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Rev. John Prince (1643–1723), vicar of Totnes and Berry Pomeroy in Devon, England, was a biographer. He is best known for his '' Worthies of Devon'', a series of biographies of Devon-born notables covering the period before the
Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conq ...
to his own era. He became the subject of a sexual scandal, the court records of which were made into a book in 2001 and a play in 2005.


Origins

John Prince was born in 1643 in a farmhouse (now called Prince's Abbey) on the site of Newenham Abbey, in the parish of Axminster, Devon. He was the eldest son of Bernard Prince (died 1689) (to whom John erected a monument in Axminster Church) by his first wife Mary Crocker, daughter of John Crocker,Courtney, William Prideaux. " Prince, John (1643–1723)", ''Dictionary of National Biography'', London, 1885–1900, Volume 46. of the ancient Crocker family seated at Lyneham House in the parish of Yealmpton, Devon. Lyneham was, after ''Hele'' the second earliest known home of the Crocker family, one of the most ancient in Devon according to the traditional rhyme quoted by Prince himself which he called "that old saw often used among us in discourse": John Prince had a family connection to his great contemporary John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough (1650–1722). Prince's father Bernard Prince had married secondly (as her second husband) to Jane Drake, a daughter of Philip Drake of Salcombe, third in descent from John Drake of Axmouth, father of John Drake (died 1558) of
Ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non-gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...
, in the parish of Musbury. Jane was thus 3rd cousin of Sir John Drake (died 1636) of Ash, the father of
Sir John Drake, 1st Baronet Sir John Drake, 1st Baronet (4 April 1625 – 6 July 1669) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1660. Drake was the son of Sir John Drake of Mount Drake and Ashe, and his wife Eleanor Boteler, daughter of John Boteler, ...
(died 1669), whose sister was Elizabeth Drake, mother of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough (1650–1722).
Sir John Drake, 1st Baronet Sir John Drake, 1st Baronet (4 April 1625 – 6 July 1669) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1660. Drake was the son of Sir John Drake of Mount Drake and Ashe, and his wife Eleanor Boteler, daughter of John Boteler, ...
(died 1669) was John Prince's godfather, and one of Prince's ''Worthies'' was Sir Bernard Drake (died 1586) of Ash, son of John Drake (died 1558).


Career

He was educated at Brasenose College,
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, and became
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 ...
of Bideford. He then became minister of St. Martin's Church in
Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
. He was vicar of
St Mary's Church, Totnes St Mary's Church, Totnes is a Grade I listed parish church in the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in Totnes, Devon. History The church was built as part of the Benedictine Priory of St Mary. The townspeople came to an arrangement with th ...
from 1675 until 1681, when, at the invitation of the Duke of Somerset, he was made vicar of
St Mary's Church, Berry Pomeroy St Mary's Church of Berry Pomeroy is an Anglican parish church in Berry Pomeroy, with a full length, forty-two foot wide, rood screen which has been described as one of the most perfect in Devon. It is listed on the Heritage at Risk Register. T ...
, a post he held for over forty years. Here he seems to have authorised much building work, as the church and vicarage have several period features.


''The Worthies of Devon''

While at Berry Pomeroy, Prince worked on his magnum opus: a biography of his home county's many notable figures, which he probably finished in 1697. The book ran to 600 pages, with woodcuts to illustrate the 191 biographies, and he struggled to get it published because most publishers able to handle such a large book were based in London or Oxbridge. Funding was also a problem, as a scandal (see below) had temporarily deprived him of his living. The printer was forced to advertise for subscribers, while the book languished for four years. It was first published in 1701 under the title (no doubt inspired by the ''Worthies of England'' (1662) by
Thomas Fuller Thomas Fuller (baptised 19 June 1608 – 16 August 1661) was an English churchman and historian. He is now remembered for his writings, particularly his ''Worthies of England'', published in 1662, after his death. He was a prolific author, and ...
(1608–1661)):
''Danmonii Orientales Illustres: or, the Worthies of Devon. A work, wherein the lives and fortunes of the most famous divines, statesmen, swordsmen, physicians, writers, and other eminent persons, natives of that most noble province from before the Norman Conquest, down to the present age, are memorised, in an alphabetical order out of the most approved authors, both in print and manuscript. In which an account is given, not only of divers very deserving persons, (many of which were never hitherto made publick) but of several antient and noble families; their seats and habitations; the distance they bear to the next great towns; their coats of arms fairly cut; with other things, no less profitable, than pleasant and delightful.''
The '' Dumnonii'', ''Danmonii'' or ''Dumnones'' were a British Celtic tribe which inhabited Dumnonia, the peninsula now containing in its west the county of
Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a Historic counties of England, historic county and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people ...
and in its east
Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...
. Prince's Latin title signifies "Illustrious Eastern Dumnonii". It is evident that Prince was over-ambitious in his work. The alphabetical entries from A to H fill half the book, while L to Z are squeezed into the final quarter, as money problems took their toll on his inclusions. A second volume, detailing 115 entries chosen by Prince to redress the balance, was never published, though a manuscript exists in the
Devon Record Office There are three local archives covering the historic county of Devon, England. The Devon Heritage Centre in Exeter is the main archive. It has a branch office, the North Devon Record Office in Barnstaple (established in 1988), which is the rep ...
. This manuscript was discussed, and its biographies listed, by J. Brooking-Rowe in an article in the 1900 volume of the Transactions of the
Devonshire Association The Devonshire Association (DA) is a learned society founded in 1862 by William Pengelly and modelled on the British Association, but concentrating on research subjects linked to Devon in the fields of science, literature and the arts. History ...
.


Editions

A further edition was published in 1810 by Edward Upham, Exeter and Longman and Hurst, Rees and Orme, London, printed for Rees and Curtis, Plymouth. It was inscribed to ''"The Right Hon. Hugh, Earl Fortescue, Viscount Ebrington and Baron Fortescue of Castle Hill, Lord-Lieutenant and Custos Rotulorum of the County of Devon"'', whose ''"ancestors claim a distinguished place"'' in the work. It was funded by subscription, with a list of subscribers included after the list of contents.


Marriage

Prince married Gertrude Salter (1644–1725), youngest daughter of Anthony Salter, a physician of Exeter, by his wife Gertrude Acland, a daughter of John Acland (died 1641), of the parish of St Olave, Exeter, Mayor of Exeter in 1627. Prince included in his "Worthies" an uncle and a great-uncle of his wife. John Acland was the 2nd son of Baldwin Acland (died 1572) of Hawkridge, Chittlehampton, a junior branch of the later prominent
Acland family Acland is an English surname. The Aclands of Devon (often Dyke Acland: see Acland baronets, Dyke Acland baronets) were an influential family, whose name was derived from Acland near Barnstaple. Notable people with the surname include: * Alexan ...
which originated at
Acland, Landkey The estate of Acland (''alias'' Accelana,Risdon, p.325 Akeland etc.) in the parish of Landkey, near Barnstaple in North Devon, England, was from 1155 the earliest known seat of the influential and wealthy family of Acland, to which it gave the ...
, North Devon, later seated at Killerton. Gertrude Acland's eldest brother was Baldwin Acland (1607–1672), Treasurer of
Exeter Cathedral Exeter Cathedral, properly known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Exeter, is an Anglican cathedral, and the seat of the Bishop of Exeter, in the city of Exeter, Devon, in South West England. The present building was complete by about 14 ...
, whom Prince made one of his "Worthies of Devon", which biography he termed a "slender monument to the memory of a good man and a worthy divine". Gertrude's mother was Elizabeth Duck, sister of Nicholas Duck (1570–1628), Recorder of Exeter, whom Prince also made one of his ''Worthies'', whose biography also contained a substantial biography of her other younger brother Arthur Duck (1580–1649), a lawyer and MP.


Sexual scandal

In 2001 Todd Gray published the court depositions of Prince's church trial as ''The Curious Sexual Adventure of the Reverend John Prince'',Gray, Todd (2001) ''The Curious Sexual Adventure of the Reverend John Prince''. Exeter: Mint Press which awakened interest in Prince. It was while serving as vicar of Berry Pomeroy that a scandal occurred. In April 1699, Prince arranged a meeting with a local woman, Mary Southcote, in the back room of an inn. Their dalliance was witnessed through a broken window, they were interrupted, and a court case followed later that year. However, despite many statements against him, Prince was allowed to keep his post (from which he had been suspended), as the main witnesses were deemed to be unreliable. He returned to Berry Pomeroy and lived out his years as vicar. A plaque in St Mary's Church in Totnes states that he was well connected, and it is possible that the trial was set up by his enemies. The records of the trial were hitherto unpublished, partly due to the coarse language used by some of the witnesses; it was not until the modern age that such language became less shocking and could be included in a popular work. In 2005 the book was adapted as a play, ''The Tale of John Prince'', which was performed by the South Devon Players theatre company in 2006, at two venues relevant to the story: The Seven Sisters Hotel in Totnes (next door to the former site of Angel's inn); and also in Berry Pomeroy Church.


References


Sources

*Prince, Joh
The Worthies of Devon
A new edition, with notes. London: Printed for Rees and Curtis, Plymouth; Edward Upham, Exeter; and Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, London, 1810. * Vivian, Lt.Col. J.L., (Ed.) ''The Visitations of the County of Devon: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564 & 1620'', Exeter, 1895.


External links

*
Early life in Axminster
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prince, John English biographers Historians of Devon 1643 births 1723 deaths People from Axminster Writers from Totnes English male non-fiction writers