George Harbin (c.1665-1744) was an English clergyman, a nonjuror and significant political writer.

Life

He graduated B.A. at

Emmanuel College, Cambridge Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay, Chancellor of the Exchequer to Elizabeth I. The site on which the college sits was once a priory for Dominican mo ...

, in 1686, took holy orders, and became chaplain to Francis Turner,

Bishop of Ely The Bishop of Ely is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire (with the exception of the Soke of Peterborough), together with ...

. At the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...

he followed Turner by refusing to take the oaths to the new rulers. After Turner's death he became chaplain and librarian to

Thomas Thynne, 1st Viscount Weymouth Thomas Thynne, 1st Viscount Weymouth (1640 – 28 July 1714) was an English politician who served as president of the Board of Trade from 1702 to 1705. Biography He was born the son of Sir Henry Frederick Thynne of Caus Castle, Shropshire, ...

. He was an intimate friend of Bishop

Thomas Ken Thomas Ken (July 1637 – 19 March 1711) was an English cleric who was considered the most eminent of the English non-juring bishops, and one of the developers of modern English hymnody. Early life Thomas Ken was born in 1637 at Little Be ...

Works

Harbin was the author of the following works: * ''The English Constitution fully stated, with some Animadversions on Mr. Higden's Mistakes about it. In a Letter to a Friend'', London, 1710. Against William Higden. * ''The Hereditary Right of the Crown of England Asserted: The History of the Succession since the Conquest Clear'd: And the True English Constitution Vindicated from the Misrepresentations of Dr. Higden's "View and Defence,"'' &c., London, 1713. This work was wrongly attributed to

Hilkiah Bedford Hilkiah Bedford (1663–1724) was an English clergyman, a nonjuror and writer, imprisoned as the author of a book really by George Harbin. Life He was born in Hosier Lane, near West Smithfield, London, where his father was a mathematical instrum ...

, who was fined and imprisoned for three years as its author. There was a preface by Theophilus Downes, who admitted he drew on Robert Brady. Harbin also wrote an epitaph on

Sir Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton () was an English polymath active as a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author. Newton was a key figure in the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment that followed. His book (''Mathe ...

, and assisted

Michael Maittaire Michel Maittaire (also Michael; 1668 – 7 September 1747) was a French-born classical scholar and bibliographer in England, and a tutor to Lord Philip Stanhope. He edited an edition of Quintus Curtius Rufus, later owned by Thomas Jefferson. His w ...

in his ''Commentary on the Oxford Marbles'' (1732). Letters written by Harbin to

Arthur Charlett Arthur Charlett (1655 – 4 November 1722) was an Oxford academic and administrator. He was Master of University College, Oxford for thirty years until his death in 1722. He was noted for his love of society, and for his expensive way of living. : ...

on literary subjects have been preserved in the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1602 by Sir Thomas Bodley, it is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second-largest library in ...

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harbin, George 1665 births 1744 deaths English nonjuror clergy Alumni of Emmanuel College, Cambridge