Henry Newcome

Henry Newcome (November 1627 – 17 September 1695) was an English nonconformist preacher and activist. Life Henry Newcome was born at Caldecote, Huntingdonshire, the fourth son of Stephen Newcome, rector of Caldicote. He was baptised on 27 November 1627. His mother was Rose, daughter of Henry Williamson (a native of Salford and the rector of Conington, Cambridgeshire) and granddaughter of Thomas Sparke, one of the puritan divines at the Hampton Court conference in 1604. Henry was orphaned in his teens; his parents were buried in the same coffin on 4 February 1642. He was educated by his eldest brother, Robert, who succeeded their father as rector of Caldicote. In May 1644 Henry was admitted to St. John's College, Cambridge, but the civil war interrupted his studies, which were resumed on 10 May 1645. He graduated B.A. on 2 February 1648, and M.A. on 1 July 1651. On 24 September 1647, he became schoolmaster at Congleton, Cheshire, and soon began to preach. He was already married when, on 22 August 1648, he received presbyterian ordination at Sandbach, Cheshire. He was destined for Alvanley Chapel, in the parish of Frodsham, Cheshire; but in October 1648 he received a unanimous call to the perpetual curacy of St Luke's Church, Goostrey, Cheshire, through the interest of his wife's cousin, Henry Manwaring of Kermincham, in whose house he subsequently lived. He began his duties at Goostrey on 23 November 1648, but Manwaring's interest soon obtained for him the rectory of Gawsworth, Cheshire, to which he moved on 8 April 1650. He visited Manchester for the first time on 19 September 1651, and found some of his mother's relatives. On 25 December he subscribed the engagement of fidelity to the existing government, much against the grain, for he was always a royalist. He had already taken the Solemn League and Covenant. He was closely associated with the religious work of John Machin. In October 1653 he joined Adam Martindale in the establishment of a clerical union for Cheshire on the model of Richard Baxter's Worcestershire agreement. On the death of Richard Hollinworth, Newcome was elected (5 December 1656) one of the preachers at the collegiate church of Manchester. After much hesitation he settled in Manchester on 23 April 1657. His ministry was exceedingly popular. He became a member of the first presbyterian classis of Lancashire, attending for the first time on 12 May 1657. He sat as delegate in the Lancashire provincial assembly in 1658 and 1659.