Talk:William Erbery

Erbery on trial 1652-3

I think that the arrest, imprisonment and trial 1652-3 is a significant event in Erbery's life and ought to be discussed : he was acquitted but his health was broken.

Erbery influenced numerous others - http://bcw-project.org/biography/christopher-love - and his trial arguably became the rallying point which led to Quakerism.

Here are some other links for the page.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Honest-Heretique-William-Erbery-Himself/dp/1847714854

The Honest Heretique: Let the Man William Erbery (1604 - 54) Speak for Himself Paperback – 15 Dec 2012 by John I. Morgans

Born in Roath, Cardiff, William Erbery (1604-1654) was a graduate of Oxford and Cambridge universities. He served as curate of St Woolos, Newport, and vicar of St Mary's and St John's in Cardiff. He was tried for his puritanism at Lambeth Palace and resigned as a priest of the Church of England. Erbery was the founder of the first Independent Church in Cardiff, and a chaplain in the parliamentary Army. He resigned as an Independent minister and was a forerunner of Quakerism. He was accused of heresy at St Mary's, Oxford in 1646, and at Westminster in 1652. Although acquitted, he was stigmatised by his enemies as a 'madman'. This stigma followed him into the second half of the twentieth century. The Honest Heretique lets Erbery speak for himself. Containing 500 extracts from all of Erbery's writings, the book presents the background to Erbery's life and thoughts, introduces each of his tracts, and takes note of recent scholarship.

http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-8832

Erbery [Erbury], William (1604/5–1654), clergyman, was probably born at Roath Dagfield, east of Cardiff, and certainly lived there for some time in the 1650s. His father, Thomas Erbery, was a businessman with interests in the iron industry at Merthyr Tudful, but was settled in ...

http://yba.llgc.org.uk/en/s-ERBE-WIL-1604.html

ERBERY , WILLIAM ( 1604 - 1654 ), Puritan and Independent ; b. at Roath-Dogfield near Cardiff , the son of a merchant ... In doctrine he leaned towards mysticism, being a disciple of Jacob Boehme . As a result he was haled before the Committee for Plundered Ministers , 8 Feb. 1652/3 , to answer for his heresies ( Clarke Papers , ii, 233). ... He had close connections with the Welsh Puritans , and Morgan Llwyd (q.v.) thought of him as his teacher . He was a violent critic of his co-religionists, and in matters of education opposed the Puritan emphasis on what he called ‘carnal knowledge.’ On 12 Oct. 1653 Erbery and John Webster opposed two others in public debate on this matter at Lombard Street , London ( Wood , Athenae , iii, c. 361). ... He d. in London in April 1654 , but his burial place is unknown. His daughter Dorcas became a Quaker and a follower of James Nayler ( Mercurius Politicus , no. 350 (7624)). ...

http://www.stmaryscf10.co.uk/non-conformity/4592578321

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/heretic-welsh-priest-william-erbery-2497623

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0005576X.1969.11751286?journalCode=ybaq20

---

And William Erbery was close to Christopher Love, Walter Cradock, William Wroth and his wife and daughter were later Quaker leaders

DaiSaw (talk) 08:39, 1 April 2018 (UTC)

Note, here's a link for Dogfield. There's still a Dogfield Street in Roath. Martinevans123 (talk) 09:40, 1 April 2018 (UTC)

... mmm ... That link identifying Roath Court Funeral Home with Roath Dogfield is curious : I believed that Dogfield was actually near Dogfield Street.

The site of William Erbery's house in Cardiff - which had an orchard beside it - is now buried beneath the railway embankment behind that large office block on the north side of Callaghan Square which is presently occupied by Eversheds solicitors : this was the same house which in the early 19c was occupied by John Bachelor " The Friend of Freedom " who used the old Quaker Burial Ground in the orchard for a timber yard - do you know this story ? - John Bachelor held it freehold and as such he was not under the political thumb of the Marquis of Bute whom he opposed : Bute used the railway bill to employ compulsory purchase to route the South Wales Railway line through Bachelor's premises to destroy the financial basis of his political opponent ?

---

Hi Martin Evans - I see that both of us are interested in William Erbery but apparently neither of us very confident about improving this page yet ... I keep an eye out for titbits of information about him - I was first pointed in the direction of William Erbery thirty odd years ago by Hugh Gulliford ... I actually got to examine one of the thirteen extent copies left of his collected works in Woodbrooke College library some twenty years ago - inpenetrable - but the next time that I requested it somebody had stolen it - here is an interesting titbit : perhaps William Erbery was tried for heresy because he had personally offended Oliver Cromwell ?

THIS DESCRIBES THE SEEKERS AND GIVES SEVERAL REFERENCES = https://web.archive.org/web/20090219193319/http://exlibris.org/nonconform/engdis/seekers.html

William Erbery (1604-1654) William Erbery (1604-1654) (or, Erbury) was considered one of the preeminent Seekers of his day. He is credited with converting Oliver Cromwells' daughter to a Seeker.

Erbery graduated from Brasenose College (Oxford) getting a B.A. in 1623. He was ordained and served in Cardiff, Wales. He served as an Army chaplain during the war. By the late 1640's, Erbury was being criticized for his religious positions. By the mid-1640's, he was busy out preaching across the country with some socinians leanings with anti-clerical, King and Parliament positions. Erbury sought peace in society, temporal reforms, and waiting for the Spirit and the second coming of Christ. He may have had some connections with the early Quakers.

Seekers anticipated many of the later views of Quakerism and other sects. The Quakers would seem to have embraced many of the Seekers tenets. Large numbers of Seekers were converted to Quakerism. Seekers groups paid their respects at the funeral of George Fox (1624-1691). English Seekers continued into the 18th century.

The term "Seeker" also came into general use as a title of distinction to describe certain selected individuals who embodied certain characteristics of mind. Individuals given that appellation included: William Walwyn (1600-80), Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658), and John Milton (1608-74).

[ MARTIN - CAN YOU DO THE EDITING OF THIS PAGE PLEASE ? - I GOT PICKED ON RECENTLY : I HAVE ALWAYS DESPISED THESE PERSONAL ENMITIES BETWEEN WIKIPEDIANS AND SO I ONLY CONTRIBUTE INFORMATION TO TALK PAGES - YET I GOT PICKED ON RECENTLY BY SOMEBODY WHO THEN DELETED VIRTUALLY ALL OF MY TALK PAGE POSTS ]DaiSaw (talk) 05:17, 20 August 2019 (UTC)