Henry Maurice (1634 – 30 July 1682) was a Welsh
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
priest who became an Independent minister.
Personal life
Maurice was born in 1634 in the parish of
Aberdaron
Aberdaron is a community, electoral ward and former fishing village at the western tip of the Llŷn Peninsula in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. It lies west of Pwllheli and south west of Caernarfon, and has a population of 965. The community inc ...
, Wales, the son of Griffith Morris. He married Elin, daughter of
Jeffrey Glynn, a Royalist squire. He died aged 48.
Career
Maurice was educated at
Jesus College, Oxford
Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship St ...
. He was ordained and in 1661 served 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
...
as vicar of
Bromfield, Shropshire
Bromfield is a village and civil parish in Shropshire, England.
According to the 2001 census it had a population of 306, which had fallen to 277 at the 2011 census.
Location
Bromfield is located near the market town of Ludlow, two miles (3 ...
, and
rector of
Mellteyrn,
Caernarfonshire. After becoming rector of
Church Stretton
Church Stretton is a market town in Shropshire, England, south of Shrewsbury and north of Ludlow. The population in 2011 was 4,671. in 1668, he had by June 1671 become a Dissenter, preaching widely in Shropshire and Wales. He has been described as "one of the most virile Puritan propagators of the second generation."
His industry and preaching led to the Independent churches in his area becoming numerically strong. He died on 30 July 1682.
Financial and criminal acts
Maurice was briefly imprisoned in 1671 in Shrewsbury prison on a charge of debt. Following this, he moved to
Much Wenlock
Much Wenlock is a market town and parish in Shropshire, England, situated on the A458 road between Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth. Nearby, to the northeast, is the Ironbridge Gorge, and the new town of Telford. The civil parish includes the villag ...
. Maurice took action immediately following the
Declaration of Indulgence
The Declaration of Indulgence, also called Declaration for Liberty of Conscience, was a pair of proclamations made by James II of England and Ireland and VII of Scotland in 1687. The Indulgence was first issued for Scotland on 12 February and t ...
of 1672 by taking out licenses for three houses. He then preached without a license at Stretton and Brecknock. He continued to preach in unlicensed places on his journey to his home region of
Llŷn.
See also
J. E. Griffith'', Pedigrees of Anglesey and Carnarvonshire Families'', 1914, 271;
Richards, ‘Puritan Visitation of Jesus College, Oxford’, in ''The Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion'', 1922-3, 90-2;
''Calendar of State Papers, Domestic Series'', Record Publication, 1656, 252;
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maurice, Henry
1634 births
1682 deaths
Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford
People from Aberdaron
17th-century Welsh Anglican priests