John Buxton Marsden (1803 – 16 June 1870) was an English cleric, known as a historical writer and editor.

Life

Marsden was born at

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

. He was admitted sizar of

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corpo ...

, on 10 April 1823; and graduated B.A. in 1827, M.A. in 1830. He was ordained in 1827 to the curacy of Burslem, Staffordshire, and then moved to

Harrow, Middlesex Harrow () is a large town in Greater London, England, and serves as the principal settlement of the London Borough of Harrow. Lying about north-west of Charing Cross and south of Watford, the entire town including its localities had a popul ...

. From 1833 to 1844 Marsden held the rectory of

Lower Tooting Tooting is a district in South London, forming part of the London Borough of Wandsworth and partly in the London Borough of Merton. It is located south south-west of Charing Cross. History Tooting has been settled since pre-Saxon times. Th ...

, Surrey, during the minority of his successor, R. W. Greaves, and from 1844 to 1851 he was vicar of Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire. In 1851 he became perpetual curate of St. Peter, Dale End,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

. Marsden was a liberal evangelical. At a meeting of the clergy at

Aylesbury Aylesbury ( ) is the county town of Buckinghamshire, South East England. It is home to the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery, David Tugwell`s house on Watermead and the Waterside Theatre. It is in central Buckinghamshire, midway between High Wy ...

on 7 December 1847 to protest against the appointment of

Renn Dickson Hampden Renn Dickson Hampden (29 March 1793 – 23 April 1868) was an English Anglican clergyman. His liberal tendencies led to conflict with traditionalist clergy in general and the supporters of Tractarianism during the years he taught in Oxford (182 ...

to the

see of Hereford The Diocese of Hereford is a Church of England diocese based in Hereford, covering Herefordshire, southern Shropshire and a few parishes within Worcestershire in England, and a few parishes within Powys and Monmouthshire in Wales. The cathedral i ...

, he moved an amendment, and spoke of Hampden's treatment as unfair treatment. For five years before his death he was incapacitated him from engaging in active duty of any kind. He died on 16 June 1870 at 37 Highfield Road,

Edgbaston Edgbaston () is an affluent suburban area of central Birmingham, England, historically in Warwickshire, and curved around the southwest of the city centre. In the 19th century, the area was under the control of the Gough-Calthorpe family an ...

, Birmingham.

Works

Marsden was author of three major works: * ''The History of the Early Puritans, from the Reformation to the Opening of the Civil War in 1642'', London, 1850. * ''The History of the Later Puritans, from the Opening of the Civil War to 1662'', London, 1852. * ''History of Christian Churches and Sects from the earliest ages of Christianity'', 2 vols. London, 1856; new edit. 1858. Marsden's other writings include: * ''The Churchmanship of the New Testament: an Inquiry … into the Origin and Progress of certain Opinions which now agitate the Church of Christ'', London, 1846. * ''Memoirs of the Rev. Samuel Marsden of Paramatta'', London (1858) ( Samuel Marsden was no relation); * ''Memoirs'' of the Rev.

Hugh Stowell Hugh Stowell (3 December 1799 – 8 October 1865) was a Church of England clergyman with a reputation as a "vigorous and inspiring preacher". He was an implacable opponent of Catholic emancipation whose supporters built Christ Church in Sal ...

of Manchester, London, 1868. He published sermons and lectures, contributed a biographical preface to a posthumous work of the Rev. Edward Dewdney, ''A Treatise on the special Providence of God'', 1848, and edited, with preface and notes, Jules Simon's ''Natural Religion'', 1857. From 1859 to 1869 Marsden was editor of the ''

Christian Observer The ''Christian Observer'' was a London evangelical periodical, serving a readership in the Church of England. It appeared from 1802 to 1874. History The ''Christian Observer'' was founded by William Hey "in response to the dissenters' ''Leeds ...

''.

References

* ;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Marsden, John Buxton 19th-century English historians 19th-century English Anglican priests Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge 1803 births 1870 deaths English male non-fiction writers 19th-century English male writers