Charles Howe (1661–1742) was an English devotional writer and courtier during the reigns of Charles II and

James II of England and VII of Scotland James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685, until he was deposed in the 1688 Glori ...

.''Howe, Charles (1661–1742), devotional writer'' by B. H. Blacker, rev. Adam Jacob Levin,

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...

Life

He born in

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

, the third son of John Grobham Howe of

Langar Langar may refer to: Community eating *Langar (Sikhism) *Langar (Sufism) Places Afghanistan *Langar, Badakhshan, Afghanistan *Langar, Bamyan, Afghanistan *Langar, Faryab, Afghanistan *Langar, Herat, Afghanistan *Langar, Wardak, Afghanistan ...

, Nottinghamshire.

John Grubham Howe John Grubham Howe (1657–1722) was an English politician. Elected on numerous occasions as Member of Parliament, he made the transition from the Whig to the Tory faction. Early life He was second son of John Grobham Howe of Langar, Nottingh ...

(Jack Howe) was his brother. In youth Howe spent much time at Charles II's court. About 1686 he is said to have gone abroad with a relative who had been appointed ambassador by James II, but declined to accept the office permanently. On returning to England he married Elianor, only daughter and heiress of Sir William Pargiter, of

Greatworth Greatworth is a village in the civil parish of Greatworth and Halse about north-west of Brackley, West Northamptonshire, England. The parish also includes the hamlet of Halse. In 2011, the settlement had a population of 708. The 2011 Census ...

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...

, and widow of Sir Henry Dering. She died on 25 July 1696, and was buried in Greatworth Church, where an inscription, composed by her husband, remains. After his wife's death in 1696, Howe lived in seclusion in the country, chiefly devoting himself to religious meditation. He died on 17 February 1742, and was buried in the same vault with his wife and children in Greatworth Church. A monument there was erected to his memory by his granddaughter, Leonora Bathurst.

Works

''Devout Meditations, or, A Collection of Thoughts upon Religious and Philosophical Subjects'' was published in 1751, nine years after Howe's death. This work was written for his own use, and was first published, posthumously, as "by a Person of Honour", in 1751, together with

Edward Young Edward Young ( – 5 April 1765) was an English poet, best remembered for ''Night-Thoughts'', a series of philosophical writings in blank verse, reflecting his state of mind following several bereavements. It was one of the most popular poem ...

's commendations. The author's name was prefixed to the second edition in 1752.Other editions are dated from Dublin, 1754, revised by George MacAulay, London, 1761 and 1772, and from London, 1824. The work was included in

John Wesley John Wesley ( ; 2 March 1791) was an English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a principal leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The societies ...

's ''Christian Library'', 1819–27, vol. xxvi., and in John Jebb's ''Piety without Asceticism'', 1837, pp. 255–404.

Family

Charles Howe was the brother of

Scrope Howe, 1st Viscount Howe Scrope Howe, 1st Viscount Howe (November 1648 – 26 January 1713) of Langar Hall, Nottinghamshire, was an English politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Nottinghamshire (UK Parliament constituency), Nottinghamshire from 1673 to 16 ...

and Emanuel Howe. He had three sons and three daughters, all of whom predeceased their mother, with the exception of Leonora Maria, who became the wife of Peter Bathurst of Clarendon Park, Wiltshire.

References

;Attribution 1661 births 1742 deaths Early modern Christian devotional writers {{England-writer-stub