Henry Layton
Encyclopedia
Henry Layton was a minor British philosopher, theological writer, and contemporary of John Locke
.
. He died at Rawdon on 18 October 1705, aged 83. By his wife Elizabeth (died 1702, aged 55), daughter of Sir Nicholas Yarborough, he left no issue.
's second Boyle Lecture (4 April 1692). To this lecture Layton replied in his first published pamphlet. Bentley took no notice of it, but it was criticised five years later by a presbyterian divine, Timothy Manlove
of Leeds
. Another minister referred Layton to the Pneumatologia (1671) of John Flavel
. Layton's original work had now grown to fifty pages. Ultimately he printed it at his own expense as A Search after Souls.
By 1697 he had impaired eyesight; Manlove's criticism, published in that year, was read to him by his amanuensis, Timothy Jackson, and he issued a reply. His pamphlets continued till the year before his death, restating his position that soul is a function of body, a view which he defends on physiological grounds, and harmonises with scripture. His authorship was little known. Caleb Fleming
, who replied to his Search in 1758, thought it was the work of William Coward
. Besides his printed tracts, Layton left theological manuscripts; his literary executor
was his nephew, William Smith, rector of Melsonby
, North Riding of Yorkshire.
Layton published the following, all anonymous:
Almost all were collected (not reprinted) 1706, 2 vols., as ‘A Search after Souls … By a Lover of Truth.’ Most of the copies were suppressed by Layton's executors, a few being deposited in public libraries and given to private friends.
John Locke
John Locke FRS , widely known as the Father of Liberalism, was an English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. Considered one of the first of the British empiricists, following the tradition of Francis Bacon, he is equally important to social...
.
Life
He was the eldest son of Francis Layton (died 23 August 1661, aged 84) of Rawdon, West Riding of Yorkshire. His father was one of the masters of the jewel-house to Charles I and Charles II. In accordance with his father's will, Layton built the chapel at Rawdon, a chapelry in the parish of GuiseleyGuiseley
Guiseley is a small town in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Situated south of Otley and Menston, it is a suburb of north west Leeds. At the 2001 census, Guiseley together with Rawdon had a population of over 21,000. The A65, which passes through the town, is the...
. He died at Rawdon on 18 October 1705, aged 83. By his wife Elizabeth (died 1702, aged 55), daughter of Sir Nicholas Yarborough, he left no issue.
Works
Layton is remembered for his anonymous authorship of a series of pamphlets, printed between 1692 and 1704, on the question of the immortality of the soul, a doctrine which he rejected. He started writing on the topic in 1691 with short treatise of fifteen sheets, which was circulated in manuscript. A year's correspondence with a nearby minister ended in his being referred to Richard BentleyRichard Bentley
Richard Bentley was an English classical scholar, critic, and theologian. He was Master of Trinity College, Cambridge....
's second Boyle Lecture (4 April 1692). To this lecture Layton replied in his first published pamphlet. Bentley took no notice of it, but it was criticised five years later by a presbyterian divine, Timothy Manlove
Timothy Manlove
Timothy Manlove was an English Presbyterian minister and physician. Dying young, he is now known as a supporter of the anti-materialist philosophy of Richard Bentley.-Life:Son of Edward Manlove the poet, he was born at Ashbourne, Derbyshire...
of Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
. Another minister referred Layton to the Pneumatologia (1671) of John Flavel
John Flavel
John Flavel was an English Presbyterian clergyman and author.-Life:Flavel was born at Bromsgrove, Worcestershire and studied at Oxford. Ordained as a Presbyterian in 1650, though later a Congregationalist, he held livings at Diptford and Dartmouth...
. Layton's original work had now grown to fifty pages. Ultimately he printed it at his own expense as A Search after Souls.
By 1697 he had impaired eyesight; Manlove's criticism, published in that year, was read to him by his amanuensis, Timothy Jackson, and he issued a reply. His pamphlets continued till the year before his death, restating his position that soul is a function of body, a view which he defends on physiological grounds, and harmonises with scripture. His authorship was little known. Caleb Fleming
Caleb Fleming
Caleb Fleming, D.D. was an English dissenting minister and polemicist.-Life:Fleming was born at Nottingham on 4 November 1698. His father was a hosier; his mother, whose maiden name was Buxton, was a daughter of the lord of the manor of Chelmerton, Derbyshire. Brought up in Calvinism, Fleming's...
, who replied to his Search in 1758, thought it was the work of William Coward
William Coward
William Coward was an English physician, controversial writer, and poet. He is now remembered for his sceptical writings on the soul, which Parliament condemned as blasphemous and ordered to be burned in his presence.-Life:...
. Besides his printed tracts, Layton left theological manuscripts; his literary executor
Literary executor
A literary executor is a person with decision-making power in respect of a literary estate. According to Wills, Administration and Taxation: a practical guide "A will may appoint different executors to deal with different parts of the estate...
was his nephew, William Smith, rector of Melsonby
Melsonby
Melsonby is a village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. It lies a few miles west of the A1 motorway.-Murder of Diana Garbutt:...
, North Riding of Yorkshire.
Layton published the following, all anonymous:
- ‘Observations upon a Sermon intituled, “A Confutation of Atheism,”’ &c. [1692?], pp. 19.
- ‘A Search after Souls and Spiritual Operations in Man,’ &c. [1693?] pp. 278.
- ‘A Second Part of … A Search after Souls,’ &c. [1694?], pp. 188 (consists in part of replies to letters of ‘a minister, eminent as scholar and teacher,’ who on 21 November 1693 advised him not to publish).
- ‘Observations upon a Short Treatise … by … Timothy Manlove, intituled, “The Immortality of the Soul,”’ &c. [1697?], pp. 128.
- ‘Observations upon Mr. Wadsworth's book of the Soul's Immortality,’ &c. [1699?], pp. 215 (deals with Thomas Wadsworth's ‘Ἀντιψυχοθανασία,’ 1670; from p. 201 with ‘The Immortality of the Humane Soul,’ 1659, by Walter CharletonWalter CharletonWalter Charleton was an English writer. According to Jon Parkin, he was "the main conduit for the transmission of Epicurean ideas to England".-Life:...
). - ‘An Argument concerning the Humane Souls Subsistance,’ &c. [1699?], pp. 16 (Abbot).
- ‘Arguments and Replies in a Dispute concerning the Nature of the Humane Soul,’ &c., London, 1703, pp. 112 (no publisher; deals with letters, dated 15 Aug. and 14 Sept. 1702; Francis BlackburneFrancis BlackburneFrancis Blackburne PC KS was an Irish judge and eventually became Lord Chancellor of Ireland.-Background:...
, in ‘Hist. View,’ p. 305, identifies the writer with Henry DodwellHenry DodwellHenry Dodwell was an Anglo-Irish scholar, theologian and controversial writer.-Life:He was born in Dublin, Ireland. His father, William Dodwell, lost his property in Connacht during the Irish rebellion and settled at York in 1648...
the elder; the tract is evidently meant as the first of the following series). - ‘Observations upon … “A Vindication of the Separate Existence of the Soul. …” By Mr. John Turner, lecturer of Christ Church, London,’ &c. [1703?], pp. 55 (Turner had written in 1702 against Coward).
- ‘Observations upon Dr. Nicholl's … “Conference with a Theist,”’ &c. [1703?], pp. 124 (against William NichollsWilliam NichollsWilliam Nicholls was an English clergyman and theologian, known as an author on the Book of Common Prayer.-Life:He was the son of John Nicholls of Donington, now Dunton, Buckinghamshire. He was educated at St Paul's School under Thomas Gale, and went up with an exhibition to Magdalen Hall, Oxford,...
. 10. ‘Observations upon … “Vindiciæ Mentis,” … 1702,’ &c. [1703?], pp. 88. - ‘Observations upon … “Psychologia” … by John Broughton, M.A. … 1703,’ &c. [1703?], pp. 132.
- ‘Observations upon … Broughton's Psychologia, Part Second,’ &c. [1703?], pp. 52. 13. ‘Observations upon … A Discourse … By Dr. Sherlock … 1704,’ &c. [1704?], pp. 115 (William SherlockWilliam SherlockNot to be confused with William Sherlock William Sherlock was an English church leader.-Life:He was born at Southwark, and was educated at St. Saviour's School and Eton, and then at Peterhouse, Cambridge. In 1669 he became rector of St George's, Botolph Lane, London, and in 1681 he was appointed a...
).
Almost all were collected (not reprinted) 1706, 2 vols., as ‘A Search after Souls … By a Lover of Truth.’ Most of the copies were suppressed by Layton's executors, a few being deposited in public libraries and given to private friends.