Richard Pilkington

, was descended from an ancient Family of his name living at Rivington in Lancashire, but where born (unless in the County Pal. of Durham) I cannot justly say. At about 17 years of age he was sent to Cambridge, where continuing till after he was M. of A. retired to Oxon, and setling in Queens coll. was incorporated in the same degree, an. 1599. At that time being esteem’d eminent in the faculty of Theology, he was admitted in the year following to the reading of the sentences, and 7 years after was licensed to proceed in the same faculty. In 1625. he was made Archdeacon of Leicester, in the place of Robert Johnson deceased, being at that time the rich Rector of Hambleton in Bucks, which were all the preferments, I think, that he enjoyed. His works are,

Parallela: Or, the grounds of the new Rom. Catholick, and of the antient Christian Religion, out of the holy Scriptures, composed together; in answer to a late popish Pamphlet intit. A Manual of Controversies, &c. by A. C. S. Lond. 1618. qu. What else he hath written I find not, nor any thing material of him besides, only that he departed this life about the middle of Sept. 1631 in sixteen hundred thirty and one, and was buried in the Chancel of his Church of Hambleton, at which time was the most dreadfullest storm of Wind, thunder, and lightning, as ever was known in those parts. It occasion’d so great a darkness, that the neighbours were forced to convey the Corps to the Grave by lights at four of the Clock in the afternoon. I have been also informed by the Rector of that Church Dr. Fr. G. that the storm was so violent that it moved and broke some of the stones that were to cover the Grave, and that it forced the Shovel out of the Clerks hand, shatter’d it, and made an impression on the Chancel Wall, as he had received the story from Dr. Pilkingtons servant, who then lived in the Parsonage House. This last tho very improbable, yet certain it is that that most unusual storm did occasion certain odd reports concerning the said Doctor, to be made by the R. Catholicks, to whom in general he had been a bitter enemy in his preaching and writing.