Rector - Nathaniel Brownell (1651-1718)
Nathaniel Brownell KCCH-T3T was born in 1651 in Gawsworth, Cheshire and baptised at St. James’ church, Gawsworth on 21st May that year. His parents were Helen Downes and William Brownell, a yeoman which was a farmer who owned the land he worked as opposed to a tenant farmer. However, his paternal great grandfather, another William Brownell, had been rector of St. James’ for approximately 25 years.
Nathaniel was educated at Christ Church college, Oxford University and matriculated on 14th April 1671 when he was 19 years old. He graduated with a BA in 1674 and an MA in 1677. In the register of Oxford University Alumni, we can see three generations of Brownells listed one after another. Note also that Nathaniel’s father was referred to as a ‘pleb.’ in the register. This was because he was a commoner/ordinary person and not somebody with a title for example.
According to the Church of England database, on 23rd April 1678 Nathaniel was ordained as a deacon and then as a priest on 6th June 1680. He first came to Halsall as a schoolmaster at Halsall Free Grammar School – a position he held for six years.
During this time he was appointed rector of St. Cuthbert’s, Halsall on 29th August 1683, having been presented to the living by Charles Gerard, the 1st Earl of Macclesfield who was the patron at the time.
The two men would have been known to each other by their association with the village of Gawsworth. Charles Gerard inherited the Gawsworth Estate after a dispute with his cousin, Alexander Fitton; this matter was resolved in 1663. However, at the beginning of the 18th century the dispute over Gawsworth between the Gerards and the Fitton family resurfaced – this time it ended in the famous duel between Lord Mohun (of the Gerard family) and the 4th Duke of Hamilton (for the Fittons). Both men were killed in the duel which took place in Hyde Park, London; the estate remained with the Gerards once again.
Another Halsall rector, the French Huguenot, Reverend Albert Le Blanc PQ3S-267 was chaplain to Lord Mohun’s second wife, Lady Mohun (Elizabeth Lawrence) whose support she no doubt valued after such a turbulent event.
About this time, Reverend Brownell met his future wife Eleanor Rigby who was the daughter of Nicholas Rigby of Harrock, Lancashire. They were married in St. Cuthbert’s church, Halsall on 28th October 1685; over the next 23 years they had 9 children.
In 1695 a new door was installed in the Grammar School and a commemorative stone was put in place bearing the date, the initials of Reverend Brownell and those of the churchwardens at the time.
In 1702, Nathaniel and Eleanor’s third son, Nicholas (named after his maternal grandfather) died at the tender age of 4 years old. His gravestone can now be seen outside of church between the old school and the south porch. It was moved in 1873 from the chancel (when the chancel was being restored) and has remained here ever since.
Next to it is also the gravestone of Nathaniel and Eleanor’s second son, Nathaniel. He had been a student at St. John’s College, Cambridge but sadly passed away in 1717 at the age of 22 years old.
Just a year later, Reverend Brownell died and was buried at St. Cuthbert’s on 21st March 1718.
William Ferguson Irvine, the author of ‘Ecclesiastical Memoranda as to Halsall’ (researched and then published in 1896, at the request of Reverend Thomas Blundell Hollinshead Blundell, Rector of St. Cuthbert’s church at that time), refers to the will of Reverend Brownell, an abstract of which he included in his book.
Eleanor died a year later and was buried at St. Cuthbert’s church, Halsall on 29th May 1719.
This extract is taken from the highly recommended website, ‘Lancashire Online Parish Clerks Project’ (LOPC) Lancashire Online Parish Clerks
