1675
30th. July
Friday
The Rev. John Prestwich, B.D., died
30th July. He was born about 1607, and was third son of Edmund Prestwich,
of Hulme, and younger brother of Sir Thomas Prestwich, Bart. He was
educated at Oxford, where he entered Brazenose College in 1622-3 as a commoner,
migrating to All Souls’ College where he took his master’s degree, and in 1631
became a Fellow. He proceeded as B.D. and became Senior Fellow early in 1641-2.
Some time before April, 1653, there was an effort made in Manchester to form a
public library for the use of the town, the suggestion being most probably due
to Prestwich, who promised to give his own collection to the town, on
conditions that a convenient room was found to keep it in. The Jesus Chantry was
given up by Mr. Henry Pendleton for the reception of the books, and a
rate was levied in 1656 for fitting it up. The books have all long since
disappeared. (Palatine Note-book, vol. ii., p. 181.)
3rd. November Wednesday
Rev. Joshua Stopford died 3rd
November. He was born in Lancashire about the year 1636. He entered Brazenose
College, Oxford, at Michaelmas, 1654, being then aged 18; and he matriculated
from that college 25th July, 1655, as pleb. fil. He took the degree of
B.A. 23rd February, 1657-8. He came into notice in Manchester on 22nd July,
1658, in connection with the Morning Lectureship at the Old Church, which was
held at 6 o’clock a.m. Henry Newcome formed an unfavourable opinion of
him, and described him as “a young confident man, just come from the
University.” During some part of the following year Stopford was resident
in Magdalen College, Oxford, but on the 31st July he was again in Manchester,
when he preached in favour of the “Cheshire Rising,” under Sir George Booth,
and though he escaped from any ill consequences on its failure, it gave him a
claim to preferment at the Restoration, and he became prebendary of Dunnington
and rector of All Saints’, York.
He was the author
of The Ways and Methods of Rome’s Advancement, 1671, and Pagano Papismus,
1675. (Palatine Note-book, vol. i., p. 157, and p. 219.) Stopford,
on one occasion having preached strongly against cock-fighting, was bound over
by the justices to keep the peace.
1675
Richard
Johnson,
M.A., Fellow of the College, and first librarian of Chetham’s Library, died
about 1675. He was born at Welch Whittle, and was some time Senior fellow of
King’s College, Cambridge. He had a controversy with Rev. William Bourne
on the nature of sin, and was regarded as a Romanizer by the extreme Puritans.
During the Civil War he was imprisoned and led through the streets in mock
triumph on a “sorry nag.” He was deprived of his Fellowship, but returned at the
Restoration. Chetham in his will left £60 to his loving friend Richard
Johnson, preacher at the Temple, and he was named as a feoffee in the
charter of 1675. (See note in Worthington’s Diary, ii., 238.)(7)