Martin Madan (1726 – 2 May 1790) was an
English
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* English people
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barrister, clergyman and writer, known for his contribution to Methodist music, 'The Lock Hospital Collection,' and later controversial views on
marriage
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...
expressed in his book ''Thelyphthora''.
Life
He was the son of
Judith Madan
Judith Madan (; 26 August 1702 – 7 December 1781) was an English poet. She was the granddaughter of the diarist, Sarah, Lady Cowper (1644–1720) and aunt of the poet William Cowper. She was a correspondent, admirer and protégé of Alexan ...
(née Cowper) the poet, and Colonel
Martin Madan
Martin Madan (1726 – 2 May 1790) was an English barrister, clergyman and writer, known for his contribution to Methodist music, 'The Lock Hospital Collection,' and later controversial views on marriage expressed in his book ''Thelyphthora''.
...
, and was educated at
Westminster School
(God Gives the Increase)
, established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560
, type = Public school Independent day and boarding school
, religion = Church of England
, head_label = Hea ...
, and at
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...
, where he graduated in 1746. In 1748 he was called to the
bar
Bar or BAR may refer to:
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* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud
* Bar (u ...
, and for some time lived a very uninhibited life. He was persuaded to change his ways on hearing a sermon by
John Wesley
John Wesley (; 2 March 1791) was an English people, English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The soci ...
. He took holy orders, and was appointed chaplain to the
London Lock Hospital
The London Lock Hospital was the first voluntary hospital for venereal disease. It was also the most famous and first of the Lock Hospitals which were developed for the treatment of syphilis following the end of the use of lazar hospitals, as l ...
. He was closely connected with the
Calvinistic Methodist
Calvinistic Methodists were born out of the 18th-century Welsh Methodist revival and survive as a body of Christians now forming the Presbyterian Church of Wales. Calvinistic Methodism became a major denomination in Wales, growing rapidly in the 1 ...
movement supported by the
Countess of Huntingdon, and from time to time acted as an itinerant preacher. He was a first cousin of the poet
William Cowper
William Cowper ( ; 26 November 1731 – 25 April 1800) was an English poet and Anglican hymnwriter. One of the most popular poets of his time, Cowper changed the direction of 18th-century nature poetry by writing of everyday life and scen ...
, with whom he had some correspondence on religious matters.
In 1767, much adverse comment was aroused by his support of his friend
Thomas Haweis
Thomas Haweis (c.1734–1820), (surname pronounced to rhyme with "pause") was born in Redruth, Cornwall, on 1 January 1734, where he was baptised on 20 February 1734. As a Church of England cleric he was one of the leading figures of the 18th ce ...
in a controversy arising out of the latter's possession of the living of
All Saints Church, Aldwincle
All Saints Church is a historic Anglican church in the village of Aldwincle, Northamptonshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is under the care of The Churche ...
,
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by
two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...
. Madan resigned his chaplainship and retired to
Epsom
Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...
.
He married Jane Hale, daughter of the eminent judge
Sir Bernard Hale
Sir Bernard Hale (1677–1729) was an English-born barrister and judge who became Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer. Two of his sons became Generals in the British Army.Ball, F. Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221–1921'' London John Murray 1 ...
and his wife Anne Thoresby. They had five children. Jane's portrait was painted by
Allan Ramsay. She died in 1794.
Works
In 1760 Martin Madan published for the Lock Hospital the first edition of the collection of ''Psalms and Hymns Extracted from various Authors''. He eventually published 11 editions, his last in 1787. Many of Madan's edits contained in those collections came into general use.
In 1780, Madan raised a storm of opposition by the publication of his ''Thelyphthora, or A Treatise on Female Ruin'', in which he advocated
polygamy
Crimes
Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman is married ...
as the remedy for evils he deplored. His arguments were based mainly on scriptural authority; but his book caused many angry replies. Amongst them was 'Anti-Thelyphthora' by his first cousin, the poet William Cowper, which he published anonymously. A fictional account of this event can be read in ''The Winner of Sorrow'', a 2005 novel about the poet by Brian Lynch.
Nineteen attacks on Madan's treatise are catalogued by
Falconer Madan
Falconer Madan (15 April 1851 – 22 May 1935) was Librarian of the Bodleian Library of Oxford University.
Early life and education
Falconer Madan was born in Cam, Gloucestershire, the fifth son of George and Harriet Madan. He was educated at ...
in the ''
Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
''.
[Among those, many of which were anonymous were: magazine articles by ]Samuel Badcock
Samuel Badcock (1747–1788) was an English nonconformist minister, theological writer and literary critic.
Life
He was born at South Molton, Devon on 23 February 1747. His parents were dissenters, and he was educated in a school at Ottery St. Ma ...
in the ''Monthly Review
The ''Monthly Review'', established in 1949, is an independent socialist magazine published monthly in New York City. The publication is the longest continuously published socialist magazine in the United States.
History Establishment
Following ...
''; ‘Polygamy Indefensible, two Sermons by John Smith of Nantwich,’ 1780; ‘Polygamy Unscriptural, or two Dialogues, by John Towers,’ 1780 (2nd edit. 1781); ‘Whispers for the Ear of the Author of “Thelyphthora,” by E. B. Greene,’ 1781; ‘A Scriptural Refutation of the Arguments for Polygamy,’ Thomas Haweis
Thomas Haweis (c.1734–1820), (surname pronounced to rhyme with "pause") was born in Redruth, Cornwall, on 1 January 1734, where he was baptised on 20 February 1734. As a Church of England cleric he was one of the leading figures of the 18th ce ...
, 1781; ‘The Blessings of Polygamy displayed,’ and ‘The Cobler's Letter to the Author of Thelyphthora,’ 1781, both by Sir Richard Hill; ‘Remarks on Polygamy,’ 1781 by Thomas Wills (written at the request of Lady Huntingdon); ‘Anti-Thelyphthora, a Tale in Verse’ by William Cowper
William Cowper ( ; 26 November 1731 – 25 April 1800) was an English poet and Anglican hymnwriter. One of the most popular poets of his time, Cowper changed the direction of 18th-century nature poetry by writing of everyday life and scen ...
, 1781, &c.; ‘A Word to Mr. Madan’ by Henry Moore
Henry Spencer Moore (30 July 1898 – 31 August 1986) was an English artist. He is best known for his semi- abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art. As well as sculpture, Moore produced ...
, 1781 (2nd edit. same year); ‘An Examination of Thelyphthora, by John Palmer,’ 1781; ‘Remarks on Thelyphthora by James Penn
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
’ (1781); and ‘Thoughts on Polygamy’, by James Cookson, 1782. ''Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
'', v. 35, p. 288-290, Madan, Martin (1726–1790), author of ‘Thelyphthora,’, by Falconer Madan. Published 1893.
Among other works was ''A New and Literal Translation of Juvenal and Persius'' (1789).
See also
*
Winston Blackmore
Winston Blackmore (born August 25, 1956) is the leader of a Polygamy, polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Fundamentalist Latter Day Saint religious group in Bountiful, British Columbia, Canada. He is described as ...
Notes
External links
Thelyphthora - Volume 1 of 2Thelyphthora - Volume 2 of 2*
;Attribution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Madan, Martin
1726 births
1790 deaths
Calvinistic Methodists
18th-century English Anglican priests
English writers
People educated at Westminster School, London
Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford