Rev. Bartholomew Westley (1596 – 13 February 1680) was an English
ejected minister
The Great Ejection followed the Act of Uniformity 1662 in England. Several thousand Puritan ministers were forced out of their positions in the Church of England, following The Restoration of Charles II. It was a consequence (not necessarily ...
.
Life
He was the third son of Sir Herbert Westley of
Westleigh,
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 ...
, and his wife Elizabeth de Wellesley of
Dangan
Dang'an () is a Chinese word meaning "archived record/file". Used in the political and administrative context, it means a permanent dossier or archival system that records the "performance and attitudes" of citizens of mainland China. Together wi ...
,
County Meath
County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the ...
. He studied physics,
medicine and theology at
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 ...
. He lived for some time at
Bridport
Bridport is a market town in Dorset, England, inland from the English Channel near the confluence of the River Brit and its tributary the Asker. Its origins are Saxon and it has a long history as a rope-making centre. On the coast and wit ...
and is known to have preached in the town's western suburb of Allington. The pulpit which he used there is still preserved in the Wesleyan school-room at Bridport.
He held the sequestered rectories of
Charmouth
Charmouth is a village and civil parish in west Dorset, England. The village is situated on the mouth of the River Char, around north-east of Lyme Regis. Dorset County Council estimated that in 2013 the population of the civil parish was 1,31 ...
(from 1640) and
Catherston (from 1650), in
Dorset
Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...
, from both of which he was ejected in 1662. He continued to preach as a
Nonconformist. He lived in Charmouth for some time where he practised medicine and continued preaching in the West Dorset area. He was eventually forced to leave Charmouth by the
Five Mile Act
The Five Mile Act, or Oxford Act, or Nonconformists Act 1665, was an Act of the Parliament of England (17 Charles II c. 2), passed in 1665 with the long title "An Act for restraining Non-Conformists from inhabiting in Corporations". It was one ...
. He was dubbed a fanatic and a "puny parson", because of his small stature. The last years of his life were spent in seclusion at
Lyme Regis
Lyme Regis is a town in west Dorset, England, west of Dorchester and east of Exeter. Sometimes dubbed the "Pearl of Dorset", it lies by the English Channel at the Dorset–Devon border. It has noted fossils in cliffs and beaches on the Heri ...
, where he died at about the age of eighty-five; he was buried there on 15 February 1680.
Family
He married (1619) Anne, daughter of Sir Henry Colley of
Carbury,
County Kildare, and granddaughter of
Adam Loftus, primate of Ireland. They had one son,
Rev. John Westley, also an ejected minister.
References
;Attribution
1596 births
1680 deaths
Ejected English ministers of 1662
Bartholomew
Bartholomew (Aramaic: ; grc, Βαρθολομαῖος, translit=Bartholomaîos; la, Bartholomaeus; arm, Բարթողիմէոս; cop, ⲃⲁⲣⲑⲟⲗⲟⲙⲉⲟⲥ; he, בר-תולמי, translit=bar-Tôlmay; ar, بَرثُولَماو ...
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