James Ashurst facts for kids

James Ashurst (died 1679) was an English church leader, also known as a divine. He had to leave his job as a minister during a big event in history called the Great Ejection in 1662.

Who Was James Ashurst?

James Ashurst worked as a vicar, which is a type of church minister, in a town called Arlesey in Bedfordshire, England. He had been officially made a minister by bishops, which means he was "episcopally ordained."

The Act of Uniformity

In 1662, a new law was passed called the Act of Uniformity. This law brought in very strict rules for church ministers. James Ashurst found that he could not agree with these new rules. Because of this, he had to "quit his living," which means he had to leave his job as the vicar of Arlesey.

At the time, James Ashurst was quite old, and his church job didn't pay very much. A famous judge named Samuel Browne lived in his parish and was a good friend of his.

Life in Arlesey

Records from the church in Arlesey tell us more about James Ashurst's life. He became the vicar sometime between October 1631 and October 1632.

He got married to Mary Baldocke on 20 November 1660. Mary was the widow of Daniel Baldocke. The same church records show that James Ashurst, the minister, was buried on 16 December 1679. The record also notes he was "buried in woolen," which was a common practice at the time. His neighbor, Read, from a nearby town called Henlow, gave the speech at his funeral.