Matthew Newcomen (c. 1610 – 1 September 1669) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

nonconformist churchman. His exact date of birth is unknown. He was educated at

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corporation established by a charter dated 9 April 1511. The ...

(M.A. 1633). In 1636 he became lecturer at Dedham in

Essex Essex () is a Ceremonial counties of England, county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the Riv ...

, and led the church reform party in that county. He assisted

Edmund Calamy the Elder Edmund Calamy (February 160029 October 1666) was an English Presbyterian church leader and divine. Known as "the elder", he was the first of four generations of nonconformist ministers bearing the same name. Early life The Calamy family claimed ...

in writing '' Smectymnuus'' (1641), and preached before parliament in 1643. He was multi-talented, excelling in preaching and debate, and was offered several lucrative positions. He protested against the extreme democratic proposals called '' The Agreement of the People'' (1647), and was one of the commissioners at the Savoy Synod of 1658. When the Act of Uniformity was passed in 1662, Newcomen lost his living, but was soon invited to the pastorate at

Leiden Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration w ...

, where he was held in high esteem not only by his own people but by the university professors. He died of

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...

in 1669.

Sources

* People educated at Colchester Royal Grammar School Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge 17th-century deaths from plague (disease) Participants in the Savoy Conference Ejected English ministers of 1662 Westminster Divines 1610s births 1669 deaths Infectious disease deaths in the Netherlands People from Dedham, Essex {{England-reli-bio-stub