Thomas Rees (Unitarian)
Thomas Rees (1777 – 1 August 1864), Welsh Nonconformist divine, was a Unitarian minister and scholar.
Rees was educated at the
He had great knowledge of the history of
Life
He was born in
In 1807 Rees became afternoon preacher at Newington Green Chapel, London, of which he had sole charge from 1808 to 1813, when he moved to St. Thomas's Chapel, Southwark, which was closed in 1822. On 12 October 1823 a new chapel was opened in Stamford Street, Blackfriars, London, built from the proceeds of the sales of St. Thomas's Chapel and the chapel in Prince's Street, Westminster. Here Rees ministered till 1831, when he ceased to hold regular ministerial charge.[2]
Rees was a fellow of the
From 1828 to 1835 he was secretary to the London union of ministers of the "three denominations". His rejection in 1835 was resented by the unitarians, who claimed to represent the
In 1853 Rees left England for Spain, being unable to meet charges in regard to trust funds; but ultimately he made full restitution. He died in obscurity at Brighton, on 1 August 1864. His wife, Elizabeth, died at Hythe on 20 August 1856.[2]
Works
Rees made a collection of the literature of antitrinitarian opinion, especially during the 16th century. His intention, announced by 1833, of publishing a comprehensive work, was never fulfilled; the Antitrinitarian Biography by Robert Wallace appeared in 1850.[2]
For Rees's Cyclopædia he contributed articles on biography, various miscellaneous topics, and examined and described the plates.
Rees published, besides single sermons (1804–46):[2]
- The Beauties of South Wales, 1815 (see Edward Wedlake Brayley).
- The Racovian Catechism in Latin translation; with a prefixed Sketch of the History of Unitarianism in Poland, 1818.
- A Sketch of the History of the Regium Donum, 1834.
His historical papers included:[2]
- Faustus Socinus and Francis David in the Monthly Repository (as were the next three), 1818;
- On the Sentiments of the Early Continental Reformers respecting Religious Liberty (1819);
- Italian Reformation (1822);
- Memoirs of the Socini (1827); and
- Calvin and Servetus, in the Christian Reformer, 1847.
Rees left in manuscript The Anti-papal Reformers of Italy in the Sixteenth Century, with a Glance at their Forerunners, the Sectaries of the Middle Ages, in six volumes; also a manuscript translation, with notes, of
References
- ^ Chisholm 1911.
- ^ a b c d e f g Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900. .
- ^ The Monthly Repository of Theology and General Literature. Sherwood, Gilbert, and Piper. 1819. p. 337.
Sources
- public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Rees, Thomas". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 22 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 975. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Rees, Thomas (1777-1864)". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.