King, John

, rector of Chelsea, was born at St. Columb in Cornwall, May 1, 1652. He was educated at Exeter college, Oxford, but took the degree of D. D. at Catherine-hall, Cambridge, where his friend sir William Dawes was master. When first in orders, he had the curacy of Bray, in Berkshire. By his second wife he acquired the patronage of Pertenhall, in Bedfordshire, and | was instituted to that rectory in June 1690; but in 1694, exchanged it for Chelsea, the value of which he considerably advanced by letting out the glebe on lives for building. In 1731 he was collated to the prebend of Wighton in York cathedral^ by sir William Dawes, archbishop. He died May 30, 1732, and was buried at Pertenhall. Besides two occasional sermons, he published, 1 “Animadversions on a pamphlet entitled A Letter of advice to the churches of the Nonconformists of the English nation; endeavouring their satisfaction in that point, Who are the true church of England?” 2d edit. 1702, 4to. 2. “The case of John Atherton, bishop of Waterford in Ireland, fairly represented against a partial edition of Dr. Barnard’s relation and sermon at his funeral, &c.” 1716, 8vo. In the appendix are two anonymous letters; but it appears by interlineations in Dr. King’s own hand, that the first was from Dr. Thomas Mill, bishop of Waterford, and the second was to that bishop from the rev. Mr. Alcock, chancellor of Waterford. 3. “Tolando-Pseudologo-mastix, or a currycomb for a lying coxcomb. Being an answer to a late piece of Mr. Toland’s called Hypatia,” Lond. 1721, 8vo. There is also in the British Museum, a small quarto volume in ms. by Dr. King, containing a supplement and remarks on the life of sir Thomas More; a letter on sir Thomas More’s house at Chelsea, and other miscellanies.

Dr. King’s eldest son, John, was born Aug. 5, 1696, and from Eton school was sent to King’s college, Cambridge, of which he became fellow, and took the degree of M. A. He afterwards settled at Stamford in Lincolnshire, and practised physic there with great reputation, but was cutoff by a fever, Oct. 12, 1728. He published “Epistola ad virum ornatis. Joannem Freind, &c. in qua D. W. Trilleri, Phil, et M. D. epistolam medico-criticam super primo et tertio epidemiorum, a viro ornatissimo editis, ad examen revocavit J. King,” Cambridge, 1722, 8vo; and an excellent, and now rare, edition of “Euripidis Hecuba^ Orestes, & Phcenissae,” ibid. 1726, 8vi. ¹