Richard Middleton (died 1641) was a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

clergyman and writer who served as Archdeacon of Cardigan and chaplain to Charles, Prince of Wales (later King Charles I).

Life

Middleton obtained a BA degree from

Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship St ...

in 1586.Alumni Oxonienses 1500-1714, Michaelson-Morcombe
/ref> He was ordained and became

vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

of Llanarthne, Carmarthenshire in south Wales, and then in 1589 obtained two posts in the diocese of St David's:

prebend A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the ...

Brecon Brecon (; cy, Aberhonddu; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the coun ...

and archdeacon of Cardigan. (He may have been the son of

Marmaduke Middleton Marmaduke Middleton (died 1593) was an English bishop. Life He was educated at the University of Oxford, but left before graduating. He was vicar of Coolock and Dunboyne, in Ireland, and then rector of Killare, County Meath. In 1579 he became bi ...

, Bishop of St Davids, who died in 1593.) He also served as vicar of

Tenby Tenby ( cy, Dinbych-y-pysgod, lit=fortlet of the fish) is both a walled seaside town in Pembrokeshire, Wales, on the western side of Carmarthen Bay, and a local government community. Notable features include of sandy beaches and the Pembroke ...

from 1617 to 1624. He was nominated to become vicar of Leeds in 1614, which caused considerable dispute since there was another candidate backed by leading parishioners and by Tobias Matthew, the

Archbishop of York The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers th ...

. The Court of Chancery ruled against Middleton. He had, meanwhile, been appointed chaplain to Charles, Prince of Wales (later King Charles I). He wrote ''The Carde and Compasse of Life'' in 1613, a manual of advice to the prince. A later work, ''The Heavenly Progresse'' (1617) contained further advice to Charles that a good prince was not above the law, using quotations from classical authors to justify his reasoning. His other works included ''The Key of David'' (1619) and ''Goodness the Blessed Man's Badge (1619). He remained Archdeacon of Cardigan in 1629 when he exchanged positions with William Parker to become

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of Ecton,

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

– a well-rewarded position. His wife, Margaret, was buried in Ecton in 1635; there is nothing to show that they had children. He died on 16 November 1641, and was also buried in Ecton.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Middleton, Richard 1641 deaths Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford 17th-century English Anglican priests Archdeacons of Cardigan English non-fiction writers Year of birth unknown English male non-fiction writers People from Ecton, Northamptonshire 16th-century Anglican theologians 17th-century Anglican theologians