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INTRODUCTION

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 October 2010

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Extract

In the Huntington Library in San Marino, California is a small, closely written, manuscript autobiography. MS HM 6131 carries an elaborate title-page, inscribed in a hand so neat and uniform that it almost looks as if it has been printed, bearing the title:

A NARRATIVE; OR AN Historicall Account Of The most Materiall passages In the Life of John Rastrick: An Unworthy Minister of Jesus Christ At Kirkton in Holland in Lincolnshire. And afterwards Preacher to a Private Congregation at Spalding in the same County, & at Rotheram in Yorkshire, and at Lynn-Regis in Norfolk. Conteining chiefly God's Providences And His own experiences. Written by himself.

As will be discussed below, the whereabouts of Rastrick's manuscript between the middle of the eighteenth and the early twentieth centuries remain a mystery, but, even after it arrived at the Huntington, the manuscript was overlooked by scholars. Although much of the excitement of history lies in the potential discovery of something ‘new’, it was surprising to come upon such a remarkable autobiography. Its author was known for leaving his position in the Church of England at the strikingly late date of 1687; what was not known, however, was that John Rastrick's autobiography is a distinguished piece of writing, among the most stylish, detailed, and entertaining examples of its kind. It is at once a pearl of nonconformist writing and a treasure trove of information about religion, politics, and culture in the half-century after the Restoration.

Type
Introduction
Information
Royal Historical Society Camden Fifth Series , Volume 36 , July 2010 , pp. 1 - 19
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Historical Society 2010

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References

1 For the first detailed engagement with the manuscript, see Cambers, Andrew and Wolfe, Michelle, ‘Reading, family religion, and evangelical identity in late Stuart England’, Historical Journal, 47 (2004), pp. 875–896CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

2 The following is based on Huntington Library, MS HM 6131, ‘A NARRATIVE; OR AN Historicall Account Of The most Materiall passages In the Life of John Rastrick’. I have not provided references for each passage in this biographical sketch, since in large part it follows the sequence of events in the manuscript. References to other sources are provided where they occur.

3 Phillimore, W.P.W., Maples, Ashley K., Cole, R.E.G., Blagg, Thomas M., and Dudding, Reginald C. (eds), Lincolnshire Parish Registers: marriages, 11 vols (London, 1905–1921), IV, p. 89Google Scholar.

4 Lincolnshire Archives, Lincoln, LCC Wills 1618/1/169.

5 Thomas Bainbrigg (1636–1703), ODNB.

6 Mercers’ Company, London, Acts of Court, 23 June 1673.

7 Rastrick's conflict with William Hunt was long-standing and wide-ranging. In addition to the incidents mentioned in the manuscript, in 1699 Hunt was sued by Rastrick and the overseers of the poor for Kirton for failing to pay back any of the equity or interest on £50 that he had borrowed in 1687 from a trust (established in the will of Jane Adamson) that had been set up to assist the poor of Kirton. See TNA, PRO C5/626/32. For Jane Adamson's will (1637), see TNA, PRO, PROB 11/176/415.

8 There were also local tensions. In late October 1687, one Richard Stevenson, tenant to the Rectory of Kirton, had written to the Mercers’ Company to complain ‘of some Irregularityes practiced by the present Vicar’. Although the Mercers’ Company resolved that they could take no notice of Stevenson's complaint, Rastrick was increasingly aware of the hostility provoked by his ministry. See Mercers’ Company, London, Acts of Court, 24 October 1687.

9 They would presumably have been bewildered by some of Rastrick's actions that are not mentioned in the manuscript, such as his gift of fifty shillings to the Dean and Chapter of Lincoln to purchase books for the library there. See Lincoln Cathedral Library, Lincoln MS 256, p. 10: ‘1707 Mem. that Mr Rastrick formerly Vicar of Kirton in Holland having some years ago subscribed fifty shillings for the use of the Library hath paid the said fifty shill. which is to be laid out in such books as the Dean and Chapter think fit’. Cited in Linnell, Naomi, ‘The catalogues of Lincoln Cathedral Library’, Library History, 7 (1985), p. 6CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

10 The shutting up of the meeting-house appears to have had little lasting effect upon Rastrick's diplomacy. Intriguingly, in 1712 he appears to have met up with Daniel Defoe, who was travelling incognito, and to have agreed to put the people of King's Lynn straight regarding some of the wilder delusions of Whig propaganda. See Healey, George Harris (ed.), The Letters of Daniel Defoe (Oxford, 1955), pp. 385–386Google Scholar (letter to Robert Harley, Earl of Oxford, 20 September 1712).

11 Rastrick, John, A Sermon Preach'd at the Ordination of Mr. Samuel Savage, at St. Edmund's-Bury, in the County of Suffolk, Apr. 22. 1714 (London, 1714)Google Scholar.

12 Ibid., p. 58.

13 Ibid., pp. 67–68.

14 Ibid., pp. 71–75.

15 On the Salters' Hall dispute, see Watts, Michael. R., The Dissenters, 2 vols (Oxford, 1978–1995), I, pp. 371–382Google Scholar.

16 See the description of the manuscript in Richards, William, The History of Lynn, 2 vols (King's Lynn, 1812), II, pp. 1063–1064Google Scholar.

17 For the complaint, see Dr Williams's Library, London, MS 24.115, letter from John Rastrick to Mr William Steevens, factor at Queen-Hithe, London (14 December 1721), p. 41. Copies of the wills can be found at Norfolk Record Office, Norwich, Will Register, Kirke, 82–84 (Will of John Rastrick of King's Lynn, 1727); Will Register, Goats, 289–291 (Will of Elizabeth Rastrick, 1740). These are transcribed in the appendix on pp. 203–207 below.

18 William Scoffin (1654/5–1732) had known Rastrick since at least 1681, when he became curate of Brothertoft, Lincs., and the pair stayed friends after they had both left the Church of England: ‘they continued their intimacy by letter till Mr. Rastrick's death’. See Calamy, Edmund, The Nonconformist's Memorial, ed. Palmer, Samuel, 2nd edn, 3 vols (London, 1802), II, p. 438Google Scholar; and W[illiam] S[coffin], An Help To the Singing Psalm-Tunes, By The Book. In a method more easy than is generally taught. With directions for making an instrument with one string, by which any tune may be easily learn'd (London, 1725), p. iv.

19 TNA, PRO, PROB 11/840/287 (Will of Samuel Brookes of Dorchester, Mass., 20 August 1757). See Coldham, Peter Wilson, American Wills Proved in London (Baltimore, MD, 1992), p. 212Google Scholar.

20 I follow the abbreviated translation in Calamy, The Nonconformist's Memorial, II, pp. 476–477, with some obvious mistakes corrected. The Latin text, printed on p. 437, reads: ‘H. S. E. Johannes Rastrick, A.M. Heckingtoniae, juxta Sleaford, in agro Licoln natus; et in Coll. SStae Trin. apud Cantab. educatus. Olim annos 14 Vicarius de Kirkton in Hollandia in agro jam dicto: et denique (quoniam Ecclesiae Anglicanae, praeceptis quibusdam, conscientia illaesa, obtemperare nequibat) Gregi Christiano, ab Ecclesia publica separato, in hoc oppido, annos 26 Evangelii praeco indefessus. Vir eximiae pietatis, charitatis, ac modestiae; spectatae integritatis, studii et industriae, singularis, omnique fere doctrinae genere instructus; mathematica vero imprimis peritus Comes audivit facetus, theologus vere Christianus, concionator facundus et acer, pastor vigilans et fidelis, vitii reprehensor intrepidus, atque virtutis fautor amicissimus. Peracto demum vitae cursu, aerumnis eheu! non paucis obsito, spiritum Deo laetus reddit, Aug. 18, 1727, aetat 78.’

21 William Rastrick (1697–1752), ODNB; Calamy, The Nonconformist's Memorial.

22 Lincolnshire Archives, Lincoln, MS 2 Cragg 4/7 (Letters and Verse of the Rastrick Family). This volume contains copies of many letters and meditations written by Rastrick's daughter Elizabeth, as well as scattered items from other family members.

23 E.L. Grange and J.C. Hudson (eds), Lincolnshire Notes and Queries: volume 1 (Horncastle, 1889), pp. 228–229, records the inscription for Deborah Bayley (née Rastrick) (1709–1779).

24 The subsequent letter of Thoresby, Ralph (Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, 23 (1702), pp. 1158–1160)CrossRefGoogle Scholar continued to cite Rastrick's account without attribution. See also the further letter of Thoresby (Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, 32 (1722), pp. 344–346). For Rastrick's authorship, see [Nathaniel Kinderley, the younger], The Ancient and Present State of the Navigation of the Towns of Lyn, Wisbeach, Spalding, and Boston (London, 1751), pp. 8–9.

25 Rastrick, A Sermon Preach'd at the Ordination of Mr. Samuel Savage. The style of Rastrick's description of the shutting up of his meeting-house in this sermon mirrored that in his manuscript ‘Narrative’.

26 Calamy, Edmund, A Defence of Moderate Non-conformity. In answer to the reflections of Mr. Ollyffe and Mr. Hoadly, on the tenth chapter of the Abridgment of the life of the Reverend Mr. Rich. Baxter, 3 vols (London, 1703–1705), III, pp. xiii–xivGoogle Scholar.

27 For an example of the work as a stand-alone publication, see Rastrick, John, An Account of the Nonconformity of John Rastrick, M.A. (London, 1705)Google Scholar, British Library, shelfmark 698.g.23.1–8.

28 Richards, The History of Lynn, II, p. 1063. William Rastrick's successors were Anthony Mayhew (d. 1783) and William Warner (d. 1802); David Lloyd (d. 1794) was master of King's Lynn Grammar School.

29 For the bequest of Richards's library to Brown University, see Evans, John, Memoirs of the Life and Writings of the Rev. William Richards (Chiswick, 1819), pp. 262–263Google Scholar; Jewett, Charles Coffin (ed.), A Catalogue of the Library of Brown University, in Providence, Rhode-Island. With an index of subjects (Providence, RI, 1843), pp. viii–xGoogle Scholar. I am grateful to Jay Gaidmore for providing copies of correspondence and catalogues from Brown University Archives.

30 Anderson Galleries, English, French and American literature in original manuscripts, first editions, handsome bindings and standard sets from the libraries of Mr Roland R. Conklin of Huntington, Long Island, Mrs Mary E. Plummer of New York, the late Hon. Henry H. Peck of Waterbury, Conn. and other owners and estates: Order of Sale, Monday afternoon, February 9, lots 1–213, Monday evening, February 9, lots 214–427, Tuesday afternoon, February 10, lots 428–641, Tuesday evening, February 10, lots 642–855, Wednesday afternoon, Feburary 11, lots 856–1010 [sic, for 1070] (New York: Anderson Galleries, 1920), sale number 1462, p. 171 (lot number 805). I thank Mary Robertson for her help with deciphering the clipping.