Thomas Adam (25 February 1701 – 31 March 1784) was a
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
clergyman and religious writer.
Biography
He was born at
Leeds
Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
,
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...
on 25 February 1701: his father Henry Adam was a
solicitor
A solicitor is a lawyer who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and enabled to p ...
and
town clerk
A clerk (pronounced "clark" /klɑːk/ in British and Australian English) is a senior official of many municipal governments in the English-speaking world. In some communities, including most in the United States, the position is elected, but in ma ...
of the
Leeds Corporation, his mother Elizabeth, daughter of Jasper Blythman. They had six children, of whom Thomas was the third.
[ ]
Adam received his first education at
Leeds Grammar School
Leeds Grammar School was an independent school founded 1552 in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Originally a male-only school, in August 2005 it merged with Leeds Girls' High School to form The Grammar School at Leeds. The two schools physica ...
, then under Thomas Barnard; later he was transferred to
Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield
Queen Elizabeth Grammar School (QEGS) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (day school, no boarding) for boys in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. The school was founded by Royal Charter of Elizabeth I of England, Queen Elizabet ...
.
He matriculated at
Christ's College, Cambridge
Christ's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college includes the Master, the Fellows of the College, and about 450 undergraduate and 250 graduate students. The c ...
in 1720, where he was for two years. He then moved to
Hart Hall, Oxford
Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main gate to the Bodleian Library. The colle ...
, through the influence of
Richard Newton.
He took the degree of B.A., but took no further degree on account of certain scruples in Newton's book on "Pluralities". In 1724 he was presented, through the interest of an uncle, to the living of
Winteringham
Winteringham is a village in North Lincolnshire, England, on the south bank of the Humber Estuary.
History Roman Britain
The Romans founded a settlement probably called ''Ad Abum'' in this area. It was where Ermine Street, the major Roman ...
, in the
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...
(now North Lincolnshire). He was then under age ecclesiastically, and it was held for a year for him. Here he remained for 58 years, never wishing to change. His income rarely exceeded £200 per annum.
Adam died on 31 March 1784, in his 84th year.
Works
Adam experienced an
evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...
conversion around 1748.
He published:
* ''Practical Lectures on the Church Catechism'' (1753, nine or ten editions), which influenced
William Romaine.
* ''Evangelical Sermons''
* ''Paraphrase and Annotations on the First Eleven Chapters of St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans''.
* ''Paraphrase and Annotations on the Four Gospels'' (posthumously published and reprinted, 1837).
Adam's ''Posthumous Works'' (1786) were edited by
James Stillingfleet (1741–1826), with his close clerical associates
Joseph Milner and William Richardson of York. A selection of diary entries from these ''Posthumous Works'', entitled ''Private Thoughts on Religion'', is now the best-known work by Adam.
Coleridge's annotated copy of this short volume from 1795 is in the
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...
.
Reginald Heber
Reginald Heber (21 April 1783 – 3 April 1826) was an English Anglicanism, Anglican bishop, a man of letters, and hymn-writer. After 16 years as a country parson, he served as Anglican Diocese of Calcutta, Bishop of Calcutta until his de ...
,
Thomas Chalmers
Thomas Chalmers (17 March 178031 May 1847), was a Scottish Presbyterian minister, professor of theology, political economist, and a leader of both the Church of Scotland and of the Free Church of Scotland (1843—1900), Free Church of Scotl ...
, and
John Stuart Mill
John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 7 May 1873) was an English philosopher, political economist, politician and civil servant. One of the most influential thinkers in the history of liberalism and social liberalism, he contributed widely to s ...
, and others have found it interesting.
Family
Adam married in 1730 Susan Cooke, daughter of James Cooke (died 1727), vicar of
Roxby cum Risby nearby. She died in 1760. They had one daughter only, who died young.
Notes
External links
*By Thomas Adam:
Private thoughts on religion 1824 edition with essay by Daniel Wilson
The Works of the Rev. Thomas Adam, volume I 1822 edition
The Works of the Rev. Thomas Adam, volume III 1822 edition
An exposition of the four Gospels, volume II 1827 edition
Attribution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adam, Thomas
1701 births
1784 deaths
18th-century English Anglican priests
People educated at Leeds Grammar School
People educated at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield
18th-century Anglican theologians