ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY 



The number of Nonconformist ministers licensed in this county were 

 nine Presbyterian, six Congregational, and two Baptist. The following 

 lists show the places in which buildings for Nonconformist worship were 

 licensed, or where Nonconformist ministers resided. 



Presbyterian (15) : Adbolton, Beeston, Bingham, Blyth, Bole, Carburton, 

 Clipston Ironwood, Eastwood, Greasley, Halam, Mansfield, Newthorpe, 

 Nottingham, Thrumpton, and Watnall. 



Congregational [12) : Arnold, Ashfield, Barton, Cotgrave, Flintham, 

 Kersall, Markham, Merton, North CoUingham, Nottingham, Skegby, and 

 Woodborough. 



Baptist (6) : Carlton, CoUingham, Muskham, Norwell, Scarle, and 

 Sutton.^^* 



The great majority of these licences were for dwelling-houses, but at 

 Nottingham, where the Presbyterians were strong and courageous, the 

 following applications were sent in before 15 April 1672 : — John Whitlock, 

 at the Town Hall ; William Reynolds, at the County Hall ; John Barrett, in 

 the Spice Chamber in the room under it, anciently called the Old Shambles ; 

 and Samuel Cotes, in the Free School."^ 



This well-intentioned indulgence was, however, of very brief duration. 

 Owing to the action of Parliament, it was cancelled within a twelvemonth, 

 the king on 7 March 1673 breaking with his own hand the impression of 

 the great seal attached to it. 



The interesting and pathetic Nonjuring movement of the beginning of 

 William and Mary's reign made little impression on the diocese of York at 

 large ; there were probably few counties less affected by it than Nottingham. 

 Two, however, of the beneficed clergy, namely the vicars of Marnham and 

 North Clifton, resigned rather than abjure their old oath of allegiance, and 

 George Knight, curate of Keyworth, also joined the nonjuring ranks.^^* There 

 was also one ecclesiastic of eminent position who must be named, although 

 not resident in the county. Dr. Crowbrough, who was a staunch nonjuror, 

 was canon not only of York but also of Southwell, and was Archdeacon 

 of Nottingham from 1685 until his deprivation in 1690. 



One of the few men of much note in the ecclesiastical world at all 

 closely connected with Nottinghamshire in the i8th century was William 

 Warburton, the author of the Divine Legation of Moses {ly^j) and a celebrated 

 controversialist. He was the second son of George Warburton, town clerk 

 of Newark. In 1727 he was appointed to the vicarage of Greasley. From 

 1760 until his death in 1779 he held the bishopric of Gloucester. 



The great itinerant evangelist, John Wesley, was a frequent visitor to this 

 county. The first time Nottingham is mentioned in his °Journal is on 

 Thursday, 11 June 1741, when 'the Society' met him in the evening. On 

 the following Sunday he preached at 8 o'clock in the forenoon in the market 

 place to an ' immense multitude,' and met with very little opposition. Wesley 

 was dissatisfied with his small 'society ' at Nottingham, and in March 1745 

 he cut off all triflers and worldly walkers at a stroke, ' leaving only that little 

 handful who (as far as could be judged) were really in earnest to save their 

 souls.' His occasional subsequent visits to Nottingham were uneventful, and 



"* Cal. S.P. Bom. 1672-3, p. liv. "=^ Ibid. 1671-2, p. 326. 



'^° See list at end of Overton's 'Nonjurors (1902). 



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