Thomas Good (aka Thomas Goode, 1609 – 9 April 1678) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

academic and clergyman, and Master of

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the f ...

. He is known as a moderate in and orthodox apologist for the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

, engaging with

Richard Baxter Richard Baxter (12 November 1615 – 8 December 1691) was an English Puritan church leader, poet, hymnodist, theologian, and controversialist. Dean Stanley called him "the chief of English Protestant Schoolmen". After some false starts, he ...

and urging him to clarify a 'middle way'.

Life

Originally from the

Tenbury Wells Tenbury Wells (locally Tenbury) is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the northwestern extremity of the Malvern Hills District of Worcestershire, England. Its northern border adjoins Shropshire, and at the 2011 census it ...

area of

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, Good was educated at the

King's School, Worcester The King's School, Worcester is an English independent day school refounded by Henry VIII in 1541. It occupies a site adjacent to Worcester Cathedral on the banks of the River Severn in the centre of the city of Worcester. It offers mixed-sex ma ...

in the time of Henry Bright.John Jones, �
Good, Thomas (1609/10–1678)
��, ''

Oxford 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 ...

'',

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, 2004; online edition, January 2008. Accessed 7 February 2011. He was admitted scholar at Balliol College in 1624, and took the degree of B.A. in 1628. Next year he was elected probationer-fellow, and in 1630

fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of his college. He proceeded M.A. in 1631, and B.D. in 1639. He became

vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

of St Alkmund's in

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...

, probably in 1642. From this living, he was then ejected; but he continued to hold the rectory of Coreley in Shropshire, to which he had been instituted before 1647, throughout the

Interregnum An interregnum (plural interregna or interregnums) is a period of discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order. Archetypally, it was the period of time between the reign of one monarch and the next (coming from Latin '' ...

, and he submitted to the parliamentary visitors for Oxford, being appointed one of the visitors' delegates on 30 September 1647. With

Thomas Warmestry Thomas Warmestry (1610 – 30 October 1665) was Dean of Worcester from 1661 until his death. Biography Warmestry was born in Worcester in 1610, the son of William Warmestry and younger brother of the poet Gervase Warmestry, into an ancient Wor ...

, he met Richard Baxter and other ministers of the Worcestershire Association in September 1653 at

Cleobury Mortimer Cleobury Mortimer (, ) is a market town and civil parish in southeast Shropshire, England, which had a population of 3,036 at the 2011 census. It was granted a market charter by Henry III in 1226.''Rotuli Litterarum Clausarum in Turri Londinensi ...

, to discuss the question of the

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

clergy joining the association; he signed a paper expressing approval of the articles of agreement. He obtained leave of absence from Balliol College for a large part of the period from 1647 to 1658, and then resigned his fellowship. At the

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he was created

doctor of divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

as a sufferer for the King's cause. He was also appointed prebendary of Hereford on 29 August 1660, and about the same time he was presented to the rectory of

Wistanstow Wistanstow is a village and parish in Shropshire, England. Wistanstow is located about south of Church Stretton and north of Ludlow. It is about north of Craven Arms. It is just off the main Shrewsbury- Hereford road, the A49. The large par ...

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...

. In 1672 he was unanimously elected Master of Balliol College. He died at

Hereford Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. With a population ...

9 April 1678 and was buried in

Hereford Cathedral Hereford Cathedral is the cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of Hereford in Hereford, England. A place of worship has existed on the site of the present building since the 8th century or earlier. The present building was begun in 1079. S ...

Works

His published works were: * ''Firmianus and Dubitantius, certain dialogues concerning Atheism, Infidelity, Popery, and other Heresies and Schismes that trouble the peace of the Church and are destructive of primitive piety'', Oxford, 1674. Reflections on the nonconformists contained in this work moved Baxter to write the author a letter of protest, which is printed in ''Reliquiae Baxterianae'', pt. iii. pp. 148–51. * An appeal for the endowment of fellowships in Balliol College. * ''A Brief English Tract of Logick'', 1677.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Good, Thomas 1609 births 1678 deaths Clergy from Worcestershire People educated at King's School, Worcester Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford 17th-century English Anglican priests Fellows of Balliol College, Oxford Masters of Balliol College, Oxford People from Tenbury Wells