William Webster (clergyman)
Encyclopedia
William Webster was a British
clergyman in the Church of England
and a theological writer.
; his father was a nonjuring
clergyman, who later submitted and became vicar of Poslingford
. Webster was educated at Beccles
, and was admitted to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
, on 2 March 1708. He graduated B.A. in 1712, M.A. in 1716, and D.D. in 1732.
Webster was ordained deacon on 24 June 1713 as curate of Depden
in Suffolk, and priest on 26 February 1716 as curate of St. Dunstan-in-the-West, London. Leaving St. Dunstan's in 1731, he was appointed in August 1732 to the curacy of St Clement, Eastcheap, and in February 1733 was presented to the rectory of Depden.
In July 1740 he was instituted to the vicarages of Ware, Hertfordshire and Thundridge
, which he retained till his death, resigning his rectory and curacy. In later life he fell into great poverty. He died unmarried at Ware on 4 December 1758.
, contributing a preface in vindication of George Monck's character. A second edition appeared in 1724. In 1730 he translated ‘The New Testament, with Critical Remarks’ (London, 2 vols.), from the French of Richard Simon
.
On 16 December 1732, under the pseudonym of ‘Richard Hooker of the Inner Temple,’ he began to edit a periodical entitled The Weekly Miscellany; not very successful, it was discontinued on 27 June 1741. From the number of religious essays it contained it became known as ‘Old Mother Hooker's Journal.’ It is known for the attacks made in its columns on William Warburton
's Divine Legation of Moses. Webster's contributions to the controversy were republished probably in 1739, under the title of Remarks on the Divine Legation. They earned him a place in the Dunciad, Alexander Pope
, in 1742, inserting a passage (bk. ii. l. 258) in which Webster was coupled with George Whitefield
, who had also criticised Warburton.
In 1740, from materials furnished by a merchant, Webster published a pamphlet on the wool industry called Consequences of Trade to the Wealth and Strength of any Nation, by a Draper of London. It sold well and went into a fifth edition in 1741, the same year as Webster wrote a refutation of his own arguments, published under the pseudonym Andrew Freeport as The Draper Confuted.
Christopher Smart
addressed to Webster his seventh ode, complimenting him on his ‘Casuistical Essay on Anger and Forgiveness’ (London, 1750). Other works were:
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
clergyman in the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
and a theological writer.
Life
Born at Cove, Suffolk in December 1689, was the son of Richard Webster (d. 1722), by his wife Jane, daughter of Anthony SparrowAnthony Sparrow
Anthony Sparrow was an English Anglican priest. He was Bishop of Norwich and Bishop of Exeter.-Life:He was educated and became a fellow at Queens' College, Cambridge, and was ordained a priest in February 1635. He was an adherent to the Laudianism movement...
; his father was a nonjuring
Nonjuring schism
The nonjuring schism was a split in the Church of England in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution of 1688, over whether William of Orange and his wife Mary could legally be recognised as King and Queen of England....
clergyman, who later submitted and became vicar of Poslingford
Poslingford
Poslingford is a small village situated approximately 1¾ miles to the north of Clare, Suffolk, England.Poslingford lies near to a stream that feeds the River Stour , and the main part of the village follows the line of The Street , rising approximately 18m in height above sea level from south to...
. Webster was educated at Beccles
Beccles
Beccles is a market town and civil parish in the Waveney District of the English county of Suffolk. The town is shown on the milestone as from London via the A145 Blythburgh and A12 road, northeast of London as the crow flies, southeast of Norwich, and north northeast of the county town of...
, and was admitted to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Gonville and Caius College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college is often referred to simply as "Caius" , after its second founder, John Keys, who fashionably latinised the spelling of his name after studying in Italy.- Outline :Gonville and...
, on 2 March 1708. He graduated B.A. in 1712, M.A. in 1716, and D.D. in 1732.
Webster was ordained deacon on 24 June 1713 as curate of Depden
Depden
Depden is a village and civil parish in the St Edmundsbury district of Suffolk in eastern England. Located on the A143 around five miles south-west of Bury St Edmunds, in 2005 its population was 200....
in Suffolk, and priest on 26 February 1716 as curate of St. Dunstan-in-the-West, London. Leaving St. Dunstan's in 1731, he was appointed in August 1732 to the curacy of St Clement, Eastcheap, and in February 1733 was presented to the rectory of Depden.
In July 1740 he was instituted to the vicarages of Ware, Hertfordshire and Thundridge
Thundridge
Thundridge is a village and civil parish in the East Hertfordshire District, in the county of Hertfordshire.- Location :It is about two miles away from the town of Ware and about seven miles away from the large town of Hertford - Nearby settlements :Nearby villages include Wadesmill and Tonwell,...
, which he retained till his death, resigning his rectory and curacy. In later life he fell into great poverty. He died unmarried at Ware on 4 December 1758.
Works
Webster was a voluminous writer. In 1723 he edited The Life of General Monk (London), from the manuscript of Thomas SkinnerThomas Skinner (historical writer)
-Biography:Skinner was probably the son of Nicholas Skinner, who was educated at Bishops Stortford and was admitted sizar of St. John's College, Cambridge, on 29 May 1646, at the age of sixteen. He proceeded doctor of medicine from St. John's College, Oxford, on 17 July 1672, and is described as...
, contributing a preface in vindication of George Monck's character. A second edition appeared in 1724. In 1730 he translated ‘The New Testament, with Critical Remarks’ (London, 2 vols.), from the French of Richard Simon
Richard Simon
Richard Simon was a French Oratorian, influential advanced biblical critic, orientalist, and controversialist.-Early years:...
.
On 16 December 1732, under the pseudonym of ‘Richard Hooker of the Inner Temple,’ he began to edit a periodical entitled The Weekly Miscellany; not very successful, it was discontinued on 27 June 1741. From the number of religious essays it contained it became known as ‘Old Mother Hooker's Journal.’ It is known for the attacks made in its columns on William Warburton
William Warburton
William Warburton was an English critic and churchman, Bishop of Gloucester from 1759.-Life:He was born at Newark, where his father, who belonged to an old Cheshire family, was town clerk. William was educated at Oakham and Newark grammar schools, and in 1714 he was articled to Mr Kirke, an...
's Divine Legation of Moses. Webster's contributions to the controversy were republished probably in 1739, under the title of Remarks on the Divine Legation. They earned him a place in the Dunciad, Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope was an 18th-century English poet, best known for his satirical verse and for his translation of Homer. He is the third-most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, after Shakespeare and Tennyson...
, in 1742, inserting a passage (bk. ii. l. 258) in which Webster was coupled with George Whitefield
George Whitefield
George Whitefield , also known as George Whitfield, was an English Anglican priest who helped spread the Great Awakening in Britain, and especially in the British North American colonies. He was one of the founders of Methodism and of the evangelical movement generally...
, who had also criticised Warburton.
In 1740, from materials furnished by a merchant, Webster published a pamphlet on the wool industry called Consequences of Trade to the Wealth and Strength of any Nation, by a Draper of London. It sold well and went into a fifth edition in 1741, the same year as Webster wrote a refutation of his own arguments, published under the pseudonym Andrew Freeport as The Draper Confuted.
Christopher Smart
Christopher Smart
Christopher Smart , also known as "Kit Smart", "Kitty Smart", and "Jack Smart", was an English poet. He was a major contributor to two popular magazines and a friend to influential cultural icons like Samuel Johnson and Henry Fielding. Smart, a high church Anglican, was widely known throughout...
addressed to Webster his seventh ode, complimenting him on his ‘Casuistical Essay on Anger and Forgiveness’ (London, 1750). Other works were:
- ‘The Clergy's Right of Maintenance vindicated from Scripture and Reason,’ London, 1726; 2nd edit. 1727.
- ‘The Fitness of the Witnesses of the Resurrection of Christ considered,’ London, 1731.
- ‘The Credibility of the Resurrection of Christ,’ London, 1735.
- A Complete History of Arianism from 306 to 1666. To which is added the History of Socinianism translated from the French of Louis MaimbourgLouis MaimbourgLouis Maimbourg was a French Jesuit and historian.Born at Nancy, Maimbourg entered the Society of Jesus at the age of sixteen, and after studying at Rome became a classical master in the Jesuit college at Rouen. He afterwards devoted himself to preaching, but with only moderate success...
and Bernard Lamy, London, 1735, 2 vols. - ‘Tracts, consisting of Sermons, Discourses, and Letters,’ London, 1745.
- ‘A Vindication of his Majesty's Title to the Crown,’ London, 1747.
- ‘A Treatise on Places and Preferments,’ London, 1757.
- ‘A plain Narrative of Facts, or the Author's case fairly and candidly stated’ (London, 1758), asking for money.