Edmund Calamy (5 April 1671 – 3 June 1732) was an English
Nonconformist
Nonconformity or nonconformism may refer to:
Culture and society
* Insubordination, the act of willfully disobeying an order of one's superior
*Dissent, a sentiment or philosophy of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or entity
** ...
churchman and historian.
Life
A grandson of
Edmund Calamy the Elder
Edmund Calamy (February 160029 October 1666) was an English Presbyterian church leader and divine. Known as "the elder", he was the first of four generations of nonconformist ministers bearing the same name.
Early life
The Calamy family claimed ...
, he was born in the
City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...
, in the parish of
St Mary Aldermanbury
St Mary Aldermanbury was a parish church in the City of London first mentioned in 1181 and destroyed by the Great Fire of London in 1666. Rebuilt in Portland stone by Christopher Wren, it was again gutted by the Blitz in 1940, leaving only the ...
. He was sent to various schools, including
Merchant Taylors', and in 1688 proceeded to
Utrecht University
Utrecht University (UU; nl, Universiteit Utrecht, formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2018, it had an enrollme ...
. While there, he declined an offer of a professor's chair in the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
made to him by the principal,
William Carstares
William Carstares (also Carstaires) (11 February 164928 December 1715) was a minister of the Church of Scotland, active in Whig politics.
Early life
Carstares was born at Cathcart, near Glasgow, Scotland, the son of the Rev. John Carstares, a ...
, who had gone over on purpose to find suitable men for such posts.
After his return to England in 1691 he began to study
divinity
Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.[divine ...](_blank)
, and on
Richard Baxter
Richard Baxter (12 November 1615 – 8 December 1691) was an English Puritan church leader, poet, hymnodist, theologian, and controversialist. Dean Stanley called him "the chief of English Protestant Schoolmen". After some false starts, he ...
's advice went to
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, where he was much influenced by
William Chillingworth
William Chillingworth (12 October 160230 January 1644) was a controversial English churchman.
Early life
He was born in Oxford, where his father served as mayor; William Laud was his godfather. In June 1618 he became a scholar of Trinity Coll ...
. He declined invitations from
Andover
Andover may refer to:
Places Australia
* Andover, Tasmania
Canada
* Andover Parish, New Brunswick
* Perth-Andover, New Brunswick
United Kingdom
* Andover, Hampshire, England
** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station
United States
* Ando ...
and
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, and accepted one as assistant to
Matthew Sylvester at
Blackfriars, London
Blackfriars is in central London, specifically the south-west corner of the City of London.
Blackfriars Priory
The name is first visible today in records of 1317 in many orthographies. Friar evolved from la, frater as french: frère has, mea ...
(1692).
[Calamy, "An historical Account of my life, with some reflections on the times i have lived in, 1671-1731, ed. J. T. Rutt, 2nd ed.,(1830), 300-1.] In June 1694 he was publicly ordained at
Samuel Annesley
Samuel Annesley (c. 1620 – 1696) was a prominent Puritan and nonconformist pastor, best known for the sermons he collected as the series of ''Morning Exercises''.
Life
He was born in Haseley, in Warwickshire in 1620, and christened on the 26th ...
's meeting-house in Little St Helen's,
Bishopsgate
Bishopsgate was one of the eastern gates in London's former defensive wall. The gate gave its name to the Bishopsgate Ward of the City of London. The ward is traditionally divided into ''Bishopsgate Within'', inside the line wall, and ''Bishop ...
, and soon afterwards was invited to become assistant to
Daniel Williams in Hand Alley, Bishopsgate. In 1702 he was chosen one of the lecturers in
Salters' Hall
The Worshipful Company of Salters is one of the Livery Company, Livery Companies of the City of London, 9th in order of precedence. The Company originated as the Guild of Corpus Christi, which was granted a Royal Charter of incorporation in 139 ...
, and in 1703 he succeeded
Vincent Alsop as pastor of a large congregation in Tothill Street,
Westminster
Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster.
The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...
. Calamy was a moderate Presbyterian, following the theology of Baxter.
In 1709 Calamy made a tour through Scotland, and had the degree of
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 ...
conferred on him by the universities of
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
,
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
and
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
.
His friendship with Williams was important for his development as a historian. He was appointed one of the original trustees of the Presbyterian Fund in 1703, and, on the foundation of Dr Williams Charity, was his legacy trustee. This enabled the construction of the
Dr Williams's Library
Dr Williams's Library is a small English research library in Gordon Square, Bloomsbury, London. Historically, it has had a strong Unitarian focus. The library has also been known as University Hall.
History
The library was founded using the e ...
in Red Cross Street.
He died on 3 June 1732 and was buried on 9 June at
St Mary Aldermanbury
St Mary Aldermanbury was a parish church in the City of London first mentioned in 1181 and destroyed by the Great Fire of London in 1666. Rebuilt in Portland stone by Christopher Wren, it was again gutted by the Blitz in 1940, leaving only the ...
. He married twice, leaving six of his thirteen children to survive him. His eldest son was
Edmund Calamy IV (1698-1755), Presbyterian minister in London. His son (Edmund, the fifth) was a barrister who died in 1816; and this one's son (Edmund, the sixth) died in 1850, his younger brother Michael, the last of the direct Calamy line, surviving till 1876.
Works
Calamy's forty-one publications are mainly sermons, but his fame rests on his nonconformist biographies. His great hero was Baxter, of whom he wrote three distinct memoirs.
His first essay was a table of contents to Baxter's ''Narrative'' of his life and times, which was sent to the press in 1696; he made some remarks on the work itself and added to it an index, and, reflecting on the usefulness of the book, he saw the expediency of continuing it, as Baxter's history came no further than the year 1684. Accordingly, he composed an abridgment of it, with an account of many other ministers who
were ejected in 1662 after the
restoration
Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to:
* Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage
** Audio restoration
** Film restoration
** Image restoration
** Textile restoration
* Restoration ecology
...
of
Charles II.; their apology, containing the grounds of their nonconformity and practice as to stated and occasional communion with the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
; and a continuation of their history until the year 1691. This work was published in 1702. The most important chapter (ix.) is that which gives a detailed account of the ministers ejected in 1662; it was afterwards published as a distinct volume. He afterwards published a moderate defence of Nonconformity, in three tracts, in answer to some tracts of
Benjamin Hoadly
Benjamin Hoadly (14 November 1676 – 17 April 1761) was an English clergyman, who was successively Bishop of Bangor, of Hereford, of Salisbury, and finally of Winchester. He is best known as the initiator of the Bangorian Controversy.
Li ...
.
In 1713 he published a second edition (2 vols.) of his ''Abridgment of Baxter's History'', in which, among various additions, there is a continuation of the history through the reigns of
William
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
and
Anne
Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie.
Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...
, down to the passing of the
Occasional Bill. At the end of volume 1 is subjoined the reformed liturgy, which was drawn up and presented to the bishops in 1661. Volume 2 is an expansion of chapter ix. of the 1702 edition giving greater detail about ministers ejected in 1662.
In 1718 he wrote a vindication of his grandfather and several other persons against certain reflections cast upon them by
Laurence Echard
Laurence Echard (c. 1670–1730) was an English historian and clergyman. He wrote a ''History of England'' that was a standard work in its time.
Life
Echard was the son of the Rev. Thomas Echard or Eachard of Barsham, Suffolk, by his wife, th ...
in his ''History of England''. In 1719 he published ''The Church and the Dissenters Compar'd as to Persecution'', and in 1727 appeared his ''Continuation of the Account'' of the ejected ministers and teachers, a volume which is really a series of emendations of the previously published account.
* ''A Defence of Moderate Non-Conformity: In Answer to the Reflections of Mr. Ollyffe and Mr. Hoadly, on the Tenth Chapter of the Abridgment of the Life of the Reverend Mr. Rich. Baxter'' (1703)
*
Volume 1*
Volume 2*
Volume 3*
The Inspiration of the Holy Writings of the Old and New Testament Consider'd and Improv'd.: In Fourteen Sermons Preach'd at the Merchants Lecture at Salters Hall' (1710)
*
An account of the Ministers, Lecturers, Masters, and Fellows of Colleges and Schoolmasters: Who Were Ejected or Silenced after the Restoration in 1660, By or Before, the Act of Uniformity; Design'd for the Preserving to Posterity the Memory of Their Names, Characters, Writings, and Sufferings' (1713)
*
A Letter to Mr. Archdeacon Echard Upon Occasion of his History of England...' (1718)
*
An Answer to Dr. Edmund Calamy's Letter to Mr. Archdeacon Echard Upon Occasion of his History of England...' (1718)
*
Thirteen Sermons Concerning the Doctrine of the Trinity: Preached at the Merchant's-Lecture, at Salter's-Hall ; Together with a Vindication of That Celebrated Text, I John v. 7 from Being Spurious...''(1722)
References
Sources
''The correspondence of the Rev. Robert Wodrow''
External links
*
Revision of the Autobiography of Richard Baxter, 1702, second edition 1713 and 1727 additions and amendments as PDFs
;Attribution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Calamy, Edmund
1671 births
1732 deaths
English Presbyterian ministers
People from the City of London
People educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood
English sermon writers
18th-century English non-fiction writers
18th-century English male writers
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh