Hezekiah Woodward (1590–1675) was an English nonconformist minister and educator, who was involved in the pamphlet wars of the 1640s. He was a Comenian in educational theory, and an associate of

Samuel Hartlib Samuel Hartlib or Hartlieb (c. 1600 – 10 March 1662)
M. Greengrass, "Hartlib, Samuel (c. 1600–1662)", ''Oxford D ...

. He was one of those articulating the

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become more Protestant. ...

argument against the celebration of

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

Life

In the early 1640s he was a preacher at Aldermanbury in London. At this period he was linked with John Milton, as authors in "the frequent printing of scandalous Books by divers". He was officially examined about his writings at the end of December 1644, being released after two days, and having acknowledged authorship of some work or works, thought to have included the anonymous ''As You Were''. Milton either was not pulled in, or was quickly allowed to go. Then, at

St Michael's Church, Bray St Michael's Church, Bray, is a Grade II* listed parish church in the Church of England in Bray, Berkshire. History The church dates from 1293, supposedly to replace a Saxon church at Water Oakley. It was partly rebuilt ca. 1500 and extensi ...

, he was an Independent minister, but was ejected in 1662, after the

English Restoration The Restoration of the Stuart monarchy in the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland took place in 1660 when King Charles II returned from exile in continental Europe. The preceding period of the Protectorate and the civil wars came to ...

of 1660. Subsequently he was in

Uxbridge Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. Situated west-northwest of Charing Cross, it is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Uxb ...

, one of the founders of the Old Meeting Congregational Church there.

Writings

He engaged Thomas Edwards, a major writer on the

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

side. Woodward supported Katherine Chidley against Edwards. ''As You Were: or a reducing'' (1644) was published anonymously, and in support of John Goodwin. It was a reply to ''Faces About'', attributed to George Gillespie. Gillespie hit back in ''Wholesome Severity'', from the Presbyterian side. On education, he advanced the argument that the current grammar schools lacked provision for the most elementary schooling, to the detriment of the quality of the latter. His ''A Light to Grammar'' (1641) makes the case for education based on stimulation; ''A Gate to Science'' favoured realism and intelligibility in textbooks. Parents, in his view, delegated too much of a child's upbringing to teachers. He wrote about his own schooling, in ''A Childes Patrimony'' (1640), and ''Portion'' (1649).

Family

His daughter Frances married

John Oxenbridge John Oxenbridge (30 January 1608 – 28 December 1674) was an English Nonconformist divine, who emigrated to New England. Life He was born at Daventry, Northamptonshire, and was educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and Magdalen Hall, Oxford ...

. His daughter Sarah married Daniel Henchman (c.1627-1685), a founder of

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...

.George Madison Bodge, ''Soldiers in King Philip's War'' (2004), p. 59.

References

*C. B. Freeman, ''A Puritan Educator: Hezekiah Woodward and His "Childes Patrimony"'', British Journal of Educational Studies, Vol. 9, No. 2 (May, 1961), pp. 132–142

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Woodward, Hezekiah 1590 births 1675 deaths Ejected English ministers of 1662 17th-century English educators