Nathaniel Hardy (1618–1670) was an English churchman,

Dean of Rochester The Dean of Rochester is the head of the chapter of canons at Rochester Cathedral, the mother church of the Church of England Diocese of Rochester. The current dean is Philip Hesketh, who has served in that role since June 2016. List of deans ...

from 1660.

Life

He was son of Anthony Hardy of London, born in the

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, 14 September 1618, and was baptised in the church of St. Martin's, Ludgate. After being educated in London, he became a commoner of

Magdalen Hall Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main gate to the Bodleian Library. The colleg ...

, Oxford (1632); graduated B.A. 20 October 1635, and soon after migrated to

Hart Hall Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main gate to the Bodleian Library. The colle ...

, where he graduated M. A. 27 June 1638. Alumni Oxonienses 1500-1714, Haak-Harman
/ref> Returning to London after being ordained at an exceptionally early age, he became a popular preacher with presbyterian leanings. In 1643 he was appointed preacher to the church of St. Dionis, Backchurch, in

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, where he drew together a congregation chiefly of presbyterians. In 1645 he was present for the

treaty of Uxbridge The Treaty of Uxbridge was a significant but abortive negotiation in early 1645 to try to end the First English Civil War. Background Parliament drew up 27 articles in November 1644 and presented them to Charles I of England at Oxford. Much inpu ...

(negotiations between royal and parliamentary commissioners). He was led by the arguments of

Henry Hammond Henry Hammond (18 August 1605 – 25 April 1660) was an English churchman, who supported the Royalist cause during the English Civil War. Early life He was born at Chertsey in Surrey on 18 August 1605, the youngest son of John Hammond (c. 155 ...

on the chief champion on the episcopalian side to alter his views. On his return to London he preached a sermon of recantation; from that point he was convinced about bishops, though he attended meetings of a presbyterian as late as 1651. He continued to officiate at St. Dionis; under the Commonwealth he maintained, without interference from the authorities, a 'Loyal Lecture,' at which monthly collections were made for the suffering clergy, and he usually preached a funeral sermon on the 'Royal Martyrdom.' In 1660, being one of the ministers deputed to attend the commissioners for the City of London, he went over to

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to meet Charles II, and preached a sermon which before him. On the king's return to England, he was made one of the royal chaplains in ordinary, and frequently preached in the

Chapel Royal The Chapel Royal is an establishment in the Royal Household serving the spiritual needs of the sovereign and the British Royal Family. Historically it was a body of priests and singers that travelled with the monarch. The term is now also applie ...

. On 2 August 1660 he was created D.D. of Hart Hall, Oxford; on 10 August was made rector of St. Dionis, Backchurch, where he had long been preacher; and on 10 December 1660 became dean of Rochester. In March 1661 he petitioned for the next vacant prebend at Westminster, but does not seem to have obtained it. On 6 April 1661 the king presented him to the vicarage of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields. He was appointed to the living of Henley-on-Thames, 14 November 1661, but resigned it after two months. In December 1661 he was among the clergy of the diocese of Canterbury who testified their conformity in convocation with the new ''

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 ...

''. He was installed

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, 6 April 1667. He also held the rectory of

Leybourne Leybourne is a small village and civil parish in Kent, England situated off Junction 4 of the M20 Motorway. Leybourne is adjacent to New Hythe, Larkfield and West Malling. As of 2020 Leybourne Parish had a population of 4,372. Historically, the ...

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for a short time. Hardy died at his house at

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, after a brief illness, on 1 June 1670, and was buried on the 9th in the chancel of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields. Richard Meggot,

dean of Winchester The Dean of Winchester is the head of the Chapter of Winchester Cathedral in the city of Winchester, England, in the Diocese of Winchester. Appointment is by the Crown. The first incumbent was the last Prior, William Kingsmill, Catherine Ogle ...

, preached his funeral sermon, and commented on his activity in restoring churches. Hardy's widow erected a marble tablet to his memory, now in the crypt of St. Martin's. She afterwards married (license dated 6 Dec. 1670) Sir Francis Clarke, knight, of Ulcombe, Kent.

Works

Hardy's published sermons and lectures are: * ''Arraignement of Licentious Libertie'', 1646, 1647, 1657. * ''Justice Triumphing'', 1646, 1647, 1648, 1656. * ''Faith's Victory over Nature'', 1648, 1658. * ''A Divine Prospective'', 1649, 1654, 1660. * ''The Safest Convoy'', 1649, 1653. * ''Two Mites, or a Grateful Acknowledgement of God's singular Goodness (on recovery from sickness): a, "Mercy in her Beauty," 1653; b, "Thankfulness in Grain,"'' 1653, 1654. * ''Divinity in Mortality'', 1653, 1659. * ''Love and Fear'', 1653, 1658. * ''Death's Alarm'', 1654. * ''Epitaph of a Godly Man'', 1655. * ''Safety in the Midst of Danger'', 1656. * ''Wisdom's Character'', 1656. * ''Wisdom's Counterfeit'', 1656. * ''The first General Epistle of St. John the Apostle, unfolded and applied'', pt. i. 22 lectures, 1656; pt. ii. 37 lectures, 1659; republished in Nichol's ''Series of Commentaries'', Edinburgh, 1865. * ''The Olive Branch'', 1658. * ''The Pious Votary'', 1658, 1659. * ''A Sad Prognostic of Approaching Judgment'', 1658, 1660. * ''Man's Last Journey to his Long Home'', 1659. * ''The Pilgrim's Wish'', 1659, 1666. * ''Carduus Benedictus'', 1659. * ''A Looking Glasse of Human Frailtie'', 1659. * ''The Hierarchy Exalted'', 1660, 1661. * ''The Choicest Fruit of Peace'', 1660. * ''The Apostolical Liturgie Revised'', 1661. * ''A Loud Call to Great Mourning'', 1662. * ''Lamentation, Mourning, and Woe'' (on 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 ...

), 1666. * ''The Royal CommonWealth's Man'', 1668. ''Several Sermons, preached upon solemn Occasions'', were collected together, 1658. Another series appeared in 1666. A funeral sermon preached at Cranford on

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 ...

was not apparently printed. Hardy frequently complained of the publication of pirated and unauthorised versions of his sermons and prayers.

External links

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hardy, Nathaniel 1618 births 1670 deaths Deans of Rochester Archdeacons of Lewes