Benjamin Needler (1620–1682) was an English

ejected minister The Great Ejection followed the Act of Uniformity 1662 in England. Several thousand Puritan ministers were forced out of their positions in the Church of England, following Stuart Restoration, The Restoration of Charles II of England, Charles I ...

Life

The son of Thomas Needler, of Laleham,

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

, he was born on 29 November 1620. He was admitted to Merchant Taylors' School on 11 September 1634, and was elected to

St John's College, Oxford St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded as a men's college in 1555, it has been coeducational since 1979.Communication from Michael Riordan, college archivist Its founder, Sir Thomas White, intended to pro ...

, on 11 June 1642, matriculating on 1 July. He was elected fellow of his college in 1645, but appears to have been non-resident, as his submission is not registered. Joining the presbyterian party, he was summoned to assist the parliamentary visitors of the university in 1648, and was by them created B.C.L. on 14 April of the same year. On 8 August he was appointed to the rectory of St. Margaret Moses, Friday Street, London. It is not known whether he was ordained into episcopal orders or not. He was one of the ministers in London who in January 1648–9 signed the ''Serious and Faithful Representation'' to General Thomas Fairfax, petitioning for the life of King Charles I and the maintenance of parliament. In August 1662 Needler was ejected from his rectory by the Act of Uniformity. He went to

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, where he preached privately till the time of his death. He was buried at Odiham, near Winchfield, on 20 October 1682.

Works

Needler published ''Expository Notes with Practical Observations towards the opening of the five first Chapters of Genesis'', London, 1655, and three sermons which are reprinted in editions of '' Morning Exercises'' (cf. those of 1660, 1661, 1675, 1676, 1677, and 1844). He also wrote some verses on the death of

Jeremiah Whitaker Jeremiah Whitaker (1599–1654) was an English Puritan clergyman, and important member of the Westminster Assembly. Life He was born at Wakefield, Yorkshire, in 1599. After being educated at the grammar school there under the Rev. Philip Jack, he ...

, published in Simon Ashe's funeral sermon on Whitaker, ''Living Loves between Christ and Dying Christians'', London, 1654.

Family

On his marriage in 1651 with Marie, sister of Nathanael Culverwell, Needler resigned his fellowship at St. John's College. They had children, and the baptisms of six are recorded in the registers of St. Margaret Moses between January 1651–2 and May 1662, and the burials of two of them in 1658 and 1659 respectively. Culverwell Needler (fl. 1710), a son, (baptised 5 March 1656 at St. Margaret Moses), was appointed additional writing clerk to the House of Lords on 25 March 1679, and later on clerk-assistant to the House of Commons, a post he retained till December 1710, when he was disabled by

palsy Palsy is a medical term which refers to various types of paralysisDan Agin, ''More Than Genes: What Science Can Tell Us About Toxic Chemicals, Development, and the Risk to Our Children;; (2009), p. 172. or paresis, often accompanied by weakness and ...

. He published ''Debates of the House of Commons in January 1704'', London, 1721 (2nd ed.)

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Needler, Benjamin 1620 births 1683 deaths English Presbyterians Ejected English ministers of 1662 People from Laleham People educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood Fellows of St John's College, Oxford