Thursday 7 September 2017

Bunhill Fields Thomas Rosewell 1630-1692

In his book on Bunhill Fields Alfred W Light tells that turning the back on Bunyan's tomb, and leaving the path to the left, the visitor will see, about five rows of stones ahead but nearer the railings, the now "double " headstone of Thomas Rosewell. On the original stone there was a Latin inscription, of which the translation is given as follows: — 
Here lieth the body of that celebrated divine, Thomas Rosewell, M.A. A man not more eminent for his learning than for his piety and modesty; a preacher distinguished for judgment, eloquence, and study ; a most diligent and skilful interpreter of the sacred volume. Who after many labours, and through the iniquities of the times, and many bitter sufferings, which for the sake of Christ be bore with the greatest fortitude, calmly departed this life at Rotherhithe, February 15th, in the 62nd year of his age, and of Christ, 1692.
There is now this inscription: — 
Thomas Rosewell, Nonconformist Minister, Rotherhithe. Died 1692. Tried for High Treason under the infamous Jefferies. See "State Trials, 1684.
Mr. Rosewell was born at Dunkerton, near Bath, on May 3rd, 1630, and his mother and father both died before he was ten years old. He and his sister had a considerable fortune bequeathed to them, but this was dissipated whilst living with an uncle during their minority. When about 16 years of age he began to sit under the ministry of Mr. Matthew Haviland, and to his preaching Rosewell always confessed that he owed his conversion. After spending some time under a tutor in London, he removed in March, 1674, to Pembroke College, Oxford, where he prosecuted his studies under Dr. Langley. He entered the ministry of the Church of England, and was presented to the rectory at Rhode in Somersetshire, in 1653, and in 1657 to Sutton Mandeville in Wilts. He was vicar here in 1662 when the Act of Uniformity came into force, and was one of the noble men who suffered ejectment then. He now became tutor to the son of Lady Hungerford, but in 1674 he was elected minister of the Presbyterian congregation meeting at Rotherhithe. In spite of much persecution he continued preaching, but he was tried for high treason in 1685. Daniel Neal gives an account of this in his History as follows: —
"Jefferies, now Lord Chief Justice of England, who was scandalously vicious, and drunk every day, besides a drunkenness of fury in his temper that looked like madness, was prepared for any dirty work the court should put him upon. September 23rd, Mr. Thomas Rosewell, the Dissenting minister at Rotherhithe, was imprisoned in the Gate House, Westminster, for high treason; and a Bill was found against him at the Quarter Sessions, upon which he was tried on November 8th at the King's Bench Bar, by a Surrey jury, before Lord Chief Justice Jefferies, and his brethren (viz.) Withins, Holloway, and Walcot. He was indicted for the following expressions in his sermon of September 14th:
"That the King could not cure the King's evil, but the priests and prophets by their prayers could heal the griefs of the people; that we had had two wicked Kings (meaning tke present King and his father), whom we can resemble to no other person but to the most wicked Jeroboam; and that if they (meaning his hearers), would stand to their principles, he did not doubt, but they should overcome their enemies (meaning the King), as in former times, with rams' horns, broken platters, and a stone in a sling.'
The witnesses were three infamous women, who swore to the words without the innuendos; but they were laden with the guilt of many perjuries already, and such of them as could be found afterwards, were convicted, and the chief of them pilloried before the Exchange. The trial lasted seven hours, and Mr. Rosewell behaved with all the decency and respect to the Court that could be expected, and made a defence that was applauded by most of the hearers. He said it was impossible the witnesses should remember, and be able to pronounce so long a period, when they could not so much as tell the text, nor anything else in the sermon, besides the words they had sworn. Several who heard the sermon and writ it in shorthand, declared they heard no such words. Mr. Rosewell offered his own notes to prove it, but no regard was had to them. The women could not prove (says Burnet), by any one circumstance, that they were at the meeting; or that any person saw them there on that day; the words they swore were so gross, that it was not to be imagined that any man in his wits would express himself so, before a mixed assembly: yet Jefferies urged the matter with his usual vehemence. He laid it for a foundation, that all preaching at conventicles was treasonable, and that this ought to dispose the jury to believe any evidence upon that head, so the jury brought him in guilty; upon which (says the bishop), there was a shameful rejoicing; and it was now thought, all conventicles must be suppressed, when such evidence could be received against such a defence. But when the words came to be examined by men learned in the law, they were found not to be treason by any Statute. So Mr. Rosewell moved in arrest of judgement, and though it was doubtful, whether the motion was proper on this foundation after the verdict, yet the King was so out of countenance at the accounts he heard of the witnesses, that he gave orders to yield to it; and in the end he was pardoned. The Court lost a great deal of reputation by this trial, for besides that Rosewell made a strong defence, he proved that he had always been a loyal man even in Cromwell's days, that he prayed constantly for the king in his family, and that in his sermons he often insisted upon the obligations to loyalty."
The manner of his escape was quite unusual. For once a Dissenter who had been condemned to death, and who was bitterly hated by Jefferies, did not suffer the full penalty of the law. Sir John Talbot, who had been present at the trial, went to the King, and speaking quite plainly, told him, "that he had seen the life of a gentleman and a scholar dependent on such evidence as he would not hang his dog on." He also said, "Sir, if your Majesty suffers this man to die, we are none of us safe in our houses." Just at this moment Jefferies, delighted with what he had done, burst into the room, and with much joyful pleasure told the King what a good deed he had accomplished, and what great service he had rendered to his Master. The surprise of Jefferies may be imagined when Charles II told him that Rosewell should not die, but that he must by some means make a way of escape. This was most unpalatable to Jefferies, who was simply thirsting for the blood of Rosewell, but a new trial was ordered, and Counsel was assigned the condemned man in order to plead the insufficiency of the indictment in arrest of judgment. There was an adjournment until the following term, and in the meantime the King granted Rosewell a pardon and he was discharged.
The prosecution of Rosewell was particularly unjust in that whilst a strong Puritan, he always had a very kindly feeling towards the Stuart family. While he was a schoolboy at Bath during the Civil War, the King's army seized the town, and the school was broken up. It was about this time that while he was taking a walk from home, he saw Charles I in a field, sitting at dinner under a tree with a few persons around him. This occurrence always disposed him to be loyal to the Royal Family, but it in no way influenced Jefferies in his decision.
His death took place on February 14th, 1692, in the 62nd year of his age, so that he outlived his trial about seven years.
Wikipedia article here.

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