Zachary Pearce facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Right Reverend Zachary Pearce |
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| Bishop of Rochester | |
Portrait by Edward Penny
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| Enthroned | 1756 |
| Reign ended | 1774 |
| Predecessor | Joseph Wilcocks |
| Successor | John Thomas |
| Other posts | Bishop of Bangor, Dean of Westminster |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 September 1690 |
| Died | 29 June 1774 |
| Nationality | English/British |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
Zachary Pearce (born September 8, 1690 – died June 29, 1774) was an important English church leader. He became a Bishop and later the Bishop of Rochester. He was also known for defending the famous writer John Milton and his epic poem Paradise Lost.
Early Life and Education
Zachary Pearce was born in 1690 in a place called St Giles, High Holborn, in London. His father, Thomas or John Pearce, worked as a distiller.
Zachary went to two schools: first Great Ealing School and then Westminster School. After that, he studied at Trinity College, Cambridge. He earned his first degree there in 1713 or 1714 and a master's degree in 1717.
A Career in the Church
After finishing his studies, Zachary Pearce became a Fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge. This meant he was a senior member of the college. He also worked as a chaplain for a very important person, Thomas Parker, 1st Earl of Macclesfield, who was the Lord Chancellor. Parker became a supporter of Pearce.
Pearce held several important positions in the church:
- He was a rector in Essex from 1719 to 1722.
- He served as vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields in London starting in 1726.
- In 1739, he became the Dean of Winchester.
- He was made Bishop of Bangor in 1748.
- Later, in 1756, he became the Bishop of Rochester.
- From 1756 to 1768, he was also the Dean of Westminster.
- In 1761, he was offered the position of bishop of London, but he chose not to accept it.
Other Achievements
Zachary Pearce was not just a church leader. In June 1720, he was chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very old and respected group for scientists. Towards the end of the life of the famous scientist Isaac Newton, Pearce helped him with his work on chronology, which is the study of arranging events in time.
There is a special monument dedicated to Zachary Pearce in the Church of St Peter and St Paul, Bromley. He was married to Mary, whose father, Benjamin Adams, was also a distiller from Holborn.
His Writings
Zachary Pearce wrote several books and essays. One of his works, The Miracles of Jesus Vindicated (1729), was written to defend the miracles of Jesus. He also wrote A Reply to the Letter to Dr. Waterland, where he defended another scholar named Daniel Waterland.
Some of his other important works include:
- An edition of Cicero's Dialogi tres de oratore (1716)
- An edition of Longinus's De sublimitate commentarius (1724)
- An edition of Cicero's De officiis libri tres (1745)
He also published many of his sermons, which are speeches given in church. He even preached at the funeral of Sir Hans Sloane, a famous collector and doctor.
