Rector - Thomas Johnson (1602-1661)
Thomas Johnson PQ5B-C4G was born c. 1602. He matriculated into Brasenose College, Oxford University in 1621 at the age of 19 where he gained an MA. His son, also Thomas Johnson, attended Corpus Christie College, Oxford, matriculating on 9th April 1647 at the young age of 15 years old. A note in the Oxford register of alumni indicates that young Thomas was expelled in 1648 but no reason is given as to why. He re-joined the university in 1649 and graduated with a BA on 19th October 1650 followed by an MA on 14th March 1653-4.
Looking at the Clergy of the Church of England database, we can see that Reverend Thomas Johnson was curate at Rochdale in 1634 and minister there in 1635.
He was appointed rector of Halsall in December 1645 following the expulsion of the Royalist minister, Reverend Peter Travers.
When Reverend Travers was ejected from his position of rector of St. Cuthbert’s, he was also forced to leave the family home – the rectory. His wife, Dorothy, petitioned for maintenance for herself and their children. In April 1646 she was granted a tenth part of all tithes, rents and profits of the parish of Halsall by Order of the Committee of Plundered Ministers (Wikipedia). Taking into consideration the income of the parish, a yearly sum was worked out. In respect of Halsall, William F. Irvine included an extract regarding a hearing made at Whitehall which includes the salary breakdown of Reverend Thomas Johnson in 1654.
In the extract, note that Reverend Peter Travis is referred to as a ‘Delinqt’ which means a ‘Delinquent’. At that time a delinquent was a Royalist whose property and land had been confiscated by Parliament forces during the English Civil War because the person had fought against Parliament. Committee for Compounding with Delinquents – (Wikipedia)
Reverend Johnson, on the other hand, was a Parliamentarian and in 1659 was presented to the rectory at Middleton church, Rochdale by the Cromwellian party. His name is amongst the ‘List of Rectors’ on the wooden tableau in Middleton church.
Not long after this appointment Reverend Johnson became ill; he died early 1661 and his will was proved on 27th April that year at Chester. According to the website, ‘British History Online. A History of the County of Lancaster: Vol.3, Halsall’, the content of his will refers to property he acquired in Rainford and Brockhall. He also
names various ‘apartments’ or rooms in the ‘parsonage’, of which there are many. It is also implied that this refers to Halsall parsonage/rectory:
‘the hall, guest parlour, matted chamber, little closet, great chamber, little parlour, little closet in the entry, women’s parlour, fellowes chamber, stone chamber, buttery chamber, buttery, larder, brewhouse, deyhouse, wet larder, kitchen and study’.
At the time of writing, Reverend Johnson is proving somewhat elusive in the Birth, Marriage and Death records from over 400 years ago. Thomas Johnson is a popular
name and without a place of birth, it is difficult to confidently pinpoint the correct registers and records for him.
Research is ongoing!
