John Clowes (20 October 1743 – 29 May 1831) was an English cleric and Fellow of
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...
. Despite his position in the
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 ...
church, for which he served as
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
St John's Church, Manchester
St John's Church, Manchester, also known as St John's, Deansgate, was an Anglican parish church in Manchester, England, established in 1769 and demolished in 1931. Its site is now that of St John's Gardens, situated between Lower Byrom Street ...
from 1769 until 1831, he was a noted disciple of
Emanuel Swedenborg
Emanuel Swedenborg (, ; born Emanuel Swedberg; 29 March 1772) was a Swedish pluralistic-Christian theologian, scientist, philosopher and mystic. He became best known for his book on the afterlife, ''Heaven and Hell'' (1758).
Swedenborg had ...
and did much to propagate his ideas in the
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
area.
Early life
John Clowes was born in Manchester on 20 October 1743 and baptised on 17 November of that year at
St Ann's Church in the town. He was the fourth son of a barrister, Joseph Clowes (1700–79), and Catherine née Edwards (1712–52), who father may have been
curate
A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...
at
Llanbedr
Llanbedr () is a village and community south of Harlech. Administratively, it lies in the Ardudwy area, formerly Meirionnydd, of the county of Gwynedd, Wales.
History
Ancient monuments at Llanbedr include Neolithic standing stones; the St ...
in
North Wales
, area_land_km2 = 6,172
, postal_code_type = Postcode
, postal_code = LL, CH, SY
, image_map1 = Wales North Wales locator map.svg
, map_caption1 = Six principal areas of Wales common ...
. Although his mother died when he was less than ten years old, it was she who encouraged an understanding of religion and that encouragement was continued by his father after her death.
Clowes was educated at an academy run by
John Clayton John Clayton may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Writing
*John Clayton (architect) (died 1861), English architect and writer
*John Bell Clayton and Martha Clayton, John Bell Clayton (c. 1907–1955), American writer
*John Clayton (sportswriter) ( ...
in
Salford
Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...
and may also have gone to a
grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...
in the same area. He was admitted to
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...
, in 1761 and graduated with a
B.A.
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 ...
degree in 1766, having been taught by
Richard Watson, who later became bishop of
Llandaff
Llandaff (; cy, Llandaf ; from 'church' and '' Taf'') is a district, community and coterminous electoral ward in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It was incorporated into the city in 1922. It is the seat of the Bishop of Llandaff, whose ...
.
Career
The young Clowes suffered from poor health and uncertainty about his future career. He had intended to become a lawyer like his father but changed his mind and in 1767 was
ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...
by
Richard Terrick
Richard Terrick (baptised 20 July 1710 – 31 March 1777) was a Church of England clergyman who served as Bishop of Peterborough 1757–1764 and Bishop of London 1764–1777.
Life
Terrick was born in York, the eldest son of Samuel Terrick, rec ...
. He had commenced teaching as a private tutor on going down from Trinity but had to abandon that in 1769 because of his health. In that year he proceeded to the degree of
M.A.
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
and was elected to a fellowship at the college. He had turned down the offer of the
living
Living or The Living may refer to:
Common meanings
*Life, a condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms
** Living species, one that is not extinct
*Personal life, the course of an individual human's life
* ...
of
St John's Church, Manchester
St John's Church, Manchester, also known as St John's, Deansgate, was an Anglican parish church in Manchester, England, established in 1769 and demolished in 1931. Its site is now that of St John's Gardens, situated between Lower Byrom Street ...
which had been made to him by his relative
Edward Byrom
Edward Byrom (13 June 1724 – 24 April 1773) was a prominent figure in 18th-century Manchester and served for a period as borough-reeve.
The oldest surviving son of John Byrom
John Byrom or John Byrom of Kersal or John Byrom of Manchester ...
, who was also founder of the church. However, on 13 August 1769 he accepted the position and remained there until his death despite being offered a bishopric by
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger (28 May 175923 January 1806) was a British statesman, the youngest and last prime minister of Great Britain (before the Acts of Union 1800) and then first prime minister of the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Ire ...
in 1804.
Clowes had had some doubts regarding his vocation and had been reading the works of various thinkers, such as
William Law
William Law (16869 April 1761) was a Church of England priest who lost his position at Emmanuel College, Cambridge when his conscience would not allow him to take the required oath of allegiance to the first Hanoverian monarch, King George I. P ...
, when in 1773 he was introduced to the thoughts of Swedenborg and to the efforts of Thomas Hartley, the first translator of Swedenborg's works into the English language. From then on, and despite doubts regarding whether he could remain an Anglican cleric whilst doing so, Clowes followed the Swedenborgian path. He preached that doctrine in his church and also in twice-weekly meetings, as well as in field-meetings addressing the factory workers of nearby towns.
In 1778, Clowes established an early English Swedenborgian Society in
Whitefield, near to Manchester. This was supported mainly by rich cotton manufacturers and became known as the Society of Gentlemen. Its early purpose was to counter the movement spearheaded by
Robert Hindmarsh
Robert Hindmarsh (1759–1835) was an English printer and one of the original founders of Swedenborgianism.
Life
He was born at Alnwick, Northumberland, on 8 November 1759. His father, James Hindmarsh, was one of John Wesley's preachers, and wa ...
that sought to create a Swedenborgian
New Jerusalem Church that was entirely separate from the Anglican Church. Clowes was vehemently and very vocally opposed to any split. Known as the Manchester Printing Society from 1801, it also disseminated the works and ideas of Swedenborg.
Despite being involved in many controversies relating to his beliefs, including disputes with other Anglican clergymen and a referral to his bishop, Clowes was able to retain his position as rector of St John's and was appointed chaplain to the
Manchester Volunteers. His 50th anniversary at the church was marked with a portrait painted by John Allen and by the installation there of a
bas-relief
Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...
sculpture by
John Flaxman
John Flaxman (6 July 1755 – 7 December 1826) was a British sculptor and draughtsman, and a leading figure in British and European Neoclassicism. Early in his career, he worked as a modeller for Josiah Wedgwood's pottery. He spent several yea ...
, who was both a friend and a Swedenborgian.
Published works
Clowes translated five of Swedenborg's books, the first being ''Vera Christiana Religio'' in 1781. These and other writings by him, such as pamphlets and sermons, were published by the Manchester Printing Society. The society records for 1828 showed that nearly 200,000 copies had been printed. Those works included ''The Miracles of Jesus Christ'', published by J. Gleave of Manchester in 1817, and ''Letters to a Friend On The Human Soul'', a second edition of which was published by J. S. Hodson of London in 1846. His ''Religious Instruction for Youth'' (1812) brought together in a single volume many of his earlier publications aimed at children.
Death
Clowes died on 29 May 1831 at
Leamington, aged 88. He had become ill while visiting
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 ...
in 1823 and was never fit enough to return to Manchester. He was buried at St John's Church on 9 June. Following his death, a stone memorial by either
Richard Westmacott
Sir Richard Westmacott (15 July 17751 September 1856) was a British sculptor.
Life and career
Westmacott studied with his father, also named Richard Westmacott (the elder), Richard Westmacott, at his studio in Mount Street, off Grosvenor ...
or
his son was erected in the church.
References
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Clowes, John
1743 births
1831 deaths
19th-century English Anglican priests
Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge
English Swedenborgians
Clergy from Manchester
Hulme Trust