Henry Holland (1556–1603) was an English

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 ...

priest, known for his writing on

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

Life

He was educated 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 ...

, where he graduated

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

(BA) in 1580. He was instituted to the vicarage of

Orwell, Cambridgeshire Orwell is a rural village outside Cambridge in South Cambridgeshire, England. The Prime Meridian passes the eastern edge of Orwell. History The village of Orwell grew around the well that gave it its name and the Roman road that runs to Cambrid ...

, on 21 November 1580. In 1583 he commenced

Cambridge Master of Arts In the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and Dublin, Bachelors of Arts are promoted to the degree of Master of Arts or Master in Arts (MA) on application after six or seven years' seniority as members of the university (including years as an u ...

(MA Cantab), and on 13 February 1594 was instituted to the vicarage of

St Bride's Church St Bride's Church is a church in the City of London, England. The building's most recent incarnation was designed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1672 in Fleet Street in the City of London, though Wren's original building was largely gutted by fire d ...

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 ...

, on the presentation of the dean and chapter of

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

. This benefice was vacant by his death before 13 February 1604.

Works

Holland was the author of ''A Treatise against Witchcraft'' (1590). It was directed from a

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

point of view against folk magic and the sceptical arguments of ''

Discoverie of Witchcraft ''The Discoverie of Witchcraft'' is a partially sceptical book published by the English gentleman Reginald Scot in 1584, intended as an exposé of early modern witchcraft. It contains a small section intended to show how the public was fooled by ...

'' by

Reginald Scot Reginald Scot (or Scott) ( – 9 October 1599) was an Englishman and Member of Parliament, the author of ''The Discoverie of Witchcraft'', which was published in 1584. It was written against the belief in witches, to show that witchcraft did ...

; it also introduced arguments from the writings of

Jean Bodin Jean Bodin (; c. 1530 – 1596) was a French jurist and political philosopher, member of the Parlement of Paris and professor of law in Toulouse. He is known for his theory of sovereignty. He was also an influential writer on demonology. Bodin l ...

Lambert Daneau Lambert Daneau (c. 1530 – c. 1590) was a French jurist and Calvinist theologian. Life He was born at Beaugency-sur-Loire, and educated at Orléans. He studied Greek under Adrianus Turnebus, and then law in Orléans from 1553. He moved to Bourges ...

and

Niels Hemmingsen Niels Hemmingsen (''Nicolaus Hemmingius'') (May/June 1513 – 23 May 1600) was a 16th-century Danish Lutheran theologian. He was pastor of the Church of the Holy Ghost, Copenhagen and professor at the University of Copenhagen. Biography Bo ...

. Other works were *‘Spirituall Preseruatiues against the Pestilence: chiefly collected out of the 91 Psalme,’ London, 1593; 1603; dedicated to the lord mayor, sheriffs, and aldermen, and

Thomas Aldersey Thomas Aldersey (1521/22 – December 1598; also AldersayLake 1983, pp. 81–86 or Aldersaye) was an English merchant, haberdasher, member of Parliament and philanthropist. A contemporary description placed him among the "wisest and best merch ...

, citizen, of London. To the second edition is added ‘An Admonition concerning the use of Physick,’ which was reprinted with ‘Salomon's Pesthouse’ (1630), by I. D. * ‘Aphorisms of Christian Religion: or a verie compendious abridgement of M. I. Caluin's Institutions, set forth in short sentences methodically by M. I. Piscator: And now Englished according to the Authors third and last edition,’ London, 1596, with dedication to

Gabriel Goodman Gabriel Goodman (6 November 1528 – 17 June 1601) became the Dean of Westminster on 23 September 1561 and the re-founder of Ruthin School, in Ruthin, Denbighshire. In 1568 he translated the “First Epistle to the Corinthians" for the “Bi ...

, dean of Westminster. * ‘Christian exercise of Fasting, Private and Publick: whereunto is added certain Meditations on the 1st and 2d chapters of the Book of Job,’ London, 1596. Holland also edited (London, by Felix Kyngston, 1603) ‘Lectures upon the Epistles of Paul to the Colossians,’ by Robert Rollok of Edinburgh, and the works of

Richard Greenham Richard Greenham (also Grenham) (1535?–1594?) was an English clergyman of Puritan views, well known for his strong Puritan doctrine of the Sabbath. His many sermons and theological treatises had a significant influence on the Puritan movemen ...

(1599; 5th ed. 1612).

References

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Holland, Henry 1556 births 1603 deaths 16th-century English Anglican priests Demonologists English religious writers 16th-century English writers 16th-century male writers 17th-century English writers 17th-century English male writers Alumni of Magdalene College, Cambridge Clergy from Cambridge Writers from Cambridge Witchcraft in England English male non-fiction writers