John Purchas, (born at

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

, 14 July 1823; died at Brighton, 18 October 1872), was an author and a priest of

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 Britai ...

who was prosecuted for

ritualist Ritualism, in the history of Christianity, refers to an emphasis on the rituals and liturgical ceremonies of the church. Specifically, the Christian ritual of Holy Communion. In the Anglican church in the 19th century, the role of ritual became ...

practices. He received his education at Bury St Edmunds,

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. ...

and Christ's College, Cambridge (B.A., 1844; M.A., 1847). He was curate of

Elsworth Elsworth is a village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England, 9 miles northwest of Cambridge and 7 miles southeast of Huntingdon. At the 2011 census, the population was 726. It was one of only two sites in Cambridgeshire to be cov ...

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the ...

, 1851–53, of

Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitari ...

in the same county, 1856–59, and of St. Paul's, Brighton, 1861–66 (where he was a curate of Henry Michell Wagner); and

perpetual curate Perpetual curate was a class of resident parish priest or incumbent curate within the United Church of England and Ireland (name of the combined Anglican churches of England and Ireland from 1800 to 1871). The term is found in common use mainly du ...

of St. James' Chapel, Brighton, after 1866.

Prosecution for ritualism

His curacy in St. James' is significant because of the direct contribution which was made through it to the controversy concerning

ritualism Ritualism, in the history of Christianity, refers to an emphasis on the rituals and liturgical ceremonies of the church. Specifically, the Christian ritual of Holy Communion. In the Anglican church in the 19th century, the role of ritual became ...

in the Anglican church. Purchas introduced the use of

vestments Vestments are liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christian religion, especially by Eastern Churches, Catholics (of all rites), Anglicans, and Lutherans. Many other groups also make use of liturgical garments; this ...

such as the

cope The cope (known in Latin as ''pluviale'' 'rain coat' or ''cappa'' 'cape') is a liturgical vestment, more precisely a long mantle or cloak, open in front and fastened at the breast with a band or clasp. It may be of any liturgical colour. A c ...

chasuble The chasuble () is the outermost liturgical vestment worn by clergy for the celebration of the Eucharist in Western-tradition Christian churches that use full vestments, primarily in Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches. In the Eastern ...

, alb, biretta, etc., and used lighted candles on the altar,

crucifix A crucifix (from Latin ''cruci fixus'' meaning "(one) fixed to a cross") is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the ''corpus'' (Lati ...

es, images, and

holy water Holy water is water that has been blessed by a member of the clergy or a religious figure, or derived from a well or spring considered holy. The use for cleansing prior to a baptism and spiritual cleansing is common in several religions, from ...

, together with

procession A procession is an organized body of people walking in a formal or ceremonial manner. History Processions have in all peoples and at all times been a natural form of public celebration, as forming an orderly and impressive ceremony. Religious ...

incense Incense is aromatic biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt. The term is used for either the material or the aroma. Incense is used for aesthetic reasons, religious worship, aromatherapy, meditation, and ceremony. It may also b ...

, and the like.On 27 November 1869, he was accordingly charged before the

Court of Arches The Arches Court, presided over by the Dean of Arches, is an ecclesiastical court of the Church of England covering the Province of Canterbury. Its equivalent in the Province of York is the Chancery Court. It takes its name from the street-level ...

with infringing the law of the established church; he did not appear to answer, giving as reasons his poverty, which prevented him from securing legal assistance, and ill-health. The case concerned interpretation of the

Ornaments Rubric The "Ornaments Rubric" is found just before the beginning of Morning Prayer in the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England. It runs as follows: The interpretation of the second paragraph was debated when it first appeared and became a major i ...

. Sir Robert Phillimore was

Dean of the Arches The Dean of the Arches is the judge who presides in the provincial ecclesiastical court of the Archbishop of Canterbury. This court is called the Arches Court of Canterbury. It hears appeals from consistory courts and bishop's disciplinary tribun ...

at the time. Decision was rendered against him on 3 February 1870, but in terms which did not please Col. Charles James Elphinstone, who had brought the suit. Elphinstone appealed for a fuller condemnation, which was obtained on 16 May 1871 (Mr Elphinstone, the original prosecutor, died before the case reached the Privy Council, so the case was brought by a Mr Hebbert) the decision going against Purchas in all points. Purchas had put his property out of his hands, and so could not be made to pay costs; moreover, he did not discontinue the illegal practises, and was suspended for twelve months; but in spite of this he continued his services until his death. The decision caused a controversy which extended over a considerable period and involved the leaders in the Anglican church.

Purchas' writings

Purchas' most important literary achievement was the editing of ''Directorium Anglicanum: being a Manual of Directions for the right Celebration of the Holy Communion, for the Saying of

Matins Matins (also Mattins) is a canonical hour in Christian liturgy, originally sung during the darkness of early morning. The earliest use of the term was in reference to the canonical hour, also called the vigil, which was originally celebrated b ...

and

Evensong Evensong is a church service traditionally held near sunset focused on singing psalms and other biblical canticles. In origin, it is identical to the canonical hour of vespers. Old English speakers translated the Latin word as , which became ...

, and for the Performance of the other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church'' (London, 1858; a standard work on Anglican

). He was also the author of a comedy (
The Miser's Daughter or the Lover's Curse
', 1839), several poems, including
Poems and Ballads
' (1846); ''The Book of Feasts''; ''Sermons'' (1853); ''The Priest's Dream: an Allegory'' (1856); and
The Death of Ezekiel's Wife: Three Sermons
' (1866).

References

External links

* ttp://anglicanhistory.org/england/jpurchas/ Bibliographic directoryfrom Project Canterbury by Richard Mammana
Directorium Anglicanum
by John Purchas

by Frederick George Lee (1872) {{DEFAULTSORT:Purchas, John 1823 births 1872 deaths People from Cambridge 19th-century English Anglican priests English Anglo-Catholics Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge People educated at Rugby School Anglo-Catholic clergy 19th-century Anglican theologians 19th-century Anglican clergy