, D. D. master of the Charterhouse, was born May 1, 1697, and elected scholar
, D. D. master of the Charterhouse, was born May 1, 1697, and elected scholar of the
Charter-house, on the nomination of lord Somers, July
19, 1710; whence, in Nov. 1712, he was elected to the
university, and was matriculated of St. Mary Magdalen
hall, Oxford, Dec. 17, following. In 1716 he took his
bachelor’s degree, and in June 1717, was elected probationary, and two years after, actual fellow of Merton college. After taking deacon’s orders in 1718, and priest’s
in 1719, and proceeding M. A. he was appointed preacher
to the Charter-house in 1724. In 1730 he accumulated
the degrees of B. and D. D. and in 1738 was made one of
the king’s chaplains, and in March 1739, secretary to the
society for propagating the gospel in foreign parts. In
1743 he was instituted to the rectory of Stormouth in Kent,
which he held by dispensation, and was elected master of
the Charter-house Dec. 18, 1753. He died Nov. 17,1761.
Although a man of worth and learning, he had no talents
for writing. The only attempt he made was in his “Historical Account of Thomas Sutton, esq. and of his Foundation in the Charter-house,
” Lond.
e, Oxford. Anthony Wood, who refers his education to Cambridge, mistakes him for his cousin Francis, master of the Charterhouse, who died in 1624. It is remarkable, that
, third son of Francis, the judge, was born at Grace-Dieu, in Leicestershire, 1586; and in the beginning of Lent term 1596, was admitted (with his two brothers Henry and John) a gentleman commoner of Broadgate’s-hall, now Pembroke-college, Oxford. Anthony Wood, who refers his education to Cambridge, mistakes him for his cousin Francis, master of the Charterhouse, who died in 1624. It is remarkable, that there were four Francis Beaumonts of this family, all living in 1615, and of these at least three were poetical the master of the Charter-house, the dramatic writer, and Francis Beaumont, a Jesuit.
On May 19, 1685, he was made master of the Charterhouse, by the interest of the duke of Ormond;
On May 19, 1685, he was made master of the Charterhouse, by the interest of the duke of Ormond; and soon
after commenced LL. D. At what time he entered into
orders is not exactly known; but it is plain that he was a
clergyman at his election to this mastership, from the objection then made against him by some of the bishops who
were governors, namely, “that he generally appeared in
a lay-habit,
” which was over-ruled by his patron the duke
of Ormond, by asserting in his favour, that he had no
living or other ecclesiastical preferment; and that his life
and conversation were in all respects suitable to the clerical character. In the latter end of 1686, Dr. Burnet’s
integrity, prudence, and resolution, were fully tried in
his new station, upon the following occasion: one Andrew
Popham, a Roman Catholic, came to the Charter-house,
with a letter from king James to the governors, requiring
them to choose and admit him the said Andrew Popham a
pensioner thereof, “without tendering any oath or oaths
unto him, or requiring of him any subscription, recognition, or other act or acts, in conformity to the doctrine
and discipline of the church of England as the same is now
established; and notwithstanding any statute, order, or
constitution, of or in the said hospital; with which, says
his majesty, we are graciously disposed to dispense in his
behalf.
” On the meeting of the governors, the king’s
letter was read, and the lord chancellor Jefferies moved,
that without any debate they should proceed to vote whether Andrew Popham should be admitted a pensioner of
the hospital, according to the king’s letter. The master,
Dr. Burnet, as the junior, was to vote first, but he told
the governors, that he thought it was his duty to acquaint
their lordships with the state and constitution of that hospital; and, though this was opposed by some, yet, after
a little debate, he proceeded to observe, that to admit a
pensioner into the hospital without his taking the oaths of
allegiance and supremacy, was not only contrary to the
constitution of the ho&pital, but to an express act of parliament for the better establishment thereof. One of the
governors asked what this was to the purpose? The duke
of Ormond replied, that he thought it much to the purpose; for an act of parliament was not so slight a thing as
not to deserve a consideration. After some other discourse, the question was put, whether Popham should be
admitted? and passed in the negative. A second letter
from the king was afterwards sent; to which the governors,
in a letter addressed to his majesty, humbly replied, and
gave their reasons why they could not admit Andrew Popham as a pensioner of the hospital. This not satisfying
king James, he ordered chancellor Jefferies to find out a
way how he might compel their submission, and the master
was particularly threatened to be summoned before the ecclesiastical commissioners. But his subsequent quarrels
with the universities, and the commotions which followed,
prevented any farther proceeding on the part of the king.
This was the first stand made against the dispensing power
of that reign, by any society in England, and was of great
importance to the public, A relation of the Charter-house
proceedings upon this occasion was published by Dr. Burnet in 1689.
After the revolution, he was introduced to court by his
tutor and friend, archbishop Tillotson, and was made
chaplain to the king, and soon after, clerk of the closet.
He was now considered as in the high road to great preferment, and had certainly a fine prospect before him; when
he ruined all by some unadvised strokes of his pen. In
1692 he published “Archæologiæ philosophiæ; sive doctrina antiqua de rerum originibus,
” 4to, with a dedication
to king William, whose character he diws with great
strength of genius and art, and in that beautiful style
which was peculiar to himself. But neither the high rank
and authority of his patron, nor the elegance and learning
displayed throughout the work, could protect the author
from the clamours raised against him for allegorizing in a
very indelicate manner the scripture account of the fall of
Adam and Eve. In consequence of which, as appears
from a Latin letter written by himself to Walters, a bookseller at Amsterdam, dated Sept. 14, 1694, he desires to
have the most offensive parts omitted in the future editions
of that work. He had expressed himself to the same purpose, some time before the date of this letter, in a Latin
epistle, “Ad virum clarissimum circa nuper editum de
Archæologiis Philosophicis libellum;
” where he says, that
he cheerfully wished that any passages which have given
offence to the pious and wise, and particularly the dialogue
between Eve and the Serpent, may be expunged. The
person to whom this letter is addressed, and also a second
afterwards upon the same subject, was generally understood to be archbishop Tillotson. Both the letters are
subjoined to the second edition of “Archæologiæ philosophicæ,
” printed in
we may add that, at the request of Mr. Whiston, he wrote the life of Dr. Thomas Burnet, the learned master of the Charterhouse, prefixed to the edition of his works printed
To the preceding list of Dr. Heathcote’s works, we may
add that, at the request of Mr. Whiston, he wrote the life
of Dr. Thomas Burnet, the learned master of the Charterhouse, prefixed to the edition of his works printed in 175y
and in 1761, on the recommendation of Dr. Jortin, was
engaged as one of the writers in the ftrst edition of this
Dictionary, and contributed also some articles for the second, printed in 1784. In 1767 he published “A Letter
to the hon. Horace Walpole, concerning the dispute between Mr. Hume and Mr, Rousseau,
” 12mo, which in some
of the Reviews wu*> supposed to be by Mr. Walpole himself. He also published an te Assize Sermon,*' and a
pamphlet called “Memoirs of the late contested election for
the county of Leicester,
” Irenarch,
” and the
dedication and notes, he scattered up and down, but without alteration, in a miscellaneous work, published in 1786,
entitled “Sylva, or the Wood;' 1 an entertaining collection
of anecdotes, &c. which was reprinted in 1783; and in
1789, he had begun anothervolume of miscellanies, including some of his separate pieces, and memoirs of himself, of which last we have availed ourselves in the preceding sketch, from Mr. Nichols’s
” Literary Anecdotes."
nd Christ’s college, the president of the college of Physicians, the treasurer of Lincoln’s-Inn, the master of the Charterhouse, the president of Christ’s hospital, and
, a gentleman who deserves to be recorded among the benefactors to literature, was great grandson to sir Richard Tancred, who was knighted for his services and severe sufferings during the rebellion. This sir Richard was the son of Charles Tancred, esq. who purchased the manor and rectory of Whixley, anciently Qnixley, situated between York and Aidborough. Christopher Tancred, the subject of this article, died in 1754 unmarried, and left his house and estate at Whixley for the maintenance of twelve decayed gentlemen who have borne arms in the service of their country, each of whom receive twenty-two guineas annually, and a separate apartment is assigned to each of them, but the whole dine in common. He also founded four medical exhir bitions at Caius college; four in divinity at Christ’s college, Cambridge, and four law studentships at Lincoln’sJnn, of which he was a bencher. These were originally of the yearly value of 50l., but are now 100l. each. The trustees in this foundation are the masters of Caius and Christ’s college, the president of the college of Physicians, the treasurer of Lincoln’s-Inn, the master of the Charterhouse, the president of Christ’s hospital, and the governor of Greenwich hospital. These exhibitions continue for about eight years, three years after taking the degree of M. A. or M. B. and after being called to the bar; and a Latin oration is spoken annually, by one of the exhibitioners and students, in commemoration of their liberal benefactor.