioned as a chaplain in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

. By 1745, he was a chaplain on a ship of war and served in the

Siege of Louisbourg (1745) The siege of Louisbourg took place in 1745 when a New England colonial force aided by a British fleet captured Louisbourg, the capital of the French province of Île-Royale (present-day Cape Breton Island) during the War of the Austrian Suc ...

. In 1750, he received an MA from Cambridge, and married Elizabeth Wade at

St Mary and St Michael Church, Trumpington Trumpington is a village and parish to the south of Cambridge, England. The village is an electoral ward of the City of Cambridge and a ward of South Cambridgeshire District Council. The 2011 Census recorded the ward's population as 8,034. Th ...

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...

. He was sent by the

Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societi ...

, or Venerable Society, to assist at St Paul's Church,

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...

under the auspices of the

Bishop of London A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

, while the rector

William Tutty Reverend William Tutty (c. 1715 – 24 November 1754) was an English-Canadian clergyman. Ordained in the Church of England, he moved to Canada in 1749 as a missionary for Nova Scotia. Life Tutty was educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, a ...

returned to London on private business, during which trip Tutty died in 1754. Breynton immediately took over as missionary and minister, or Rector, at St Paul's in 1754. Earlier, in 1753, he had founded the first free school in Nova Scotia. In 1760, he consecrated St George's 'Little Dutch' (Deutsch) Church - the second oldest church in Halifax, becoming fluent in German as a result. In 1770, he was awarded an

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

by the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

. He returned to London during 1771–1772 to collect his degree, but returned to resume his post in Halifax. By 30 October 1776, he was Chaplain to the

Royal Fencible American Regiment The Royal Fencible American Regiment of Foot (or RFA) was a Loyalist battalion of infantry raised in 1775 to defend British interests in the colony of Nova Scotia. The RFA was commanded by Lt. Col. Joseph Goreham throughout its existence. The most ...

. He baptised many Blacks in Halifax who arrived after the American Revolution. He also purchased a slaves freedom in 1776. On 13 September 1778, his first wife died, shortly before the 28 November 1778 wedding of their daughter Anne in

St George's, Hanover Square St George's, Hanover Square, is an Anglican church, the parish church of Mayfair in the City of Westminster, central London, built in the early eighteenth century as part of a project to build fifty new churches around London (the Queen Anne C ...

. By 6 September 1779, as a widower, he remarried and continued as Rector of St Paul's Church, Halifax. With his second wife, he appears to have returned to London shortly after 1785, continuing to draw his Halifax salary of £190 pa until he resigned and was replaced in 1791. In June 1792, he was lodging at Mary Riley's, 63 Edgware Road, London, when he was burgled. The burglar was caught and sentenced to death. Because of his fluency in German, he was reported to have been a chaplain to

Queen Charlotte Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and of Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until the union of the two kingdoms ...

. He remained in London until his death in 1799.

Family

Breynton married twice: He married firstly Elizabeth Wade (died 13 September 1778 Halifax, Nova Scotia), on 8 September 1750 at

, with issue: #Mary Breynton (CIR 1753–1795), married 19 Aug 1775 Halifax, Nova Scotia to Captain John Watson #Anne Breynton (1755–1829), married 28 November 1778 St George's Hanover Square, London to

Francis Perceval Eliot Francis Perceval Eliot (September 1755 – 23 August 1818) was an English soldier, auditor, and man of letters. In 1814 he succeeded his half-brother as Count Eliot, however he did not feel it was proper to assume the title.Marshall, John, ''Ro ...

#John Breynton (1756–1843), married 9 Jan 1793 St Mary's Church,

Lichfield Lichfield () is a cathedral city and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated roughly south-east of the county town of Stafford, south-east of Rugeley, north-east of Walsall, north-west of Tamworth and south-west of B ...

to Elizabeth Cotton #Henry Edward Breynton (1759–1761) He married secondly the widow, Mrs Mary Gerrish née Cradock, (18 May 1723 Boston, Massachusetts, United States - December 1806

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

, England), on 9 September 1779 at Halifax, Nova Scotia, with no issue. She was the daughter of George Cradock and his wife Mary née Lyde of Boston, Massachusetts, and the widow of Joseph Gerrish (Boston, Massachusetts 1709-1774 Halifax, Nova Scotia), whom she had married in 1768 Halifax, Nova Scotia. Breynton died on 15 July 1799 in

Edgware Road Edgware Road is a major road in London, England. The route originated as part of Roman Watling Street and, unusually in London, it runs for 10 miles in an almost perfectly straight line. Forming part of the modern A5 road, Edgware Road undergoes ...

Paddington Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Paddi ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. He was buried in the

St Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropolitan borough, it merge ...

Burial ground, Paddington Street, London. His widow died in December 1806 at

References

External links

*
Portrait of Rev Dr John Breynton, DD
* http://blackloyalist.com/canadiandigitalcollection/story/faith/anglican.htm * http://www.museeacadien.ca/argyle/html/body_egrant1.htm * http://www.uquebec.ca/musique/orgues/canada/halifaxsgac.html#English {{DEFAULTSORT:Breynton, John People from Montgomeryshire Royal Navy chaplains 18th-century Canadian Anglican priests People educated at Shrewsbury School Alumni of Magdalene College, Cambridge 1719 births 1799 deaths Burials at St Marylebone Parish Church