# Samuel Bolton: Westminster Divine?



## NaphtaliPress (Dec 22, 2007)

I am sure this has come up before, maybe here, and I simply cannot remember the resolution. I could not find anything searching. I had thought it was a mistake to say Samuel Bolton was a Westminster Divine; but then I saw him listed on the Westminster Assembly project site. What's the answer? I see some bios but they never mention it; but I have seen others, such as Bahnsen, appeal to him as a Westminster divine.
I searched Hetherington and Mitchell and had no hits and the first list of divines of 1642 does not list him.


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## NaphtaliPress (Dec 22, 2007)

Ok. I did some digging. Never mind. Bolton replaced Jeremiah Burroughs who died in November 1646. Not sure the date Bolton took his seat.


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## ReformationArt (Dec 22, 2007)

Chris,

I don't have any further information, but certainly the best person to ask would be Dr. Chad Van Dixhoorn, who is heading up the publication of the minutes of the assembly. He has access to the source documents. I've corresponded with him in the past, and he is a very helpful fellow! His contact info is here:
Westminster Assembly Project » Contact


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Dec 22, 2007)

James Reid does not list him _Memoirs of the Westminster Divines_, nor does Thomas Smith in his _Select Memoirs_. Benjamin Brooks does not mention him as one of the Westminster Divines in _Lives of the Puritans_. But according to the DNB, Samuel Bolton was a Westminster Divine, and Daniel Neal in _History of the Puritans_ describes him as "one of the additional members of the assembly of divines."


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## CarlosOliveira (Dec 22, 2007)

VirginiaHuguenot said:


> James Reid does not list him _Memoirs of the Westminster Divines_, nor does Thomas Smith in his _Select Memoirs_. Benjamin Brooks does not mention him as one of the Westminster Divines in _Lives of the Puritans_. But according to the DNB, Samuel Bolton was a Westminster Divine, and Daniel Neal in _History of the Puritans_ describes him as "one of the additional members of the assembly of divines."



Andrew, Benjamin Brooks indeed mention him on the pag. 223 as Westminster Divine saying "He was nominated one of the additional members in the assembly of divines".


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Dec 22, 2007)

CarlosOliveira said:


> VirginiaHuguenot said:
> 
> 
> > James Reid does not list him _Memoirs of the Westminster Divines_, nor does Thomas Smith in his _Select Memoirs_. Benjamin Brooks does not mention him as one of the Westminster Divines in _Lives of the Puritans_. But according to the DNB, Samuel Bolton was a Westminster Divine, and Daniel Neal in _History of the Puritans_ describes him as "one of the additional members of the assembly of divines."
> ...



Sorry, I overlooked that. Thanks for this correction.


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Dec 22, 2007)

Some sources refer to him as Samuel Boulton. A.F. Mitchell, _The Westminster Assembly: Its History and Standards_, p. xix:



> 139. _Samuel Boulton, of St. Saviour's, Southwark, afterwards D.D., and Master of Christ's College, Cambridge_, v. _Burroughes, deceased_.


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## CarlosOliveira (Dec 22, 2007)

Andrew, History of the Puritans by Daniel Neal also mentions him at page 117 as a Westminster Divine, saying: "In 1643, he was nominated one of the assembly of divines at Westminster, which brought him to London, where he was chosen to the rectory of St. Mary Magdalen, Bermondsey, in Southwark".

James Granger in his "A Biography History of England (1824)" says about him on the pag. 359: "Samuel Bolton was minister of St. Martin's Ludgate, in this reign, and sat in the assembly of divines at Westminster".

and he is also mentioned in the work entitled "Sermons before the Parliament [Nov. 17,1640 - June 30,1647] being a catalogue of the names of those divines who have preached before the Parliament, beginning Jan. 18 to September 25, 1644" vol. 3 published in 1647.


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## NaphtaliPress (Dec 22, 2007)

ReformationArt said:


> Chris,
> 
> I don't have any further information, but certainly the best person to ask would be Dr. Chad Van Dixhoorn, who is heading up the publication of the minutes of the assembly. He has access to the source documents. I've corresponded with him in the past, and he is a very helpful fellow! His contact info is here:
> Westminster Assembly Project » Contact


Thanks everyone. Yes; Chad's the expert. I have one of the few privately owned sets of his 7 volume dissertation (Ligon Duncan has a set I think; the rest of the 13 sets went to libraries). Five of the volumes contain his transcription of the minutes of the Assembly. It is not well indexed. He has a table of members in the second volume. He lists Bolton as replacing Burroughs from Middlesex. I am assuming this happened sometime after Burroughs died; it is mentioned a couple of divines were appointed to go visit him when he got sick but then the minutes don't mention his death. I will need to look further in volume 7 to see if Bolton is mentioned in the Minutes at some point. I should have checked further there first but it is not a particularly "handy" reference .


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## NaphtaliPress (Dec 22, 2007)

CarlosOliveira said:


> Andrew, History of the Puritans by Daniel Neal also mentions him at page 117 as a Westminster Divine, saying: "In 1643, he was nominated one of the assembly of divines at Westminster, which brought him to London, where he was chosen to the rectory of St. Mary Magdalen, Bermondsey, in Southwark".
> 
> James Granger in his "A Biography History of England (1824)" says about him on the pag. 359: "Samuel Bolton was minister of St. Martin's Ludgate, in this reign, and sat in the assembly of divines at Westminster".
> 
> and he is also mentioned in the work entitled "Sermons before the Parliament [Nov. 17,1640 - June 30,1647] being a catalogue of the names of those divines who have preached before the Parliament, beginning Jan. 18 to September 25, 1644" vol. 3 published in 1647.


I will need to check with Chad about this further. He doesn't give a date when Burroughs [sic Bolton] was added; so it may have been before Burroughs death as an "in addition to" instead of a replacement.


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## CarlosOliveira (Dec 22, 2007)

NaphtaliPress said:


> ReformationArt said:
> 
> 
> > Chris,
> ...



Chris, I've searched for it at Minutes online version at Google Books at there isn't reference to Samuel Bolton or Boulton at none point of the Minutes.


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## NaphtaliPress (Dec 22, 2007)

CarlosOliveira said:


> NaphtaliPress said:
> 
> 
> > ReformationArt said:
> ...


Carlos, I couldn't find the minutes at google books; do you have a link?


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## CarlosOliveira (Dec 22, 2007)

Chris, I've searched for it at Minutes online version at Google Books at there isn't reference to Samuel Bolton or Boulton at none point of the Minutes.[/quote]
Carlos, I couldn't find the minutes at google books; do you have a link?[/QUOTE]

Chris,

The link to online Minutes is here.

I've found something very interesting. I've found one mention of the date of Boulton replace Burroughs at Westminster Assemby at volume 2 of the book "The Life of John Milton: narrated in connexion with the political, ecclesiastical, and literary history of his time" by David Masson at page 516.

BURROUGHS, JEREMIAH, M.A. (Cantab.): cetat. circ. 43. His nonconforming opinions had driven him abroad, and he had been minister (along with Bridge to an English congregation at Rotterdam. Returning in 1641, he had accepted no parochial charge, but had been occupying himself as a preacher in London, more particularly at Stepney on Sunday mornings ; where he drew such large audiences and was so popular that Hugh Peters had named him "the Morning Star of Stepney." He died Nov. 1646. *To supply his place in the Assembly there was appointed (March 13, 1646-7) SAMUEL BOULTON (Cantab.), minister of St. Martin's, Ludgate. *He was appointed, about the same time, to the Mastership of Christ's College, Cambridge, vacant by the death of Dr. Bainbrigge ; and he lived till 1654. This Boulton must have been well known to Milton, as they had been at Christ's College together, and had taken their degrees of B.A. and M.A. at the same time (see Vol. I. pp. 218 and 258). 

You can read it at Archive Books here


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Dec 22, 2007)

Also see these threads:

http://www.puritanboard.com/f30/minutes-sessions-westminster-assembly-divines-21055/

http://www.puritanboard.com/f30/not...-westminster-assembly-george-gillespie-24796/


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## NaphtaliPress (Dec 22, 2007)

CarlosOliveira said:


> Chris,
> 
> The link to online Minutes is here.
> 
> ...


Thanks. This settles it; though the date was March 23rd, and that is noted in the preface to Gillespie's notes. With that date I found this entry from CVD's Minutes:
"Sess. 818. Aprill 1: 1647: Thursday morning.
An order was brought into the Assembly from the lords and commons for the admitting of Mr Bolton into the Assembly as a member thereof; it was Read and is as followeth:
Mr Boutlon came into the Assembly and tooke the protestation, and Mr Johnson and Mr Bolton tooke the covenant." CVD, 7.429.


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## CarlosOliveira (Dec 22, 2007)

> Thanks. This settles it; though the date was March 23rd, and that is noted in the preface to Gillespie's notes. With that date I found this entry from CVD's Minutes:
> "Sess. 818. Aprill 1: 1647: Thursday morning.
> An order was brought into the Assembly from the lords and commons for the admitting of Mr Bolton into the Assembly as a member thereof; it was Read and is as followeth:
> Mr Boutlon came into the Assembly and tooke the protestation, and Mr Johnson and Mr Bolton tooke the covenant." CVD, 7.429.



I just noted it's March 23rd indeed. Well, inquiry settled!


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