Henry Wilkinson (1610–1675) was an English clergyman, in the Commonwealth period a canon of

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 ...

Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity The Lady Margaret Professorship of Divinity is a senior professorship in Christ Church of the University of Oxford. The professorship was founded from the benefaction of Lady Margaret Beaufort (1443–1509), mother of Henry VII. Its holders were ...

, and member of the

Westminster Assembly The Westminster Assembly of Divines was a council of Divinity (academic discipline), divines (theologians) and members of the English Parliament appointed from 1643 to 1653 to restructure the Church of England. Several Scots also attended, and ...

. Later he was a

nonconformist Nonconformity or nonconformism may refer to: Culture and society * Insubordination, the act of willfully disobeying an order of one's superior *Dissent, a sentiment or philosophy of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or entity ** ...

preacher.

Life

He matriculated at

Magdalen Hall, Oxford 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 ...

, on 14 February 1623, aged 12, graduated B.A. on 25 November 1626, M.A. on 11 June 1629, and B.D. on 16 November 1638. He preached in and about Oxford; for a sermon attacking some of the ceremonies of the church, preached at St. Mary's on 6 September 1640, Wilkinson was suspended from his divinity lecture, and from all his priestly functions in the university until he should recant. He appealed to the

Long parliament The Long Parliament was an English Parliament which lasted from 1640 until 1660. It followed the fiasco of the Short Parliament, which had convened for only three weeks during the spring of 1640 after an 11-year parliamentary absence. In Septem ...

, and in December 1640 was restored by the committee of religion of that body, who ordered the sermon to be printed. Subsequently, Wilkinson moved to London, was appointed minister of St. Faith's under St. Paul's, chosen a member of the Westminster Assembly, and in 1645 became rector of St. Dunstan's-in-the-East. In 1646 he was one of the six preachers despatched by the Long parliament to Oxford, where he was chosen senior fellow of Magdalen, and deputed a parliamentary visitor. On 12 April 1648 he was appointed canon of Christ Church on the expulsion of Dr. Thomas Iles. He was created D.D. on 24 July 1649, and elected Lady Margaret professor of divinity on 12 July 1652, which office he filled until 1662. In 1654 he served on the commission for ejecting scandalous ministers from Oxfordshire. He was known in Oxford as 'Long Harry' or 'senior' to distinguish him from another

Henry Wilkinson (1616–1690) Henry Wilkinson (1616–1690) was an English clergyman and academic, Principal of Magdalen Hall, Oxford and White's Professor of Moral Philosophy, and later an ejected minister. Life He was the son of William Wilkinson, curate or chaplain of Adwi ...

known as 'Dean Harry'. After the Restoration he was ejected from his professorship by the king's commissioners and left Oxford. Wilkinson preached first at

All Hallows, Lombard Street All Hallows Lombard Street, also seen with descriptor Gracechurch Street, was a parish church in the City of London. It stood behind thin buildings fronting both streets, in Langbourn Ward, The west and south sides faced into Ball Alley. Of ...

, and afterwards at

Clapham Clapham () is a suburb in south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (most notably Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. History Early history T ...

. A

conventicle A conventicle originally signified no more than an assembly, and was frequently used by ancient writers for a church. At a semantic level ''conventicle'' is only a good Latinized synonym of the Greek word church, and points to Jesus' promise in M ...

of sixty or more persons to whom he was preaching was broken up at

Camberwell Camberwell () is a district of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross. Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles and a common of which Goose Green is a remnant. This e ...

in August 1665. After the 'indulgence' he took out a licence on 2 April 1672 for his house or the schoolhouse at Clapham to be a presbyterian meeting-house. He was well known around London as a preacher, and when he died on 5 June 1675. either at

Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, within the London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century to the late 19th it was home to Deptford Dock ...

Putney Putney () is a district of southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ancient paris ...

, his body was conducted by many hundreds of persons to

Drapers' Hall The Worshipful Company of Drapers is one of the 110 livery companies of the City of London. It has the formal name The Master and Wardens and Brethren and Sisters of the Guild or Fraternity of the Blessed Mary the Virgin of the Mystery of Dr ...

, and thence to its burial in St. Dunstan's Church. Some of his sermons were published in

Samuel Annesley Samuel Annesley (c. 1620 – 1696) was a prominent Puritan and nonconformist pastor, best known for the sermons he collected as the series of ''Morning Exercises''. Life He was born in Haseley, in Warwickshire in 1620, and christened on the 26th ...

's ''Morning Exercise'', 1661, and ''Supplement'', 1674 (republished in 1844).

Family

He was the son of Henry Wilkinson ("the elder") (1566–1647), by his wife Sarah, and was born at

Waddesdon Waddesdon is a village in Buckinghamshire, England, west-north-west of Aylesbury on the A41 road. The village also includes the hamlets of Eythrope and Wormstone, Waddesdon was an agricultural settlement with milling, silk weaving and lace maki ...

, Buckinghamshire, on 4 March 1610. His father, who was elected fellow of

Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is one of the Colleges of Oxford University, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the ...

, in 1586, was created B.D. on 7 July 1597, and was from 1601 till his death on 19 March 1647 rector of Waddesdon. He was chosen one of the Westminster divines in 1643; he published ''A Catechism'' (4th edit. London, 1637), and ''The Debt Book, or a Treatise upon Rom. xiii. 8'' (London, 1625). By his wife Sarah, daughter of Arthur Wake of Salcey Forest, Northamptonshire, and sister of Sir Isaac Wake, he had six sons and three daughters. According to

Anthony à Wood Anthony Wood (17 December 1632 – 28 November 1695), who styled himself Anthony à Wood in his later writings, was an English antiquary. He was responsible for a celebrated ''Hist. and Antiq. of the Universitie of Oxon''. Early life Anthony W ...

Henry married 'a woman called the lady Carr,' and in his will he mentions one son and two daughters.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkinson, Henry 1610 births 1675 deaths Westminster Divines Ejected English ministers of 1662 Alumni of Magdalen Hall, Oxford English Calvinist and Reformed theologians 17th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians Lady Margaret Professors of Divinity English male non-fiction writers