John Purchas, (born at Cambridge, 14 July 1823; died at

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

, 18 October 1872), was an author and a priest of Church of England who was prosecuted for ritualist practices. He received his education at Bury St Edmunds, Rugby School and

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 ...

(B.A., 1844; M.A., 1847). He was curate of Elsworth, Cambridgeshire, 1851–53, of

Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitari ...

in the same county, 1856–59, and of St. Paul's,

, 1861–66 (where he was a

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 ...

Henry Michell Wagner Henry Michell Wagner (1792–1870) was a Church of England clergyman who was Vicar of Brighton between 1824 and 1870. He was a descendant of Melchior Wagner, hatmaker to the Royal Family, and married into a wealthy Sussex family who had a longs ...

); and perpetual curate of St. James' Chapel,

, after 1866.

Prosecution for ritualism

His curacy in St. James' is significant because of the direct contribution which was made through it to the controversy concerning ritualism in the Anglican church. Purchas introduced the use of vestments such as the cope, chasuble, alb,

biretta The biretta ( la, biretum, birretum) is a square cap with three or four peaks or horns, sometimes surmounted by a tuft. Traditionally the three-peaked biretta is worn by Catholic clergy and some Anglican and Lutheran clergy. A four-peaked bire ...

, etc., and used lighted candles on the altar, crucifixes, images, and holy water, together with processions, incense, and the like.On 27 November 1869, he was accordingly charged before the Court of Arches with infringing the law of the established church; he did not appear to answer, giving as reasons his poverty, which prevented him from securing legal assistance, and ill-health. The case concerned interpretation of the Ornaments Rubric. Sir Robert Phillimore was Dean of the Arches at the time. Decision was rendered against him on 3 February 1870, but in terms which did not please Col. Charles James Elphinstone, who had brought the suit. Elphinstone appealed for a fuller condemnation, which was obtained on 16 May 1871 (Mr Elphinstone, the original prosecutor, died before the case reached the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

, so the case was brought by a Mr Hebbert) the decision going against Purchas in all points. Purchas had put his property out of his hands, and so could not be made to pay costs; moreover, he did not discontinue the illegal practises, and was suspended for twelve months; but in spite of this he continued his services until his death. The decision caused a controversy which extended over a considerable period and involved the leaders in the Anglican church.

Purchas' writings

Purchas' most important literary achievement was the editing of ''Directorium Anglicanum: being a Manual of Directions for the right Celebration of the

Holy Communion The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instituted ...

, for the Saying of Matins and Evensong, and for the Performance of the other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church'' (London, 1858; a standard work on Anglican ritualism). He was also the author of a comedy (
The Miser's Daughter or the Lover's Curse
', 1839), several poems, including
Poems and Ballads
' (1846); ''The Book of Feasts''; ''Sermons'' (1853); ''The Priest's Dream: an Allegory'' (1856); and
The Death of Ezekiel's Wife: Three Sermons
' (1866).

References

External links

* ttp://anglicanhistory.org/england/jpurchas/ Bibliographic directoryfrom

Project Canterbury Project Canterbury (sometimes abbreviated as PC) is an online archive of material related to the history of Anglicanism. It was founded by Richard Mammana, Jr. in 1999 with a grant from Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold, and is ho ...

by Richard Mammana
Directorium Anglicanum
by John Purchas

by

Frederick George Lee Frederick George Lee (6 January 1832 in Thame, Oxfordshire – 22 January 1902 at Lambeth, London) was a priest of the Church of England and a religious author. He co-founded the Order of Corporate Reunion. Biography Lee was trained in Ripon Coll ...

(1872) {{DEFAULTSORT:Purchas, John 1823 births 1872 deaths People from Cambridge 19th-century English Anglican priests English Anglo-Catholics Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge People educated at Rugby School Anglo-Catholic clergy 19th-century Anglican theologians 19th-century Anglican clergy