John Durel (1625–1683), John Durell, or Jean Durel, was a cleric from

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...

, known for his

apologetical Apologetics (from Greek , "speaking in defense") is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. Early Christian writers (c. 120–220) who defended their beliefs against critics and ...

writing on behalf of the

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 ...

. He became

Dean of Windsor The Dean of Windsor is the spiritual head of the canons of St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, England. The dean chairs meetings of the Chapter of Canons as ''primus inter pares''. The post of Dean of Wolverhampton was assimilated to the deane ...

in 1677. His French translation of the 1662 ''Book of Common Prayer'' was used frequently on the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...

through to the 20th century and his 1670 Latin translation had been authorized by

Convocation A convocation (from the Latin ''wikt:convocare, convocare'' meaning "to call/come together", a translation of the Ancient Greek, Greek wikt:ἐκκλησία, ἐκκλησία ''ekklēsia'') is a group of people formally assembled for a speci ...

Early life

Durel was born at

St Helier St Helier (; Jèrriais: ; french: Saint-Hélier) is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands in the English Channel. St Helier has a population of 35,822 – over one-third of the total population of Jersey – ...

, Jersey, the son of Jean le Vavaseur dit Durel and his wife, Susanne Effard, daughter of Nicolas Effard. He matriculated at

St Alban Hall, Oxford St Alban Hall, sometimes known as St Alban's Hall or Stubbins, was one of the medieval halls of the University of Oxford, and one of the longest-surviving. It was established in the 13th century, acquired by neighbouring Merton College in the ...

and entered

Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is one of the Colleges of Oxford University, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the ...

, in 1640. When Oxford was garrisoned by Charles I at the beginning of the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

, he left for France. There he studied at

Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Collège du Bois in 1644. He then studied divinity at the protestant

University of Saumur The Academy of Saumur (french: Académie de Saumur) was a Huguenot university at Saumur in western France. It existed from 1593, when it was founded by Philippe de Mornay, until shortly after 1685, when Louis XIV decided on the revocation of the Ed ...

. In 1647 Durel returned to Jersey as chaplain to Lieutenant-governor

George Carteret Vice Admiral Sir George Carteret, 1st Baronet ( – 14 January 1680 N.S.) was a royalist statesman in Jersey and England, who served in the Clarendon Ministry as Treasurer of the Navy. He was also one of the original lords proprietor of the ...

, and participated in its defence. He was sent by Carteret on a mission to Paris in early summer of 1651, and at the private chapel of

Sir Richard Browne, 1st Baronet, of Deptford Sir Richard Browne, 1st Baronet of Deptford (c. 1605 – 12 February 1682/83) was English ambassador to the court of France at Paris from 1641 to 1660. Life Browne was the son of Christopher Browne and Thomazine Gonson. His grandfather was Sir ...

, the resident English ambassador in Paris, was ordained deacon and priest, on

Trinity Sunday Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Western Christianity, Western Christian liturgical year, liturgical calendar, and the Sunday of Pentecost in Eastern Christianity. Trinity Sunday celebrates the Christian doctrine of the ...

, by Thomas Sydserff, the

Bishop of Galloway The Bishop of Galloway, also called the Bishop of Whithorn, was the eccesiastical head of the Diocese of Galloway, said to have been founded by Saint Ninian in the mid-5th century. The subsequent Anglo-Saxon bishopric was founded in the late 7th ...

, in company with

Daniel Brevint Daniel Brevint or Brevin (baptised 11 May 1616 – 5 May 1695) was Dean of Lincoln from 1682 to 1695. Life Brevint was from the parish of Saint John, Jersey, Channel Islands and was the son and grandson of clergymen. He studied, like his fa ...

. After the

Battle of Worcester The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 in and around the city of Worcester, England and was the last major battle of the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. A Parliamentarian army of around 28,000 under Oliver Cromwell def ...

in September 1651, a Commonwealth fleet under

Robert Blake Robert Blake may refer to: Sportspeople * Bob Blake (American football) (1885–1962), American football player * Robbie Blake (born 1976), English footballer * Bob Blake (ice hockey) (1914–2008), American ice hockey player * Rob Blake (born 19 ...

sailed for Jersey. Jean Poingdestre and Durel were sent as messengers to the exiled Charles II in late October, at which point the Parliamentary forces had taken the whole island except

Elizabeth Castle Elizabeth Castle () is a castle and tourist attraction, on a tidal island within the parish of Saint Helier, Jersey. Construction was started in the 16th century when the power of the cannon meant that the existing stronghold at Mont Orgueil w ...

, and

Castle Cornet Castle Cornet is a large island castle in Guernsey, and former tidal island, also known as Cornet Rock or Castle Rock. Its importance was as a defence not only of the island, but of the roadstead. In 1859 it became part of one of the breakwaters ...

Guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...

was still holding out. They returned with the king's order to Carteret to make terms. Carteret signed a surrender to James Heane on 15 December.

In exile

Durel moved to France after the fall of Jersey, and resided briefly at

St Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, on the English Channel coast. The walled city had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the Alli ...

. He officiated a short time at Caen in place of

Samuel Bochart Samuel Bochart (30 May 1599 – 16 May 1667) was a French Protestant biblical scholar, a student of Thomas Erpenius and the teacher of Pierre Daniel Huet. His two-volume '' Geographia Sacra seu Phaleg et Canaan'' (Caen 1646) exerted a profound in ...

, and after declining an offer from

William VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel Wilhelm VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (23 May 1629 – 16 July 1663), known as William the Just, was Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel from 1637 to 1663. Life Born in Kassel, he was the son of William V (whom he succeeded) and his wife Amalie Elisabeth ...

became chaplain for eight years to the

Duc de la Force The title of Duc de La Force, pair de France, in the peerage of France, was created in 1637 for members of the Caumont family, who were lords of the village of La Force in the Dordogne. The family originated as Lord of Caumont (Seigneur de Caumont ...

. In Normandy he met Jean-Maximilien de Baux, seigneur de l'Angle ( :fr:Jean-Maximilien de Langle), a like-minded

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

minister, who became his father-in-law some years later. During his time in

Guyenne Guyenne or Guienne (, ; oc, Guiana ) was an old French province which corresponded roughly to the Roman province of '' Aquitania Secunda'' and the archdiocese of Bordeaux. The name "Guyenne" comes from ''Aguyenne'', a popular transformation o ...

with the Duc, Durel kept abreast of English politics and polemics. He wrote in May 1654 to William Edgeman, secretary to

Sir Edward Hyde Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon (18 February 16099 December 1674), was an English statesman, lawyer, diplomat and historian who served as chief advisor to Charles I of England, Charles I during the First English Civil War, and Lord Chancell ...

. He mentioned then an intention, apparently unfulfilled, to reply to

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...

's ''

Eikonoklastes ''Eikonoklastes'' (from the Greek εἰκονοκλάστης, "iconoclast") is a book by John Milton, published October 1649. In it he provides a justification for the execution of Charles I, which had taken place on 30 January 1649. The book's ...

''. His name has been brought up in relation with a reply to Milton's ''

Defensio pro Populo Anglicano ''Defensio pro Populo Anglicano'' is a Latin polemic by John Milton, published in 1651. The full title in English is ''John Milton an Englishman His Defence of the People of England.'' It was a piece of propaganda, and made political argument i ...

'' of 1651, along with that of

Dirk Graswinckel Theodorus Johannes "Dirk" Graswinckel (1 October 1600 – 12 October 1666) was a Dutch jurist, a significant writer on the freedom of the seas. He was a controversialist, who also rose to a high legal position (Fiscal of Holland) where he advise ...

. The pseudonymous "Ambiorix Ariovistus" who wrote it is now taken to be Henrik Ernst (1603–1665), a German tutor at the

Sorø Academy Sorø Academy (Danish, ''Sorø Akademi'') is a boarding school and gymnasium located in the small town of Sorø, Denmark. It traces its history back to the 12th century when Bishop Absalon founded a monastery at the site, which was confiscated by ...

. Milton's '' The Reason of Church-Government Urged against Prelaty'' of 1642 was against ''Certain Briefe Treatises'' (Oxford, 1641), a collection of tracts of which one was identified by James Smith Candlish to

David Masson David Mather Masson LLD DLitt (2 December 18226 October 1907), was a Scottish academic, supporter of women's suffrage, literary critic and historian. Biography He was born in Aberdeen, the son of William Masson, a stone-cutter, and his wi ...

, in the 19th century, as by "John Durel" rather than

John Dury John Dury (1596 in Edinburgh – 1680 in Kassel) was a Scottish Calvinist minister and an intellectual of the English Civil War period. He made efforts to re-unite the Calvinist and Lutheran wings of Protestantism, hoping to succeed when he moved ...

; Lewalski disagrees. Early in 1660, as the restoration of the

House of Stuart The House of Stuart, originally spelt Stewart, was a royal house of Scotland, England, Ireland and later Great Britain. The family name comes from the office of High Steward of Scotland, which had been held by the family progenitor Walter fi ...

seemed likely, Brevint, Durel and Philippe Le Couteur, all from Jersey, were recruited by

Sir Robert Moray Sir Robert Moray (alternative spellings: Murrey, Murray) FRS (1608 or 1609 – 4 July 1673) was a Scottish soldier, statesman, diplomat, judge, spy, and natural philosopher. He was well known to Charles I and Charles II, and to the French c ...

, on behalf of the

Earl of Lauderdale Earl of Lauderdale is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. The current holder of the title is Ian Maitland, 18th Earl of Lauderdale. The title was created in 1624 for John Maitland, 2nd Lord Maitland of Thirlestane, Berwickshire. The second Ear ...

, to solicit letters of support from leading Huguenots. By March they had considerable success, and some of the letters were published, with an impact on English Presbyterians such as

Richard Baxter Richard Baxter (12 November 1615 – 8 December 1691) was an English Puritan church leader, poet, hymnodist, theologian, and controversialist. Dean Stanley called him "the chief of English Protestant Schoolmen". After some false starts, he ...

. The Jersey group were then asked to set up a synod at Charenton, by Madame de Turenne, again through Moray: the royalists here followed a plan of

George Morley George Morley, 27 February 1598 to 29 October 1684, was a senior member of the Church of England from London, who served as Bishop of Worcester from 1660 to 1662, and of Winchester from 1662 to 1684. Early life Morley was born in London, Eng ...

to win over Protestant ministers. Such a synod met with legal problems, and it is unclear whether it occurred. But again letters of support were gained. Whatever the outcome for Charenton, Durel and other Jersey clergy did attend shortly a synod at Caen, undermining Huguenot support for English Presbyterians intent on continuing their opposition to the Church of England.

The French Church, London

In 1660 Durel returned to England. That year he helped set up the recognised French Church, London, in a chapel in the grounds of the

Savoy Hospital The Savoy Palace, considered the grandest nobleman's townhouse of medieval London, was the residence of prince John of Gaunt until it was destroyed during rioting in the Peasants' Revolt of 1381. The palace was on the site of an estate given to ...

(not the later

Savoy Chapel The King's Chapel of St John the Baptist in the Precinct of the Savoy, also known as the King's Chapel of the Savoy, is a church in the City of Westminster, London. Facing it are 111 Strand, the Savoy Hotel, the Institution of Engineering and Te ...

). There was an existing French congregation from the Protectorate, and Jean D'Espagne had preached to them in the chapel of

Somerset House Somerset House is a large Neoclassical complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle was built on the site of a Tudor palace ("O ...

; which

Henrietta Maria Henrietta Maria (french: link=no, Henriette Marie; 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland from her marriage to King Charles I on 13 June 1625 until Charles was executed on 30 January 1649. She wa ...

claimed back. Charles II granted use of the chapel, subject to the right to appoint the minister, to be instituted by the

Bishop of London A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

, and the liturgical use of the ''

Book of Common Prayer The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the name given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign ...

''.Elizabeth Randall, ''1. A special case?: London’s French Protestants'', pp. 13–42, at pp. 25–26. Durel was appointed minister of the French Church with a royal pension, once Daniel Brevint had been found a living. On 14 January 1661 he preached his first sermon there, and the liturgy of the Church of England was read in French for the first time. That year Durel heard the

nuncupative will An oral will (or nuncupative will) is a will that has been delivered orally (that is, in speech) to witnesses, as opposed to the usual form of wills, which is written and according to a proper format. A minority of U.S. states (approximately 20 ...

of his friend John Colladon. Belonging to a "conformist" group of Francophone clergy, who wished to reconcile the Church of England with Huguenot and Reformed practice generally, Durel had as allies

Isaac Basire Isaac Basire (1607–1676) was a French-born English divine and traveller. A chaplain to Charles I, he left Britain during the Civil War, and travelled to Greece and Asia Minor, with the ambition of converting the Orthodox churches to Anglicanism. ...

and Samuel Brevint, tolerant of

episcopacy A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

, and

Peter Du Moulin Peter du Moulin (1601–1684) was a French-English Anglican clergyman, son of the Huguenot pastor Pierre du Moulin and brother of Lewis du Moulin. He was the anonymous author of ''Regii sanguinis clamor ad coelum adversus paricidas Anglicanos'', ...

. Among the opposing voices was Jean Gailhard, who had arrived in England c.1660, and whose sympathies lay with the

Puritans The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become more Protestant. P ...

. An argument going back to

John Calvin John Calvin (; frm, Jehan Cauvin; french: link=no, Jean Calvin ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French theologian, pastor and reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system ...

, used by Durel, was the "five centuries" of the

primitive church The history of Christianity concerns the Christian religion, Christian countries, and the Christians with their various denominations, from the 1st century to the present. Christianity originated with the ministry of Jesus, a Jewish teache ...

and Christian fathers that could be accepted as a basis for the Church of England's posture. The conformist position was not liked by all of Durel's congregation: but the chapel was close to

Whitehall Palace The Palace of Whitehall (also spelt White Hall) at Westminster was the main residence of the English monarchs from 1530 until 1698, when most of its structures, except notably Inigo Jones's Banqueting House of 1622, were destroyed by fire. Hen ...

, and the trade-off between religious preferences and political positioning was successful. The congregation of D'Espagne had met at Durham House, and contained nobility and gentry. There was an existing Huguenot and Genevan Calvinist church on

Threadneedle Street Threadneedle Street is a street in the City of London, England, between Bishopsgate at its northeast end and Bank junction in the southwest. It is one of nine streets that converge at Bank. It lies in the ward of Cornhill. History The stree ...

, some way to the east, 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 ...

: this new "Anglo-Gallican" church, La Savoie, was viewed there as an unwelcome rival. On the other hand, Protestant leaders in continental Europe were pleased. Rapid preferment then came for Durel. He was recommended by the king to

Brian Duppa Brian Duppa (also spelled Bryan; 10 March 1589 – 26 March 1662) was an English bishop, chaplain to the royal family, Royalist and adviser to Charles I of England. Life He was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford, graduati ...

, the

Bishop of Winchester The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. The Bishop of Winchester has always held ''ex officio'' (except dur ...

, in October 1661, for the reversion of the sinecure held by James Hamilton, Bishop of Galloway. He succeeded John Earle as royal chaplain to Charles II in 1662. He was made rector of

Overton, Hampshire Overton is a large village and parish in Hampshire, England located west of the town of Basingstoke, and east of Andover and Whitchurch. The village contains smaller hamlets of Southington, Northington, Ashe, Polhampton, and Quidhampton, the l ...

in 1663. In 1664 he became canon of

St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in England is a castle chapel built in the late-medieval Perpendicular Gothic style. It is both a Royal Peculiar (a church under the direct jurisdiction of the monarch) and the Chapel of the Order of the Gar ...

, in 1665 prebendary of North Aulton in

Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England. The cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of Salisbury and is the seat of the Bishop of Salisbury. The buildi ...

Comprehension

The outcome of the

Savoy Conference The Savoy Conference of 1661 was a significant liturgical discussion that took place, after the Restoration of Charles II, in an attempt to effect a reconciliation within the Church of England. Proceedings It was convened by Gilbert Sheldon ...

of the first half of 1661, held on the same site as Durel's chapel, led in 1662 to the exodus of non-conformists from the Church of England now called the

Great Ejection The Great Ejection followed the Act of Uniformity 1662 in England. Several thousand Puritan ministers were forced out of their positions in the Church of England, following The Restoration of Charles II. It was a consequence (not necessarily ...

. During the 1660s some of the Presbyterian ministers involved still hoped for "comprehension": inclusion of their congregations within the Church, in good standing. The Presbyterian leaders Richard Baxter and

Thomas Manton Thomas Manton (1620–1677) was an English Puritan clergyman. He was a clerk to the Westminster Assembly and a chaplain to Oliver Cromwell. Early life Thomas Manton was baptised 31 March 1620 at Lydeard St Lawrence, Somerset, a remote sou ...

pursued this goal, at cross-purposes with John Owen who aimed for

religious toleration Religious toleration may signify "no more than forbearance and the permission given by the adherents of a dominant religion for other religions to exist, even though the latter are looked on with disapproval as inferior, mistaken, or harmful". ...

for Presbyterians. With Jacques Couët-du Vivier, minister at

Courcelles Courcelles may refer to: Places Belgium * Courcelles, Belgium, a municipality located in the province of Hainaut Canada * Courcelles-Saint-Évariste, a municipality France * Courcelles, Charente-Maritime * Courcelles, Doubs * Courcelles, Meur ...

and grandson of

Paul Ferry Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

(1612–1669), minister at

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...

, Durel went to observe Manton at his church

St Paul's, Covent Garden St Paul's Church is a Church of England parish church located in Bedford Street, Covent Garden, central London. It was designed by Inigo Jones as part of a commission for the 4th Earl of Bedford in 1631 to create "houses and buildings fit ...

in 1661. Manton read the Prayer Book liturgy at length, and the congregation received it well. After 1662, however, Manton was a

conventicle A conventicle originally signified no more than an assembly, and was frequently used by ancient writers for a church. At a semantic level ''conventicle'' is only a good Latinized synonym of the Greek word church, and points to Jesus' promise in M ...

preacher in the London area. Bosher's account of the period 1660 to 1662, from the point of view of the returning bishops, argues for continuity with

Laudian Laudianism was an early seventeenth-century reform movement within the Church of England, promulgated by Archbishop William Laud and his supporters. It rejected the predestination upheld by the previously dominant Calvinism in favour of free will, ...

values: * At the Savoy Conference, the Church position was at the beginning flexible. * The

religious uniformity Religious uniformity occurs when government is used to promote one state religion, denomination, or philosophy to the exclusion of all other religious beliefs. History Religious uniformity was common in many modern theocratic and atheistic govern ...

sought was for ceremonial and liturgy, not theology. * The expulsion of Puritans was not an intended consequence of the Conference, as began to be argued in the late 17th century. * The

Act of Uniformity 1662 The Act of Uniformity 1662 (14 Car 2 c 4) is an Act of the Parliament of England. (It was formerly cited as 13 & 14 Ch.2 c. 4, by reference to the regnal year when it was passed on 19 May 1662.) It prescribed the form of public prayers, adm ...

was a product of the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

. Richard Baxter had a Latin letter of April 1660 from Raymond Gaches (1615–1668), minister at

Castres Castres (; ''Castras'' in the Languedocian dialect, Languedocian dialect of Occitan language, Occitan) is the sole Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Tarn (department), Tarn Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administ ...

and one of Daniel Brevint's contacts in Moray's campaign. It was written at the request of

Anna Mackenzie Lady Anna Mackenzie (1621–1707), also Ann MacKenzie, was a Scottish courtier and memoirist, wife of the first Earl of Balcarres and the mother of the second and third. After her first husband died, she married Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of ...

, who knew both Baxter and Gaches, and gave assurances from personal observation on Charles II's religious views. Baxter discussed possible ways of answering Durel's apologetics: but he did not publish, and the sustained Presbyterian criticism began only in the 1670s. He knew in advance (1669) that

Louis du Moulin Lewis Du Moulin (''Ludovicus Molinaeus''; pseudonym: ''Ludiomaeus Colvinus''; 1606–1680) was a French Huguenot physician and controversialist, who settled in England. He became Camden Professor of History at the University of Oxford. Life H ...

was planning such a work: in Latin, it saw du Moulin imprisoned.

Later life

In 1668 Durel was installed prebendary of

Durham Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham, commonly known as Durham Cathedral and home of the Shrine of St Cuthbert, is a cathedral in the city of Durham, County Durham, England. It is the seat of t ...

with a rich donative. In February 1670 he was created D.D. at Oxford. In 1677 he was made registrar of the

Order of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George C ...

, and in the same year he was appointed dean of Windsor and consequently of Wolverhampton. The fine living of

Witney, Oxfordshire Witney is a market town on the River Windrush in West Oxfordshire in the county of Oxfordshire, England. It is west of Oxford. The place-name "Witney" is derived from the Old English for "Witta's island". The earliest known record of it is as ...

, was soon afterwards granted him by the king, his chief recommendation to King Charles being that "he was not only a good scholar but a perfect courtier." Durel died 8 June 1683, and is buried in the north aisle adjoining Windsor Chapel choir.

Works

Durel's major work was published in 1669, in vindication of the English church against schismatics, and entitled ''Sanctae ecclesiae Anglicanae schismaticorum criminationes'', London, pp. cxiv and 538. It was dedicated to Charles II, and a second issue was printed in 1672 as ''Historia rituum sanctae ecclesiae Anglicanae''. Presbyterians retorted by ''Bonasus Vapulans, or some Castigations given to Mr. John Durell'' (1672) by

Henry Hickman Henry Hickman (died 1692) was an English ejected minister and controversialist. Life A native of Worcestershire, he was educated at St Catharine Hall, Cambridge, where he proceeded B.A. in 1648. At the end of 1647, he entered Magdalen Hall, Ox ...

, republished as ''The Nonconformists Vindicated'' (1679); and ''Patronus Bonæ Fidei'' (1672), attributed to

. Durel published also: * His master's thesis, '' Theoremata philosophiae rationalis, moralis, naturalis et supernaturalis'', Caen, 1644. * No. 6 (14 March 1647) of the ''Disputationes de Argumentis'', published by

Josué de la Place Josué de la Place (also, Josua or Joshua Placeus; c. 1596 – 17 August 1665 or possibly 1655) was a Reformed theologian who was born at Saumur, France. He is known as the originator of the "mediate view" of the imputation of sin, whereby ori ...

, Saumur, 1649. Durel had been awarded a B.D. by Saumur Academy, in 1647. * ''Sermon prononcé en l'église françoise'' (1661), translated as ''The Liturgy of the Church of England Asserted'' (1662), dedicated to

James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormond Lieutenant-General James FitzThomas Butler, 1st Duke of Ormond, KG, PC (19 October 1610 – 21 July 1688), was a statesman and soldier, known as Earl of Ormond from 1634 to 1642 and Marquess of Ormond from 1642 to 1661. Following the failure ...

. The text was . ''A View of the Government and Publick Worship of God in the Reformed Churches beyond the Seas'' (1662) was answered in a work once attributed to Henry Hickman, ''Apologia pro Ministris in Anglia'' (attribution rejected by Gibson in the ''Dictionary of National Biography''). In it, Durel mentions an ambition to collect the liturgies of all the Protestant churches. It contains positive comment on the

Unitas Fratrum The Moravian Church ( cs, Moravská církev), or the Moravian Brethren, formally the (Latin: "Unity of the Brethren"), is one of the oldest Protestantism, Protestant Christian denomination, denominations in Christianity, dating back to the Bohem ...

(Moravians), then under threat in Central Europe, and supported by

John Amos Comenius John Amos Comenius (; cs, Jan Amos Komenský; pl, Jan Amos Komeński; german: Johann Amos Comenius; Latinized: ''Ioannes Amos Comenius''; 28 March 1592 – 15 November 1670) was a Czech philosopher, pedagogue and theologian who is considere ...

. Durel, and also

Herbert Thorndike Herbert Thorndike (1598 – 11 June 1672) was an English academic and clergyman, known as an orientalist and Canon of Westminster Abbey. He was an influential theological writer during the reigns of King Charles I and, after the Restoration, Kin ...

, were interested in the Unitas as a Protestant church with bishops. Durel's Protestant

ecumenism Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

was designed for arguments based on the

Elizabethan settlement The Elizabethan Religious Settlement is the name given to the religious and political arrangements made for England during the reign of Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Implemented between 1559 and 1563, the settlement is considered the end of the E ...

, and against the

English Dissenters English Dissenters or English Separatists were Protestant Christians who separated from the Church of England in the 17th and 18th centuries. A dissenter (from the Latin ''dissentire'', "to disagree") is one who disagrees in opinion, belief and ...

following the

. It allowed for such comparisons with Protestant churches outside England.

Translation of the ''Book of Common Prayer''

Needing the ''Book of Common Prayer'' in French in a hurry to begin his London ministry, Durel used the 1616 version by Pierre Delaune or de Laune, reprinted in an edition that quickly sold out. It has been commented that "Durel's temporary edition of 1661 shares with the Maltese Prayer Book of 1845 the distinction of being the rarest of all the foreign-language versions of the English Liturgy." The king then asked Durel to translate the work again into French, and ordered the book to be used in the parish churches of Guernsey and Jersey and at the Savoy chapel. The Savoy Conference of 1661 had made a revision, Durel produced a translation of the 1662 prayer book. It was closely based on the century-old translation by Francis Philippe, made for

Thomas Goodrich Sir Thomas Goodrich (also spelled Goodricke; died 10 May 1554) was an English ecclesiastic and statesman who was Bishop of Ely from 1534 until his death. Life He was a son of Edward Goodrich of East Kirkby, Lincolnshire and brother of Henry ...

. The right of sole printing was granted 6 October 1662, and the Bishop of London's chaplain sanctioned it in 1663, but Durel's work did not appear until 1667, as ''La Liturgie, c'est à dire Le Formulaire des Prières publiques''.

White Kennett White Kennett (10 August 166019 December 1728) was an English bishop and antiquarian. He was educated at Westminster School and at St Edmund Hall, Oxford, where, while an undergraduate, he published several translations of Latin works, including ...

stated that this translation was accepted by the Reformed church in France. In the 1680s questions were raised about its consistency with the English original. The 1662 ''Book of Common Prayer'' was given to John Earle,

Bishop of Salisbury The Bishop of Salisbury is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset. The see is in the City of Salisbury where the bishop's seat ...

and John Pearson for translation into Latin. Earle died, and Pearson and his replacement

John Dolben John Dolben (1625–1686) was an English priest and Church of England bishop and archbishop. Life Early life He was the son of William Dolben (died 1631), prebendary of Lincoln and bishop-designate of Gloucester, and Elizabeth Williams, ...

became bishops: the completion of the translation then passed to Durel. Earle's portion was lost in the

Great Fire of London The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through central London from Sunday 2 September to Thursday 6 September 1666, gutting the medieval City of London inside the old Roman city wall, while also extending past the ...

, but a portion of Dolben's manuscript was found. Durel's work, of which he calls himself editor, was published in 1670 as ''Liturgia, seu Liber Precum Communium et Administrationis Sacramentorum'' (for the first time "communium" is used, for the previous "publicarum"). There were at least seven editions down to 1703.

Family

Durel married in 1664, at

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of ...

, Marie de Baux, daughter of Jean-Maximilien de Baux, seigneur de l'Angle.

Notes

Attribution

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Durel, John 1625 births 1683 deaths Jersey clergy Canons of Windsor Deans of Windsor Translators to French Translators to Latin Translators from English 17th-century translators People from Saint Helier 17th-century Latin-language writers