Clergy -- England -- Biography; Stoughton, John, 1807-1897
Immediately after I left college, and settled at Windsor, I commenced the
study of Church history with much earnestness; and the first fruit was a
course of lectures on the subject to my congregation, delivered on week
evenings. When I had completed them they were sent by me to my revered
tutor, Dr. Henderson, for criticism and advice. He encouraged me to
pursue my studies in that direction, with the hope and intention of
making use of them in after life. I followed his advice, and during the
remainder of my Windsor ministry devoted all the time I could spare from
pulpit and pastoral duties to researches into early annals of
Christendom. In my investigations I was kindly allowed to use the Dean
and Chapter’s library. After I left Windsor, I turned attention to
ecclesiastical affairs during the Puritan period. This happened just as
I was about to pay a visit to my native county—Norfolk—where I commenced
studying original records in Norwich. Proceedings _against
Nonconformity_ and other records there came within my reach, that part of
England being somewhat rich in this department of history. “Spiritual
Heroes” was the title of my first volume, which not long after was
revised and enlarged in a second edition. The Congregational lecture on
“The Ages of Christendom,” was delivered and published in 1856. This
led, in 1867, to the “Ecclesiastical History of England, from the Opening
of the Long Parliament to the Death of Oliver Cromwell.” “The Church of
the Restoration,” forming two volumes, appeared in 1870, and “The Church
of the Revolution” in 1874. To complete the list of works on English
Ecclesiasticism, there followed other volumes on the reigns of Queen Anne
and the Three Georges. Afterwards came “Religion in England from 1800 to
1851.” I state all this, because some confusion has arisen from a
fragmentary publication of the original works and of successive editions.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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