Richard Allestree

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This article is about the provost of Eton College. For the almanac publisher, see Almanac § England.
Richard Allestree, 1684 engraving by David Loggan.

Richard Allestree or Allestry (/ˈɔːlstriː/ AWL-stree; 1621/22 – 28 January 1681) was an English Royalist churchman and provost of Eton College from 1665.

Life

The son of Robert Allestree, descended from an old

John Fell gave his birth date as March 1619, this conflicts with his college records.[1] He was educated at the Free School,[2] Coventry, and entered Christ Church, Oxford, under Richard Busby. He entered as a commoner in 1636, matriculating as a student on 17 February 1637 aged fifteen,[1]
and took the degree of B.A. in 1640 and that of M.A. in 1643.

In 1642 he joined the king's army, under Sir

Censor
and became a "noted tutor".

He remained an ardent royalist. He voted for the university decree against the Covenant, and, refusing submission to the

Banbury. He was now frequently employed in carrying despatches between the future Charles II of England and royalist sympathisers. In May 1659 he brought a command from Charles in Brussels, directing Brian Duppa, the Bishop of Salisbury, to summon all bishops to consecrate clergymen to various sees "to secure a continuation of the order in the Church of England
", then in danger of becoming extinct.

While returning from one of these missions, in the winter before the Restoration, he was arrested at Dover and committed a prisoner at

Calvinist Thomas Barlow while at Oxford.[3] In 1665 he was appointed provost of Eton College, and proved himself a capable administrator. He introduced order into the disorganised finances of the college and procured the confirmation of William Laud's decree which reserved five of the Eton fellowships for members of King's College. His additions to the college buildings were less successful: the Upper School constructed by him at his own expense, was falling into ruin almost in his lifetime, and was replaced by the present structure in 1689. Allestree was buried in the chapel at Eton College, where there is a Latin
inscription to his memory.

Allestree bequeathed his library of circa 3500 books to Christ Church, Oxford,[4] where he also served as treasurer, helping the college to recover in the years after the civil war.[2]

He was buried in the chapel of Eton College.[2]

Works

His writings are:

  • The Privileges of the University of Oxford in point of Visitation (1647) – a tract answered by Prynne in the University of Oxford's Plea Rejected.
  • The Gentlemans Calling (1660).
  • Various sermons published separately, including A Sermon on Acts xiii. 2 (1660).
  • The Government of the Tongue (1667; 1674).
  • 18 Sermons whereof 15 Preached before the King [...] (1669).
  • The Ladies Calling. In Two Parts. (1673).
  • A Paraphrase and Annotations upon All the Epistles of St Paul (joint author with Abraham Woodhead and Obadiah Walker, 1675, see edition of 1853 and preface by W Jacobson).
  • 40 Sermons whereof 21 are Now First Published [...] (2 vols., 1684).

In the Cases of Conscience by Thomas Barlow, Bishop of Lincoln (1692), Allestree's judgment on Mr Cottington's Case of Divorce is included. A share in the composition, if not the sole authorship, of the books published under the name of the author of The Whole Duty of Man has been attributed to Allestree (Nichols's Anecdotes, ii. 603), and the tendency of modern criticism is to regard him as the author. His lectures, with which he was dissatisfied, were not published.

Allestree was a man of extensive learning, of moderate views and a fine preacher. He was generous and charitable, of "a solid and masculine kindness," and of a temper hot, but completely under control.

Authorities

References

Wikisource has the text of the 1885–1900 Dictionary of National Biography's article about Richard Allestree.
  1. ^
    doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/395. Retrieved 7 October 2015. (Subscription or UK public library membership
    required.)
  2. ^
    ISBN 9781874317036
    .
  3. JSTOR j.ctt1vwmdzv
    .
  4. ^ "Richard ALLESTREE 1621/2-1681". Book Owners Online. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  5. ^ "List of copies of Walker's Sufferings of the Clergy". Copac. Retrieved 18 September 2009.

Further reading

Academic offices
Preceded by
William Creed
Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford

1663—1680 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Provost of Eton

1665–1680 		Succeeded by
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