John Astley (1735 – 28 May 1803) was a

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 ...

clergyman and pluralist,

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of Thornage, Brinton, Bintree, and Foulsham in

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

Early life

A younger son of Sir Jacob Astley, 3rd Baronet (1692–1760), of

Melton Constable Hall Melton Constable Hall is a large (Grade I listed) country house in the parish of Melton Constable, Norfolk, England designed in the Christopher Wren style and built between 1664 and 1670 for the Astley family who owned the estate from 1235 until 19 ...

, Norfolk, Astley was born in 1735 at

Hindolveston Hindolveston is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is west-south-west of Cromer, north north west of Norwich and north east of London. The village lies south of the town of Holt. History Hindolveston ha ...

. His mother, Dame Lucy, was a daughter of

Sir Nicholas L'Estrange Sir Nicholas le Strange (1 January 1511 – 19 February 1580) of Hunstanton, Norfolk, was an English Member of Parliament (MP). The eldest son of Sir Thomas Le Strange, he succeeded his father in 1545 and was knighted in 1547. His mother was ...

, of

Hunstanton Hunstanton () is a seaside town in Norfolk, England, which had a population of 4,229 at the 2011 Census. It faces west across The Wash, making it one of the few places on the east coast of Great Britain where the sun sets over the sea. Hunstant ...

. He was educated at Holt Grammar School, under John Holmes, and

Bury Grammar School (The key that opens sacred doors) , established = , type = Independent day schoolGrammar school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Headmaster , head ...

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

1752, aged seventeen, Astley was admitted to

Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, often referred to simply as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and one of th ...

, where he held a scholarship for four years, until 1756. He graduated

LL.B. Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

in 1759.

John Archibald Venn John Archibald Venn (10 November 1883 – 15 March 1958) was a British economist. He was President of Queens' College, Cambridge, from 1932 until his death, Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University 1941–1943, university archivist, and a ...

, ''

Alumni Cantabrigienses ''Alumni Cantabrigienses: A Biographical List of All Known Students, Graduates and Holders of Office at the University of Cambridge, from the Earliest Times to 1900'' is a biographical register of former members of the University of Cambridge whic ...

: Part II. 1752–1900'', Vol. I (1940)
p. 88
/ref>

Career

At Norwich on 19 February 1758 Astley was ordained by

Thomas Hayter Thomas Hayter (1702 – 9 January 1762) was an English whig divine, who served as a Church of England bishop for 13 years, and was a royal chaplain. As a party advocate of the Pelhamites and a friend of the Duke of Newcastle, he was at the height ...

as a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

and then eight months later as a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

. The same year, he was appointed as Rector of

Thornage Thornage is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is 2.7 miles south-west of Holt, 23.2 miles north-west of Norwich and 11.3 miles east of Fakenham, and straddles the B1110 road between Holt and Guist. The n ...

and

Brinton, Norfolk Brinton is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is 10.8 miles east-north-east of the town of Fakenham, 13.1 miles west south-west of Cromer and 125 miles north-north-east of London. History Brinton's name ...

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

s he held until his death. He was presented to Brinton by his father, who was patron of the living."Holt hundred: Brinton" in ''An Essay Towards A Topographical History of the County of Norfolk'', Vol. 9 (W. Miller, 1808
pp. 369-371
/ref> Without retiring from Thornage or Brinton, Astley was also Rector of

Bintree Bintree is a village and civil parish in Norfolk, England, about nine miles (14 km) south-east of Fakenham. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 300, increasing to 329 at the 2011 Census. For the purposes of local government ...

from 1759 to 1771 and of

Foulsham Foulsham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is located north-east of Dereham and north-west of Norwich. Foulsham is renowned in the local area for its unspoilt nature and the number of Sixteenth and Sev ...

from 1771 to 1803, having exchanged those two benefices.

Personal life

In 1762, Astley married Catherine, a daughter of Philip Bell,

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

, of Wallington Hall, Norfolk.C. J. Palmer, ''Perlustration of Great Yarmouth'', Vol. III
p. 357
/ref> Astley was a brother of Sir Edward Astley, 4th Baronet, one of the members of parliament for the Norfolk constituency. On the death of his father in 1760, Astley inherited the

advowson Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, ...

Gorleston Gorleston-on-Sea (), known colloquially as Gorleston, is a town in the Borough of Great Yarmouth, in Norfolk, England, to the south of Great Yarmouth. Situated at the mouth of the River Yare it was a port town at the time of the Domesday Book ...

, together with properties there. A monumental inscription at Thornage notes that in 1763, 1768, 1769, and 1773 Astley and his wife lost four children, each of them only a few days old.Walton N. Dew, ''The Monumental Inscriptions in the Hundred of Holt, in the County of Norfolk'' (A. H. Goose and Company, 1885)
pp. 137–139
/ref> Astley died in 1803, leaving a life interest in his Gorleston estate to his widow, with the reversion to his two surviving daughters, Catherine, who died unmarried in 1828, and Lucy, who married

Thomas Browne Sir Thomas Browne (; 19 October 160519 October 1682) was an English polymath and author of varied works which reveal his wide learning in diverse fields including science and medicine, religion and the esoteric. His writings display a deep curi ...

. In 1808, Catherine Astley presented Browne to the Gorleston living, and he held it until his death in 1832, having in the mean time served as Master of

Christ's College, Cambridge Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college includes the Master, the Fellows of the College, and about 450 undergraduate and 170 graduate students. The college was founded by William Byngham in 1437 as ...

. Astley’s widow survived him until 1818.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Astley, John 1735 births 1803 deaths Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge People educated at Gresham's School 18th-century English Anglican priests 19th-century English Anglican priests