616 
D A V 
authority in England, he returned to his native country, 
where, Anthony Wood informs us, he had a cure be¬ 
llowed upon him : but he had come to a determination 
to return to New England, where the Hate of religion 
and church-difcipline was more conformable to Iris fenti- 
ments, than in any part of the old world. This deter¬ 
mination he put in practice, accompanied by many others, 
who wifhed to efcape from the confufions which diftradted 
their native land, in the year 1637. In New England he 
was received with peculiar marks of refpedl, and laid the 
foundation of the plantation and colony of Newhaven in 
Connedlicut, where his character and minifterial labours 
were held in high ellimation for near thirty years. In 
1667 he was prevailed upon to'remove to Bolton, the me¬ 
tropolis of New England, to become minifter of the molt 
conllderable and refpedtable independent church in the 
new world, where his highly-acceptable fervices were 
but of (hort duration ; for he was carried off by an apo- 
pdedlic Itroke in 1670. He was the author of different 
controverlial pieces, publithed in Holland ; of A Cate- 
chifm, containing the chief Heads of the Chriltian Re¬ 
ligion, 8vo. 1659; of The Power of Congregational 
Churches afferted and vindicated, &c. 8vo. 1672; of a 
treatife On the Knowdedge of Chrift, See. wherein the 
Types, Prophecies, Geneologies, Miracles, &c. are open¬ 
ed and applied ; and other pieces. 
DA'VENPORT (Chriftopher), a younger brother of 
the preceding, and a learned Englifh catholic divine, born 
at Coventry, in 1598. His preparatory education he re¬ 
ceived with liis brother in his native city, and was entered 
with him, in 1613, at Merton college, Oxford. He was 
fo far from following his brother’s example in affociating 
with thofe who were puritanically inclined, that his in¬ 
timate acquaintance at Oxford appear to have been fome 
Roman catholic priefts, by whole perfuafions he was in¬ 
duced, in 1615, to become a convert to their faith, and to 
retire to one of the catholic Englilh feminaries at Douay 
in Flanders. After remaining there for fome time he went 
to Ypres, where, in 1617, he entered into the francifcan 
order among the Dutch in that place ; and in the follow¬ 
ing year was admitted among the Englilh recolledts, at 
Douay. He afterwards went to the univerfity of Sala¬ 
manca in Spain, to perfect himfelf in his theological flu- 
dies ; whence he returned to Douay, where he fuccef- 
fively difeharged the duties of profeifor of philofophy 
and theology, and was created a dodtor of divinity of his 
order, but not of any univerfity. His learning was very 
confiderable in fchool divinity, philofophy, and ecclefi- 
aftical hiftory ; his ingenuity quick and lively ; his man¬ 
ners open and conciliating; and his zeal for the interefts 
of the communion into which he had been tranfplanted, 
iflncere and active. For thefe reafons he was fixed upon 
as a proper perfon to be fent a miflionary into England, 
where he went by the name of Francifcus a Sancta Clara, 
and was made chaplain to Henrietta Maria, confort to 
Charles I. In this million he fpent nearly fifty years of 
his life, indefatigable in gaining profelytes to the catho¬ 
lic caufe, in railing money among the Englifh catholics 
to promote their concerns on the continent*as well as at 
home, and in writing-books againft proteflantifm. Du¬ 
ring this time he was frequently obliged to withdraw 
from public notice, particularly while the civil wap ragdd 
in the reign of Charles I. and under the protectorate of 
Cromwell. But on the accefiion of Charles II. he found 
himfelf again at liberty to purfue the objedls of his ap¬ 
pointment ; and when that prince was married to Catha-. 
rine of Portugal, lie was made one of her majefty’s chap¬ 
lains. He died in the neighbourhood of London, in 1680, 
greatly elteemed by proteftants as well as catholics, and 
confidered by the latter as one of the chief pillars of 
their religion in England. He had been acquainted with 
Laud archbilhop of Canterbury ; which circumftance was 
unfairly made ufe of to form an article of impeachment 
againft that prelate. Father Davenport was the author 
of numerous theological publications, whiefi afford abun- 
B A V 
dant evidence of his learning and ingenuity. The whole 
of his works, excepting his treatife on Predeftinaticn, and 
his Syftent of Faith, were colle'dted together, and pub- 
liflied, in two volumes folio, at Douay, in 1665. 
DA'VENTRY, an ancient market town iuNorthamp- 
tonfhire. It was certainly a place of note previous to 
the Roman conqueft ; and, from the old fpelling and pre- 
fent pronunciation of its name, Daintrce, and efpecially 
from the bearings on its common feal, (a Dane and a 
tree,) is generally fuppofed fo have been founded by the 
Danes. But the ingenious Mr. Pennant thinks its origin 
much more remote. Dwy Avon tre, i. c. in old Britifh, 
the Town of the two Avons or Rivers, he gives as the 
probable etymon of its name ; and which are certainly 
deferiptive of its fituation, the very parifti affording 
fources to the rivers Avon and Men, which run into di¬ 
rectly oppolite feas. A ft ill ftronger argument he draws 
from the grand intrenchments which furround the fum- 
mit of an infulated hill near the'town, now called by its 
Saxon name Borough-hill , but which he is confident is the 
ftrong hold of the Britons called by Tacitus, Btnvmna, 
from its Britifh name, Ben Avon, or the head over the river. 
From the vicinity of the old Roman road this fortrefs has 
generally been reckoned Roman, but its form, in Mr. 
Pennant’s opinion, proves it to have been originally Bri- 
tilh ; though, doubtlefs, often occupied by Roman and 
and other armies ; and, laft of all, by that of Charles I. 
a few days before the battle of Nafeby. Daventry, 
though it fends no members to parliament, is a borough 
with confiderable privileges. Its charter is fuppofed to 
have been granted in the reign of John, and was renev'ed 
in that of Elizabeth. The corporation confifts of thir¬ 
teen burgeffes, one of whom is annually chofer> bailiff; 
a recorder; town-clerk; two head and two fub-wardens ; 
and tw’enty common-council-men. The bailiff for the 
time being is juftice of the peace, and alfo the year fol¬ 
lowing, and is likewife coroner of the inqueft. Thefe 
two j 11 Ibices, with the recorder, or his fubftitute the 
town-clerk, conftitute a quorum. They can arreft for 
any fum under iool. and decide the caufe in their own 
court; no county-juftice having any power in the place. 
In criminal caufes they can commit to the county-jail ; 
and they hold quarterly Tedious for the parifh, as a dif- 
tindt diflridt, which has no concern with the juries, fef- 
fions, or rates, of the county. In the reign of Edw. III. 
the manor was affigned to the celebrated John of Gaunt, 
of whofe caftle there are fome obfeure remains, and an¬ 
nexed to the duchy of I.ancafter. Some parts are alfo 
dill left of a priory, which was fuppreffed by cardinal 
Wolfey, and its revenues, now very confiderable, fettled 
upon Chriftchurch college, Oxford, out of which a per¬ 
petual curacy is fupported, The earls of Winchelfea re¬ 
ceive the title of baronet from Daventry. The town 
ftands upon the great road from London to Weft Cheller. 
It is diftant from London feventy-two miles, Northamp¬ 
ton twelve,Towceftertwmlve, Banbury eighteen, Southam 
ten, Coventry twenty, Rugby eleven, and from Lutter¬ 
worth feventeen. It has a large weekly market on Wed- 
nefdays, and five annual fairs, viz. on Eafter-Monday, 
June 6, Auguft 3,. October 2 and 27. Worded fluffs of 
various kinds are manufadtured here in confiderable quan¬ 
tities ; and alfo in fpme of the neighbouring villages. 
The canal from Coventry to Oxford erodes the Chefter 
road at Braunfton, three miles below Daventry, v.’here 
there is a large wharf for coals, &c. 
DAUGH'TER,yi \_duuhtar, Goth, bohtejs, Sax. dot - 
ter. Runic ; dohter , Germ . doc/iter, Dut.] The female 
offspring of a man or woman : 
Now Aurora, daughter of the dawn, 
With rofy luftre purpled o’er the lawn. Pope. 
A daughter-in-law, or Ton’s wife. A woman.—Jacob 
went out to fee the daughters of the land. Gcnejis. —[In 
poetry.] Any female deic.endant. The female penitent 
of a confeffor; 
Are 
