Life

He was son of Sir Henry Holcroft, born at Eastham

Eastham

-People:*Ashley Eastham , English footballer*George R. Eastham , English footballer*George E. Eastham , English footballer and son of the George R. Eastham*Harry Eastham , English footballer and brother of George R...

 in Essex

Essex

Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...

. He matriculated at Clare Hall, Cambridge

Clare College, Cambridge

Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1326, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. Clare is famous for its chapel choir and for its gardens on "the Backs"...

 in 1647. John Tillotson

John Tillotson

John Tillotson was an Archbishop of Canterbury .-Curate and rector:Tillotson was the son of a Puritan clothier at Haughend, Sowerby, Yorkshire. He entered as a pensioner of Clare Hall, Cambridge, in 1647, graduated in 1650 and was made fellow of his college in 1651...

 was his chamber-fellow about 1650. While at Cambridge he embraced puritan principles, and became a communicant with the congregation of Jonathan Jephcot at Swaffham Priors. He graduated M.A. in 1654, was elected fellow of his college, and took holy orders.

For some years he voluntarily supplied the parish of Litlington, Cambridgeshire

Litlington, Cambridgeshire

Litlington is a village and civil parish in the East of England region and the county Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom. The village lies around south west of Cambridge and north west of Royston.-History:...

. About 1655 he accepted the living of Bassingbourne, Cambridgeshire, where he was a successful preacher, and, was assisted by the Rev. Joseph Oddy, fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge

Trinity College, Cambridge

Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...

. Holcroft eventually formed a church on congregational principles, and, after being ejected

Great Ejection

The Great Ejection followed the Act of Uniformity 1662 in England. Two thousand Puritan ministers left their positions as Church of England clergy, following the changes after the restoration to power of Charles II....

 in 1662 from Bassingbourne, became a bitter opponent of episcopalianism. After his ejectment he brought his former parishioners into congregations at convenient centres, and acted as their minister, with the assistance of Oddy and S. Corbyn, both ejected fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge, who were appointed at a general meeting at Eversden.

In 1663 Holcroft was imprisoned in Cambridge gaol, by order of Sir Thomas Chickley, for illegal preaching, but he was occasionally allowed by the warder to visit his congregations. At the assizes he was sentenced to abjure the realm, but on Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Anglesey

Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Anglesey

Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Anglesey PC was an Anglo-Irish royalist statesman. After short periods as President of the Council of State and Treasurer of the Navy, he served as Lord Privy Seal between 1673 and 1682 for Charles II...

 representing his case to Charles II he was allowed to remain in gaol. He was released at the Declaration of Indulgence

Declaration of Indulgence

The Declaration of Indulgence was two proclamations made by James II of England and VII of Scotland in 1687. The Indulgence was first issued for Scotland on 12 February, and then for England on 4 April 1687...

 in 1672, returned to his preaching, and was again imprisoned. By means of a writ of certiorari

Certiorari

Certiorari is a type of writ seeking judicial review, recognized in U.S., Roman, English, Philippine, and other law. Certiorari is the present passive infinitive of the Latin certiorare...

he was removed as an insolvent debtor to the Fleet Prison

Fleet Prison

Fleet Prison was a notorious London prison by the side of the Fleet River in London. The prison was built in 1197 and was in use until 1844. It was demolished in 1846.- History :...

 in London, and frequently preached there to large crowds of people. On discharging his debts he was released.

During both these imprisonments he experienced support from Tillotson. Until 1689 Holcroft took general charge of a number of congregations in Cambridgeshire and the adjoining counties. Soon after 1689 his health gave way, and he became a prey to depression. His organization quickly came to grief, and he died on 6 January 1693 at Triplow, Cambridgeshire, where he was buried. He left a small estate to the poor of his congregations, and a piece of ground at Oakington

Oakington

Oakington is a small village 4 miles north-west of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire in England, and belongs to the administrative district of South Cambridgeshire. The village falls into the parish of Oakington and Westwick.-History:...

 for a burial-place. Edmund Calamy

Edmund Calamy (historian)

Edmund Calamy was an English Nonconformist churchman, divine and historian.-Life:A grandson of Edmund Calamy the Elder, he was born in the City of London, in the parish of St Mary Aldermanbury. He was sent to various schools, including Merchant Taylors', and in 1688 proceeded to the university of...

stated that there was scarcely a village in Cambridgeshire in which Holcroft did not preach.

Works

He wrote a tract called ‘A Word to the Saints from the Watch Tower,’ 1688. It appears to have been written while he was in Cambridge gaol.