Thomas Good (aka Thomas Goode, 1609 – 9 April 1678) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

academic and clergyman, and Master of

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and aro ...

. He is known as a moderate in and orthodox apologist for the

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, ...

, engaging with

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 ...

and urging him to clarify a 'middle way'.

Life

Originally from the

Tenbury Wells Tenbury Wells (locally Tenbury) is a small market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the north-western extremity of the Malvern Hills District of Worcestershire, England. Situated 6 miles southeast of Ludlow, its northern border ...

area of

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...

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, Good was educated at the

King's School, Worcester The King's School, Worcester is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private co-educational day school refounded by Henry VIII of England, Henry VIII in 1541. It occupies a site adjacent to Worcester Cathedral on the banks of the River Sev ...

in the time of Henry Bright.John Jones, �
Good, Thomas (1609/10–1678)
��, ''

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'') ...

'',

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, 2004; online edition, January 2008. Accessed 7 February 2011. He was admitted scholar at Balliol College in 1624, and took the degree of

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

in 1628. Next year he was elected probationer-fellow, and in 1630

fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

of his college. He proceeded

M.A. A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

in 1631, and B.D. in 1639. He 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 p ...

of St Alkmund's in

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...

, probably in 1642. From this living, he was then ejected; but he continued to hold the rectory of Coreley in Shropshire, to which he had been instituted before 1647, throughout the

Interregnum An interregnum (plural interregna or interregnums) is a period of revolutionary breach of legal continuity, discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order. Archetypally, it was the period of time between the reign of one m ...

, and he submitted to the parliamentary visitors for Oxford, being appointed one of the visitors' delegates on 30 September 1647. With

Thomas Warmestry Thomas Warmestry (1610 – 30 October 1665) was Dean of Worcester from 1661 until his death. Biography Warmestry was born in Worcester in 1610, the son of William Warmestry and younger brother of the poet Gervase Warmestry, into an ancient Wor ...

, he met Richard Baxter and other ministers of the Worcestershire Association in September 1653 at

Cleobury Mortimer Cleobury Mortimer (, ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in south-east Shropshire, England, which had a population of 3,036 at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census. It was granted a market charter by King Henry ...

, to discuss the question of the

Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...

clergy joining the association; he signed a paper expressing approval of the articles of agreement. He obtained leave of absence from Balliol College for a large part of the period from 1647 to 1658, and then resigned his fellowship. At the Restoration he was created

doctor of divinity A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (academic discipline), divinity (i.e., Christian theology and Christian ministry, ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the Englis ...

as a sufferer for the King's cause. He was also appointed prebendary of Hereford on 29 August 1660, and about the same time he was presented to the rectory of

Wistanstow Wistanstow is a village and Civil parishes in England, parish in Shropshire, England. Wistanstow is located about south of Church Stretton and north of Ludlow. It is about north of Craven Arms. It is just off the main Shrewsbury-Hereford roa ...

Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...

. In 1672 he was unanimously elected Master of Balliol College. He died at

Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...

9 April 1678 and was buried in

Hereford Cathedral Hereford Cathedral, formally the , is a Church of England cathedral in Hereford, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Hereford and the principal church of the diocese of Hereford. The cathedral is a grade I listed building. A place of wors ...

Works

His published works were: * ''Firmianus and Dubitantius, certain dialogues concerning Atheism, Infidelity, Popery, and other Heresies and Schismes that trouble the peace of the Church and are destructive of primitive piety'', Oxford, 1674. Reflections on the nonconformists contained in this work moved Baxter to write the author a letter of protest, which is printed in ''Reliquiae Baxterianae'', pt. iii. pp. 148–51. * An appeal for the endowment of fellowships in Balliol College. * ''A Brief English Tract of Logick'', 1677.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Good, Thomas 1609 births 1678 deaths Clergy from Worcestershire People educated at King's School, Worcester Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford 17th-century English Anglican priests Doctors of Divinity Fellows of Balliol College, Oxford Masters of Balliol College, Oxford People from Tenbury Wells