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was ordained on the 19th of September in that year. Peechey seems to have died about 1760. During his ministry a new chapel was erected at Wendon. Robert Crossfield succeeded in 1762, and died the year following. The next paftor was John Reynolds, who removed to Camomile Street, London, in 1774. John (Joseph ?) Harrison succeeded the year following. During his ministry the meeting house at Wendon was taken down, and a new one was erected instead of it at Newport. This was in 1779. Harrison was succeeded in 1781 by John Bailey. Four years after this Newport and Clavering separated, and both henceforward became independent communities. During Bailey's ministry a new meeting house and house for the minister were built at Clavering. In 1810 Bailey became one of the tutors at Wymondley College, and was succeeded the year following by J. B. Pearce, afterwards so well known at Maidenhead, whither he removed about 1825. Pearce was succeeded, in 1827, by the Rev. Henry Bromley; Bromley, in 1846, by John Reynolds; Reynolds by David Flower, in 1849; and Flower by the present pastor, the Rev. J. G. Carpenter, to whom I am indebted for much of the preceding information.*

Samuel Fairclough. Ejected from the rectory of Kedington, in Suffolk. He was the son of Laurence Fairclough, vicar of Haverhill, where he was born, April 29, 1594. After receiving his early education under Mr. Robotham, who said of him, that he was the first scholar that he had ever sent forth in the thirty years' time that he had been a master,' he was sent to Cambridge at the age of fourteen. He had already received serious impreffions under the able ministry of Samuel Ward, then lecturer at his native place. Ward had answered for him in baptism, and had always a hearty love for him. C Preaching one day on the converfion of Zacchaeus, and discourfing upon his fourfold reftitution in cases of rapine and extortion, Mr. Ward used that frequent expreffion, 'that no man can expect pardon from God, of the wrong done to another's eftate, except he make full reftitution to the wronged person,

* Cal. Acc. 128; Morison and Blackburn MSS. Clavering Church Books. Returns of 1716, ante p. 353.

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if it may possibly be done.' This was a dart directed by the hand of God to the heart of young Fairclough, who, together with one John Triggs, afterwards a famous physician in London, had the very week before robbed the orchard of one Goodman Jude, of that town, and had filled their pockets with the fruit of a mellow pear tree. At and after sermon young Fairclough mourned much, and had not any sleep all the night following; and, rising on the Monday morning, he went to his companion, Trigg, and told him that he was going to Goodman Jude's to carry him twelve pence by way of reftitution for three penny worth of pears of which he had wronged him. Trigg, fearing that if the thing were confessed to Jude he would acquaint Robotham, their master, therewith, and that corporal punishment would follow, did earnestly strive to divert the poor child from his purpose of reftitution. But Fairclough replied, that God would not pardon the sin except reftitution were made. To which Trigg answered thus: Thou talkest like a fool, Sam; God will forgive us ten times sooner than old Jude will forgive us once.' But our Samuel was of another mind, and therefore he goes on to Jude's house, and then told him his errand, and offered him a shilling, which Jude refused: though he declared his forgiveness of the wrong, the youth's mind smarted so that he could get no rest till he went to his spiritual father, Mr. Ward, and opened to him the whole state of his soul. Mr. Ward. . . . proved the good Samaritan to him, pouring wine and oil into his wounds, answering all his questions, satisfying his fears, and preaching Jesus to him so fully and effectually that he became a true and sincere convert, and dedicated and devoted himself to his Saviour and Redeemer all the days of his life.'

At Cambridge Fairclough entered Queen's College. He had not been long at Queen's before he was recommended by the master as sub-tutor to Spencer, Lord Compton, the eldest son of the then Earl of Northampton. At Cambridge he formed the friendship of the great Puritan divines: John Preston, master of Emmanuel; John Davenant, afterwards bishop of Salisbury, then Margaret profeffor; Arthur Hilder

sham, fellow of Christ's; and William Perkins, preacher at St. Andrew's church; as well as of others who were scarcely less distinguished both for godliness and learning. While yet young one of his many friends offered him the living of Halsam, in the county of Suffolk, but not being of age to receive priest's orders, he declined it, and preferred to place himself under an experienced minifter, at least for a time. Samuel Ward recommended him to Richard Blacerby, then resident at Ashen, in this county; of whom Calamy says, that he was an eminent divine, greatly skilled in the Hebrew tongue, and reputed one of the holiest men on earth.'

Blacerby was a native of Worlington, in Suffolk, where he was born in 1574. He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, and was one of the many converts of William Perkins. On leaving the University he became chaplain to Sir Edward Lewkner, of Denham. While at Denham he married Sarah, daughter of Timothy Prick, alias Oldman, who was then minifter of the parish, and whose alias had been assumed by his father in the reign of Mary. From Denham he removed to Feltwell, in the county of Norfolk, where he was soon involved in trouble for his nonconformity, and being forced to fly, he came to Essex, and settled at Ashen. There he remained for twenty-three years, 'conftantly preaching in the neighbourhood, more statedly at Castle Hedingham, Stoke by Clare, and Hundon.' A contemporary periodical says, that 'preaching at Halsted on one occafion,' he told the people that to bow at the name of Jesus was to thrust a spear into Christ's side, and that such minifters as signed children with a cross did as much as in them lay to send such children to the devil.' Here he also educated several pupils, who became no less distinguished than Fairclough, among others Jonas Proost, who was some time minister of the Dutch congregation at Colchester, and afterwards removed to London. He was still at Ashen in 1644, as April 10, of that year, at the examination of William Jones, the parishioners defired of the committee that old Mr. Blacerly may be their minifter.' He left Ashen to reside with his son-in-law, Christopher Burrell, rector of

Wratting, in Suffolk; and while there he statedly preached a Geftingthorpe. Blacerby ultimately became paftor of a church at Great Thurlow, in Suffolk, where he died, at the age of seventy-seven. He was a diftinguished scholar, and such was the reverence in which he was held as a christian, that Daniel Rogers, of Wethersfield, used to say he never could come into his presence without trembling.*

While Fairclough remained at Ashen he preached much in the neighbourhood, and especially at the stations frequented by his revered tutor. His first settlement as a minister was at Lynn, in the county of Norfolk, where he was elected town lecturer. The then bishop of Norwich was Samuel Harsnet. Fairclough was already a nonconformist, and among other delinquencies, he was guilty of omitting to use the sign of the cross in baptism. This soon reached the bishop's ears, and the result was that Fairclough retired. He now accepted a similar but less conspicuous position at Clare, at which place he had often preached while at Ashen. While at Clare, he married the daughter of Richard Blacerby. He had not been there long before Sir Nathaniel Barnard ifton, who was frequently one of his hearers, presented him to the living of Barnardiston, June 27, 1623. At Barnardiston he preached twice every Lord's day, once upon every festival day, and once a month, a preparation sermon for the Lord's Supper.' He soon became again involved in trouble. One of the minifters at Sudbury being ill, Fairclough occupied his pulpit for him, and in the evening he repeated the sermon which he had preached to the family in whose house he lodged. For this articles were exhibited against him in the Star Chamber, where the suit was prosecuted against him for more than two years, and was at length only brought to an issue through the influence of one,' whom it appears that Harsnett could not well disoblige.' Shortly after this, the rectory of Kedington was avoided by the death of the incumbent, and his friend, Sir Nathaniel, presented Fairclough to the vacancy. It is said that

• Brook's Lives iii. 96; Clark's Lives iii. 63-65; Merc. Rust. iv. 37; Cole MSS. xxviii. 26.

the baronet also procured him inftitution, 'without his personal attendance upon the bishop, taking the oath of canonical obedience, or subscribing the three articles.' 'In this place,' Calamy tells us, he continued nearly thirty-five years, preaching four times a week-twice on the Lord's day, a Thursday lecture, which was attended by all the ministers round for many miles compass, and a sermon on the Saturday evening at his own house. When he first came to this place he found it ignorant and profane, not so much as one family in twenty calling upon the name of the Lord; but when he had been there some time, so great was the alteration, that there was not a family but profeffed godliness, but their governours offered up their morning and evening sacrifice.'

In the meanwhile Fairclough was frequently in trouble for not complying with the illegal innovations of the times; but when the tide of affairs turned, he betrayed little active sympathy with the Prefbyterians. He was nominated on the Assembly of Divines, but procured himself to be excused. He was also offered the mastership of Trinity, but refused to accept it. He absolutely refused the engagement. He was one of many to whom all extremes were equally distasteful, and, therefore, when the crisis came he was the more prepared to 'count all things but loss' for Christ. Unfeigned assent and consent to all and everything' in his case was impossible. Accordingly, he threw up all, and cast himself upon the world. It was no small comfort to him that he was succeeded by no worse a man than John Tillotson, afterwards archbishop of Canterbury, whose institution appears in the diocesan register as per non subscriptionem seu abrenunciationem, secundū actu Parliamenti in eo casu provisum ultimi incubēn. ībi. vaca.'

Fairclough seems to have remained at Kedington for some time after his ejectment, but after the passing of the Five Mile Act, he felt himself constrained to remove. He now took up his abode at Finchingfield, where he had the comfort of living for some time in the same house with two of his sons and two of his sons-in-law, who were minifters, and had left their livings, who, being scattered before in five different