Biographical Illustrations of Worcestershire

Biographical illustrations of Worcestershire: including lives of persons, natives or residents, eminent either for piety or talent: to which is added, a list of living authors of the county.

The manuscript provided here gives insight into the men who were active in early Church history in Worcestershire England. Some of the first biographies mentioned depict men living in the 600's AD. The list of surnames below is as complete as we could make from the manuscript, and the Biography of William Dugard below is an example of what you'll find. Enjoy!

Index of Surnames:

Abbott, Abingdon, Adulf, Alcock, Aldewine, Aldington, Aldred, Alhune, Allen, Alured, Andrews, Architect, Ashe, Ashmole, Babington, Badland, Bagnali, Baker, Bakewell, Baldwin, Ballard, Barksdale, Barlow, Barnet, Baron, Barrett, Baskerville, Battel, Baxter, Baylies, Bayly, Beale, Beard, Beauchamp, Bellae, Benson, Bentley, Berkeley, Bernard, Bilson, BIois, Blackburn, Blandford, Blount, Blower, Bonnor, Boraston, Bosel, Bourgchier, Bourne, Bowles, Bradshaw, Brampton, Braunsford, Bray, Brian, Bright, Brightegus, Bristow, Bromley, Brooke, Brooker, Broughton, Brown, Bullingham, Burford, Burnet, Bushell, Butler, Butt, Byrche, Calfhill, Cameron, Cantelupe, Canynge, Cardale, Carpenter, Chandler, Charlet, chitect, Chyrton, Claridge, Clarke, Clements, Clifford, Cobham, Collet, Collier, Compton, Conant, Constantiis, Cooke, Cookes, Cooksey, Coombe, Cooper, Couutess, Coventry, Coverley, Cox, Croft, Crowther, Crusius, D'Abitot, Dalton, Daniel, Dawes, De Laune, Deacle, Dee, Denebert, Derham, Digby, Dodd, Doharty, Doolittle, Doughtie, Du Bois, DuDster, Dugard, Dunstan, Eadbert, Earle, Eathored, Eden, Ednod, Eedes, Egwine, Ellis, Elstob, Estcourt, Evans, Evanson, Evelyn, Evesham, Faccio, Falkner, Farley, Feckingham, Fell, Fitzralph, Flavel, Fleetwood, Fletcher, Florence, Foley, Foote, Ford, Fountain, Fownes, Freake, Gainsborough, Gallaway, Garbet, Gardiner, Gentleman, Germano, Ghinucciis, Giffard, Giles, Glanville, Goldsborough, Good, Goodhall, Goodinge, Green, Greisley, Grey, Gulden, Gwynne, Gygels, Habingdon, Hall, Hamond, Hancock, Hand, Hanmer, Hanyball, Hare, Harley, Harris, Hastings, Hawford, Hawkins, Haynes, Heath, Helme, Hemenhale, Hemingus, Herbert, Hickman, Hicks, Hill, Hodges, Holbech, Holdsworth, Holland, Hooper, Hoper, Hopkins, Hornyhold, Hough, HuddlestoneS, Hughes, Hunt, Hurd, Hurlstone, Inge, Ingmethorpe, Isaac, Jackman, James, Jeffries, Jenner, Jethelhun, John, Johns, Johnson, Johnson.T., Johnstone, Joliffe, Jones, Jukes, Juxon, Keck, Kelly, Kimberley, Kinewold, Kyderrainster, Lake, Lamplugh, Lane, Langford, Laroon, Latimer, Laughton, Lavamon, Lavington, Lech, Leclimere, Leoffius, Lewis, Lister, Littleton, Livingus, Lloyd, Longworth, Lovett, Lowe, Lucas, Lychfield, Lynn, Lyttelton, Mackenzie, Madox, Malvern, Manwaring, Martial, Martin, Matthew, Mauger, Maund, Maydenston, Meadowcourt, Medicis, Meeke, Mildred, Miserimus, Montague, Monteacuto, Moore, More, Morgan, Morley, Morris, Morton, Moss, Nabbs, Napleton, Nash, Neale, Neve, Nicholas, Norfolk, Norhale, Oasland, Odington, Oftfor, Oley, Oliver, Ombreslye, Onslow, Orlton, Orton, Osbom, Oswald, Owen, Padmore, Pageharn, Pakington, Palmer, Pardoe, Parry, Pates, Pedor, Pendrells, Peverell, Philips, Pitt, Pollard, Polton, Ponty, Porter, Potter, Price, Prideaux, Randolph, Randulph, Reginald, Reynolds, Richard, Rob., Roger, Rowland, Russell, Salway, Sampson, Sandby, Sanders, Sandys, Savage, Senatus, Sheldon, Shenstone, Sheridan, Shewring, Silvester, Simon, Skinner, Skipp, Smalridge, Smith, Soilli, Somers, St. John, Standish, Stanford, Statnpe, Stephens, Stewart, Steynor, Stillingaeet, Stillingfleet, Stinton, Street, Swaddon, Swadlin, Swift, Sydney, Talbot, Tanner, Tatfrith, Taylor, Thele, Theulf, Thomas, Thomborough, Thomson, Thoresby, Thornton, Tilhere, Tindal, Tinker, Tiptoft, Tombs, Tonson, Tottle, Toy, Trapp, Treale, Trimnall, Trye, Twittie, Urquhart, Vannes, Vaughan, Vellers, Vernon, Vincent, Wakefield, Wakeman, Wall, Waller, Wallis, Walls, Walsh, Walwyn, Warmestry, Warmstrey, Warren, Watson, Waugh, Weaver, Werefriil, Weremund, Wharton, White, Whiteway, Whitgift, Whitgreaves, Whitmaye, WickliiFe, Wilfred, Wilfrith, Wilkinson, William, Williams, Willis, Willoughby, Wilmington, Wilmot, Wilson, Winchcomb, Winchcorab, Wittesley, Woddysbury, Wogan, Wolsey, Wolstan, Woodhop, Woodward, Woolley, Worcester, Worfield, Worth, Wrottesley, Wyatt, Wyld, Wynne, Yarrington, Young.

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Biography of William Dugard

A Native of this county, was born at Bromsgrove, Jan. 9, 1605-6; he was the son of Henry Dugard, a clergyman, and was instructed in classical learning at the College School in Worcester, under Bright, and from thence sent in 1622, to Sydney College, Cambridge. In l626 he took the degree of B. A and that of M. A. in 1630. Soon after he was appointed Master of Stamford School in Lincolnshire, from whence, in 1637, he was elected Master of the Free School at Colchester. He resigned the care of this school in Jan. 1642-3, in consequence of the ill treatment he received at the hands of a party in that town, to which, as well as to the school, he had been of great service; and May, 1644, was chosen Head Master of Merchant Taylor's School, London. This school flourished exceedingly under his influence and management; but for showing, as was thought, too great an affection to the royal cause, and especially for being concerned in printing, at a press in his own house, Salmasius' Defence of Charles I. he was deprived of it Feb. 1649-50, and imprisoned in Newgate, his wife and six children turned out of doors, and a printing office, which he vaiued at £1000, seized. That he was well affected to Charles I, and to the royal interest, appears from a curious register he kept of his school, which is still extant in Sion College Library, wherein are entered two Greek verses, on the beheading of that monarch, to this effect: "Charles, the best of kings, is fallen by the hands of cruel and wicked men, a martyr for the laws of Cod and of his country." There are also two more Greek verses on the burial of Oliver Cromwell's mother, in Westminster Abbey, to this effect:

"Here lieth the mother of a cursed son, who has been the ruin of two kings, and of three kingdoms." However, it was not for these that he was dismissed the school, but for being concerned in printing Salmasius's book, as we learn from the following memorandum in the same register: "Februar 20, 1649 a concilio novi status ab archididascalatus officio summotus, et in carcerem Novae Portae conjectus sum; ab hanc praecipue causam, quod Claudii Salmasii librum, qui inscribitur. 'Defensio regia pro Carolo primo ad serenissimum regem Carolum secundum legitimum haeredem et successorera,' typis mandandum curaveram: typographeo iusuper integro spoliatus, ad valorem mille librarum minimum; nihil jam reliquum habeus, unde victum quaeram uxori et sex liberis." It is a singular circumstance that Milton's Defensio pro Populo Anglicano was printed Typis Duvardianis, a curious refinement in retaliation.* Being soon released from this confinement, he opened, April 1650, a private school on Peter's Hill, London; but, in September, was restored to his former station, by means of the same Council of State which had caused him to be removed, and which, with Milton, took advantage of his distresses to force him into their service, and among other things to print Milton's Answer to Salmasius. There, however, he continued with great success and credit till about 1662, when he was dismissed for breaking some orders of the Merchant Taylor's School, though he had been publicly warned and admonished of it before. He presented a remonstrance to it upon that occasion, but to no purpose; whereupon he opened a private school in Coleman street, July 1661, and by March following had gathered 193 scholars, so great was his reputation, and the fame of his abilities.

He lived a very little while after, dying in 1662; he gave by will several books to Sion College Library. He published some few pieces for the use of schools. His first production was reprinted by Mr. Bowyer in 1774, a work excellently calculated for the use of schools and young students in divinity, and showing the purpose not only of a lexicon, by exhibiting all the words of the Greek Testament, as they stand in the text, with their explanations and inflections, but answering likewise the end of a concordance in a compendious form. This the late Mr. Bowyer left accurately corrected and much enlarged, and often wished in his latter days he had been able to publish for the use of schools and the benefit of young students in divinity. It is in the possession of Mr. Nichol, the venerable recorder of literary anecdotes of the 18th century.