Ralph Heathcote (1721–1795) was an English cleric and writer.

Life

He was born on 19 December 1721 at

Barrow-upon-Soar Barrow upon Soar is a large village in northern Leicestershire, in the Soar Valley between Leicester and Loughborough, with a population at the 2011 census of 5,856. Geography Barrow lies on the east bank of the River Soar, where the riv ...

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

, where his father (died 1765), later vicar of

Sileby Sileby is a former industrial village and civil parish in the Soar Valley in Leicestershire, between Leicester and Loughborough. Nearby villages include Barrow upon Soar, Mountsorrel, Ratcliffe-on-the-Wreake, Seagrave and Cossington. The popul ...

and rector of

Morton, Derbyshire Morton is a civil parish and village, three miles north of Alfreton in North East Derbyshire, Derbyshire, England. The civil parish population at the 2011 Census was 1,195. History A hoard of Roman coins found between Hagg House Farm and Morton ...

, was then curate. His mother was a daughter of

Simon Ockley Simon Ockley (16789 August 1720) was a British Orientalist. Biography Ockley was born at Exeter. He was educated at Queens' College, Cambridge, and graduated B.A. in 1697, MA. in 1701, and B.D. in 1710. He became fellow of Jesus College and vica ...

, the historian of the Saracens. After receiving instruction from his father, and studying at

Chesterfield grammar school Chesterfield may refer to: Places Canada * Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan * Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom *Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England ** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constituenc ...

, he entered

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's full name is The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, near Cambridge. Its common name comes fr ...

, and graduated B.A. in 1744, and M.A. in 1748. In March 1748, Heathcote became curate of

St Margaret's Church, Leicester St Margaret's Church is an ancient Anglican parish church situated on St Margaret's Way in Leicester, England. It is a Grade I listed building. History Parts of the transept date from c. 1200, and parts of the aisles from the late 13th century. ...

, and vicar of

Barkby Barkby is a village and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England. It is situated north-east of Leicester, and only a short way from Leicester's urban sprawl in Thurmaston and Syston. Nearby villages are Beeby and ...

in 1749. His publications attracted the notice of

William Warburton William Warburton (24 December 16987 June 1779) was an English writer, literary critic and churchman, Bishop of Gloucester from 1759 until his death. He edited editions of the works of his friend Alexander Pope, and of William Shakespeare. Li ...

, who presented Heathcote to the assistant preachership at

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...

. He moved in June 1753 to London, where he associated with

John Jortin John Jortin (23 October 1698 – 5 September 1770) was an English church historian. Life Jortin was the son of Renatus Jordain, a Breton Huguenot refugee and government official, and Martha Rogers, daughter of Daniel Rogers. He was educated ...

Thomas Birch Thomas Birch (23 November 17059 January 1766) was an English historian. Life He was the son of Joseph Birch, a coffee-mill maker, and was born at Clerkenwell. He preferred study to business but, as his parents were Quakers, he did not go to t ...

Matthew Maty Matthew Maty (17 May 1718 – 2 July 1776), originally Matthieu Maty, was a Dutch physician and writer of Huguenot background, and after migration to England secretary of the Royal Society and the second principal librarian of the British Museum ...

, and others, who met once a week to drink coffee and talk learnedly. In the late 1760s Heathcote moved back to the midlands, as a prebendary of

Southwell Minster Southwell Minster () is a minster and cathedral in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, England. It is situated miles from Newark-on-Trent and from Mansfield. It is the seat of the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham and the Diocese of Southwell and N ...

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...

. He became preoccupied with duties as a magistrate, though he continued to visit London for a decade or more. He became vicar-general of the peculiar of Southwell in 1788, and died on 28 May 1795.

Works

In 1746 Heathcote published a Latin dissertation on the history of astronomy, ''Historia Astronomiæ sive de ortu et progressu astronomiæ''. When in 1752 he wanted to take a part in the controversy set off by

Conyers Middleton Conyers Middleton (27 December 1683 – 28 July 1750) was an English clergyman. Mired in controversy and disputes, he was also considered one of the best stylists in English of his time. Early life Middleton was born at Richmond, North Yorkshir ...

on the miraculous powers ascribed to the

early Christian Church Early Christianity (up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325) spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and beyond. Originally, this progression was closely connected to already established Jewish centers in the Holy Land and the Jewish d ...

, he felt a lack of fluency in literary English. He produced two pamphlets anonymously: ''Cursory Animadversions on the Controversy in General'' (1752), and ''Remarks upon a Charge by Dr. Chapman'' (1752); and in the following year wrote a reply to

Thomas Fothergill Thomas Fothergill D.D. (1715/6–1796) was an English cleric and academic administrator at the University of Oxford. Life He was the son of Henry Fothergill of Westmorland, and brother of George Fothergill. He matriculated at The Queen's Colleg ...

's sermon on the uses of commemorating King Charles I's martyrdom. He took a part in controversy against

Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke (; 16 September 1678 – 12 December 1751) was an English politician, government official and political philosopher. He was a leader of the Tories, and supported the Church of England politically des ...

, publishing in 1755 ''A Sketch of Lord Bolingbroke's Philosophy'',’ and against the Hutchinsonian Thomas Patten on the other. His tracts formed the basis of his dissertation on occasion of his D.D. degree at Cambridge in 1759, and of his

Boyle lectures The Boyle Lectures are named after Robert Boyle, a prominent natural philosopher of the 17th century and son of Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork. Under the terms of his Will, Robert Boyle endowed a series of lectures or sermons (originally eight e ...

, 1763–5. In 1761, he became one of the main writers in the ''

Biographical Dictionary A biographical dictionary is a type of encyclopedic dictionary limited to biographical information. Many attempt to cover the major personalities of a country (with limitations, such as living persons only, in ''Who's Who'', or deceased people onl ...

'' of 1761. In 1767, Heathcote published an anonymous letter to

Horace Walpole Horatio Walpole (), 4th Earl of Orford (24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English writer, art historian, man of letters, antiquarian, and Whigs (British political party), Whig politician. He had Strawb ...

on the dispute between

David Hume David Hume (; born David Home; 7 May 1711 NS (26 April 1711 OS) – 25 August 1776) Cranston, Maurice, and Thomas Edmund Jessop. 2020 999br>David Hume" ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Retrieved 18 May 2020. was a Scottish Enlightenment philo ...

and

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolu ...

, which was attributed to Walpole himself. In 1771, he published anonymously ''The Irenarch, or Justice of the Peace's Manual''; the third edition bore the author's name. The second and third editions have a long dedication to

Lord Mansfield William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, PC, SL (2 March 170520 March 1793) was a British barrister, politician and judge noted for his reform of English law. Born to Scottish nobility, he was educated in Perth, Scotland, before moving to Lond ...

. In 1786, he produced a miscellany of anecdotes and dissertations, ''Sylva''.

Family

Heathcote in August 1750 married Margaret Mompesson, a descendant of

William Mompesson William Mompesson (1639 – 7 March 1709) was a Church of England priest whose decisive action when his Derbyshire parish, Eyam, became infected with the plague in the 17th century averted more widespread catastrophe. The earliest reference to hi ...

Eyam Eyam () is an English village and civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales that lies within the Peak District National Park. There is evidence of early occupation by Ancient Britons on the surrounding moors and lead was mined in the area by the Roma ...

, and attained financial independence.

References

;Attribution

On-line edition of works

''A Sketch of Lord Bolingbroke's Philosophy''- free online version digitized by The Royal Library Copenhagen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heathcote, Ralph 1721 births 1795 deaths 18th-century English Anglican priests English biographers English lexicographers People from Barrow upon Soar 18th-century lexicographers