Theodosia Alleine (d. 1685) was an English nonconformist writer.

Life

Theodosia was born in Ditcheat, Somerset, in about 1635. She was the daughter of a

Richard Alleine Richard Alleine (16 October 1610 – 22 December 1681) was an English Puritan divine. Life Alleine was born at Ditcheat, Somerset, in 1610 and baptised on the 18 October 1610, (where his father another Richard Alleine, born circa 1585 and d ...

and a Lettice Gough. Richard was born in Ditcheat in 1610, where his father, another Richard Alleine, was the rector of St Mary Magdalene. Lettice Gough was born in 1611 in Oxford. They were married at St Mary Magdalene Ditcheat with Richard’s father officiating. Richard assisted his father as the curate of St Mary Magdalene until in 1640, when he was made rector in his own right at Batcombe, Somerset. After

the Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state. This may refer to: *Conservation and restoration of cultural property **Audio restoration **Conservation and restoration of immovable cultural property **Film restoration ** Image ...

her father and his brother became non-conformist ministers. left, St Mary Magdalene, Taunton in 1796 She had met a young man named

Joseph Alleine Joseph Alleine (baptised 8 April 1634 – 17 November 1668) was an English Nonconformist pastor and author of many religious works. Life Joseph Alleine's family had its root in Suffolk. Some descendants of Alan, Lord of Buckenhall settled in W ...

(her cousin). In 1654 he had offers of employment which he declined. The following year, George Newton of

St Mary Magdalene, Taunton Taunton Minster (St Mary Magdalene church) is a Church of England parish minster church in Taunton, Somerset, England, dedicated to Jesus' companion Mary Magdalene. It was completed in 1508 and is in the Early Tudor Perpendicular Gothic style. It ...

sought him for his assistant. Newton had been appointed one of the assistants of the commissioners for ejecting scandalous ministers in Somerset by the

First Protectorate Parliament The First Protectorate Parliament was summoned by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the terms of the Instrument of Government. It sat for one term from 3 September 1654 until 22 January 1655 with William Lenthall as the Speaker of the H ...

. Alleine accepted the offer and the marriage was arranged. Theodosia is presumed to be his cousin but it is not known how close a cousin she was. She was said to have been "bred to work" and she soon opened a boarding school at George Newton's house: "our Family being seldome less than Twenty, and many times Thirty; My School usually Fifty or Sixty of the Town and other places". In 1663 Joseph's ministry was not approved, he was imprisoned and Theodosia stood by him during that year at

Ilchester Ilchester is a village and civil parish, situated on the River Yeo or Ivel, north of Yeovil, in the English county of Somerset. Originally a Roman town, and later a market town, Ilchester has a rich medieval history and was a notable settleme ...

; he was released on 26 May 1664. In 1665 the

Five Mile Act The Five Mile Act, or Oxford Act, or Nonconformists Act 1665 ( 17 Cha. 2. c. 2), was an act of the Parliament of England, passed in 1665 with the long title "An Act for restraining Non-Conformists from inhabiting in Corporations". It was one ...

was passed, requiring expelled ministers to move at least five miles from their former parishes. Joseph and Theodosia moved to a house in an "obscure place" at

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

, near Taunton. However they were still harassed and they stayed with friends and moved again to Taunton, a house called Fullands. That house is said to be still extant. There they held another "secret" service and Richard was again arrested in July 1665. When her husband died, his life was celebrated by the publication of a book with several contributors. Alleine submitted a biography of her husband. She had expected that this would be a draft "for a better hand" but her account was well regarded and taken verbatim and she was credited when it was published as '' An Account of the Life and Death of That Excellent Minister of Christ, the Rev. Joseph Alleine. Written by

Richard Baxter Richard Baxter (12 November 1615 – 8 December 1691) was an English Nonconformist (Protestantism), Nonconformist church leader and theologian from Rowton, Shropshire, who has been described as "the chief of English Protestant Schoolmen". He ma ...

, Theodosia Alleine, and Other Persons, to Which are Added His Christian Letters''. Her husband was buried in his church in Taunton and Theodosia remarried.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alleine, Theodosia 1685 deaths 17th-century English women writers 17th-century English writers Year of birth unknown People from Mendip District Nonconformism English religious writers