Adam Martindale facts for kids

Adam Martindale (1623–1686) was an important British presbyterian minister. He played a big part in how the Presbyterian church developed in Lancashire during the 1600s.

Adam Martindale's Early Life and Education

Adam Martindale was born around September 15, 1623, in High Heyes, Prescot, Lancashire. His father, Henry Martindale, was a farmer and builder who faced financial difficulties. Adam went to grammar schools in St. Helens and Rainford from 1630 to 1637. After a short time helping his father, he returned to school in 1638 to get ready for Oxford University.

However, the difficult times prevented him from attending university. He became a tutor for a family in Eccles, which he found very challenging. By Christmas 1641, his father's business had stopped due to the general unrest. To avoid being called for military duty, Adam found work as a schoolmaster, first in Upholland and then in Rainford.

Working During the English Civil War

In 1642, Adam Martindale became a private secretary to Colonel Moore, who was a Member of Parliament for Liverpool and led the Parliament's army there. Adam found this household very difficult. He preferred working as a clerk for the army and eventually became a deputy quartermaster, which meant he didn't have to fight.

In 1643, he took the Solemn League and Covenant. This was an agreement to support the Parliament and the Presbyterian church. When Liverpool was taken by Prince Rupert in June 1644, Adam was put in prison for nine weeks.

After his release, in August 1644, he became the master of a new grammar school in Over Whitley, Cheshire. The school building was finished in 1645 and had his name above the door. He continued his studies, learning Hebrew, logic, and theology. Because there weren't many ministers, people encouraged him to preach. He first preached in Middleton, Lancashire, and was offered a job there but turned it down. The Manchester committee of ministers, who approved preachers, gave him their approval in 1644.

Becoming a Minister at Gorton Chapel

Adam Martindale's first official church job was at Gorton Chapel in Manchester. He started there in April 1646, just before the Presbyterian church system was officially set up in Lancashire. He lived in Openshaw.

Adam was not a strict Presbyterian. At Gorton, there were also many Congregationalists, who believed churches should be independent. Adam wanted to keep them in his church by being understanding. He offered to be examined for ordination (becoming an official minister) in February 1647, but he didn't immediately follow through. He was busy studying the differences between Presbyterians and Congregationalists. Despite this, his ministry at Gorton was successful, and he was very popular. He received job offers from many other towns.

Ordination and Moving to Rostherne

On October 7, 1648, Adam Martindale was called to serve in Rostherne, Cheshire. The call was signed by 268 people from the parish. He was partly examined by the Manchester church group (called a classis), and they approved his examination. However, the church patron and some parishioners objected to him.

After long talks, Adam got an order on March 26, 1649, appointing him to the vicarage (the minister's house and land), which was worth £60 a year. He then decided not to continue with the Manchester group for his ordination. He went to London and was ordained on July 25, 1649, by a London church group. Thomas Manton led the service. Adam was fair to the previous minister's widow, letting her stay in the vicarage until May 1650.

Life as a Minister at Rostherne

In early 1650, ministers from Lancashire and Cheshire met to discuss whether to sign an agreement to be loyal to the current government. Adam, though he felt the government was not truly in charge, reluctantly signed it.

As a preacher, he worked very hard. He preached twice every Sunday to a large church and also gave special sermons. He was also involved in nine different lecture series. The Congregationalists in his parish caused him some trouble. While he got along with official Congregationalist ministers like Samuel Eaton, he had issues with "gifted brethren" who were traveling preachers and came into his parish. He preached against them but avoided public arguments.

He did, however, have two public debates with Quakers. The first was on Christmas Day 1654, where he found himself dealing with "ramblers and railers." The second, in 1655, was with Richard Hubberthorn, whom Adam respected for his calm judgment.

Changes in Church Organization

Adam Martindale followed the English style of Presbyterianism, which was different from the Scottish style. The Presbyterian system set up by Parliament in Lancashire was closer to the Scottish way. However, this system was never fully adopted in Cheshire.

In 1653, a "voluntary association" of ministers was formed in Knutsford, Cheshire. This group was called a "classis," but unlike the Lancashire groups, it only included ministers, not lay people (ruling elders). It also welcomed ministers from different groups, including Episcopalians and Congregationalists. This group didn't claim to have authority but met to ordain ministers, approve elders, and offer spiritual guidance. Adam strongly supported this union. In his own church, six elders were chosen, but only three agreed to serve. He did not use the strict Presbyterian system of examining people before they could take communion. He managed to keep his congregation together, even though many of his most religious members preferred the Congregationalist way.

The English Restoration and Its Impact

Adam Martindale knew about the planned uprising by royal supporters led by Sir George Booth. He strongly agreed with the movement, even though he didn't join it. He had long said he supported "a king and a free parliament." He expected to lose his church position when the king returned to power.

The law passed in September 1660, which confirmed ministers, made him the vicar of Rostherne again. However, in January 1661, he was accused of holding private meetings and was imprisoned in Chester for several weeks. He was released after paying a large bond. A maypole was put up in his parish, which was a symbol of the king's return. Adam describes how his wife and three young women took it down at night.

At the end of 1661, he was accused of refusing to read the prayer-book. It seems he hadn't refused, as the book hadn't been given to him. The new prayer-book arrived in Rostherne on Friday, August 22, 1662. On August 24, he was removed from his position because of the Uniformity Act. However, since no one else was there to preach, he led the service again that day, even though he had said goodbye the week before. On August 29, the bishop of Chester officially declared the church empty and told Adam he could not preach in the area.

Life After Being Removed from His Church

In September 1662, Adam moved to Camp Green in Rostherne parish. He attended the services of the new minister and then repeated the sermons in the evening for many parishioners at his home. For two years, he took in students, but this was risky for a nonconformist (someone who didn't follow the official church). He thought about becoming a doctor but, with help from Lord Delamer, he studied and taught mathematics in Warrington and other places.

In May 1666, because of the Five Miles Act (which stopped nonconformist ministers from living within five miles of a town or their old church), he moved his family to another house in Rostherne. He then went to Manchester to teach mathematics. Both Anglican and nonconformist wealthy families hired him.

To help his son Thomas's education, he visited Oxford in 1668 and met John Wallis, a famous mathematician. He also traveled to Glasgow in April 1670 for the same reason. During this time, the laws against nonconformist preaching were not strictly enforced in Lancashire. Adam preached openly in many chapels, including Gorton, Birch, Walmsley, Darwen, Cockey, and in the parishes of Bolton and Bury, Lancashire. The money he earned from preaching soon meant he didn't need to teach students anymore. He was brought before the dean of Chester and accused at the Manchester court, but he was found not guilty because there wasn't enough proof.

Chaplain to Lord Delamer and Later Years

On September 30, 1671, Adam Martindale became the resident chaplain to Lord Delamer at Dunham, earning £40 a year. He got a license under the indulgence of 1672, which allowed nonconformists to preach in certain places. He preached twice every Sunday and gave a lecture once a month at a house in Rostherne parish.

He moved his family several times: to The Thorne in 1674, to Houghheath in 1681, and to his own house in Leigh in May 1684. When Lord Delamer died on August 10, 1684, Adam's time at Dunham ended.

He was imprisoned in Chester from June 27 to July 15, 1685, because he was wrongly suspected of being involved in the Monmouth Rebellion. However, Adam believed in obeying the king without resistance. In 1682, he had even written a paper (though not published) against a book he thought was dangerous. Later in 1685, he gave evidence in a legal case in Lancaster and returned home feeling unwell.

Marriage and Death

Adam Martindale died in Leigh in September 1686 and was buried in Rostherne on September 21. He married Elizabeth Hall on December 31, 1646. She was the second daughter of John Hall and the half-sister of Thomas Jollie. Elizabeth outlived him. They had eight children, but only three survived childhood.