John Breynton | |
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| Born | 1719 |
| Died | 15 July 1799 (aged 80) |
| Burial place | St Marylebone Burial ground, Paddington Street, London |
| Nationality | British |
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| Children |
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| Parent | John Breynton |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Church |
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John Breynton (1719 – 15 July 1799) was a minister in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
He was born in Trefeglwys, Montgomeryshire, Wales to John Breynton (born 1670 Llanidloes) and his second wife, and baptised on 13 April 1719. He spent his first 14 years between his home at Trefeglwys and school in nearby Newtown. From 1733 to 1738, he attended Shrewsbury School, and in 1738, matriculated at Magdalene College, Cambridge, subsequently gaining a BA in 1741.[1]
In 1742, he was commissioned as a chaplain in the Royal Navy. By 1745, he was a chaplain on a ship of war and served in the Siege of Louisbourg (1745). In 1750, he received an MA from Cambridge, and married Elizabeth Wade at St Mary and St Michael Church, Trumpington, Cambridgeshire.[1] He was sent by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, or Venerable Society, to assist at St Paul's Church, Halifax, Nova Scotia under the auspices of the Bishop of London, while the rector William Tutty returned to London on private business, during which trip Tutty died in 1754. Breynton immediately took over as missionary and minister, or Rector, at St Paul's in 1754.
Earlier, in 1753, he had founded the first free school in Nova Scotia.[2] In 1760, he consecrated St George's 'Little Dutch' (Deutsch) Church - the second oldest church in Halifax,[3] becoming fluent in German as a result. In 1770, he was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity by the University of Oxford.[4] He returned to London during 1771–1772 to collect his degree, but returned to resume his post in Halifax. By 30 October 1776, he was Chaplain to the Royal Fencible American Regiment. He baptised many Blacks in Halifax who arrived after the American Revolution. He also purchased a slaves freedom in 1776.[5][6]
On 13 September 1778, his first wife died, shortly before the 28 November 1778 wedding of their daughter Anne in St George's, Hanover Square.
By 6 September 1779, as a widower, he remarried and continued as Rector of St Paul's Church, Halifax. With his second wife, he appears to have returned to London shortly after 1785, continuing to draw his Halifax salary of £190 pa until he resigned and was replaced in 1791. In June 1792, he was lodging at Mary Riley's, 63 Edgware Road, London, when he was burgled. The burglar was caught and sentenced to death.[7]
Because of his fluency in German, he was reported to have been a chaplain to Queen Charlotte. He remained in London until his death in 1799.
- ^ a b "Breynton, John (BRNN738J)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
- ^ "NovaScotia1954". Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2008.
- ^ "A Brief Parish History - page 1". Archived from the original on 3 April 2008. Retrieved 26 January 2008.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Notes & Queries" (PDF). Oxford Journals.[dead link]
- ^ "Two hundred years of the S.P.G.: An historical account of the Society for the propagation of the gospel in foreign parts, 1701-1900 (Based on a digest of the Society's records.)". 1901.
- ^ "Nova Scotia Archives - African Nova Scotians in the Age of Slavery and Abolition". 20 April 2020.
- ^ "William Williams tried for burglary". Old Bailey Online - Criminal records. 4 July 1792.