For his contemporary with a similar name who also sat in the Short Parliament but for the constituency of Guildford, see
George Abbotts.
George Abbot or Abbott (1604 – 2 February 1649) was an
English lay writer, known as "The Puritan", and a politician who sat in the
House of Commons in two periods between 1640 and 1649.[1] He is known also for his part in defending
Caldecote House against royalist forces in the early days of the
English Civil War.[2]
In the English Civil War, Abbot worked closely in Warwickshire with his stepfather
William Purefoy, and made a notable defence, with his mother Joan, of the Purefoy house at
Caldecote, Warwickshire, gaining the family coverage in the London press.[6] On 15 August 1642, with eight men, his mother and maids, he held out for a time against
Prince Rupert of the Rhine, with about 18 troops of horses and dragoons.[2] In the aftermath of the
Battle of Edgehill, in October of the same year,
Richard Baxter moved to
Coventry, and Abbot was one of those hearing him preach there.[7] Baxter in writing on the Sabbath referred to "my dear friend Mr. George Abbot".[8] In his memoirs Reliquiæ Baxterianæ, Baxter placed Abbot's defence of Caldecote House, where barns were burnt, in local context: royalists under
Spencer Compton, 2nd Earl of Northampton were attacking
Warwick Castle, defended by
John Bridges, and Coventry, defended by
John Barker.[9]
Abbot was re-elected MP for Tamworth in 1645 for the
Long Parliament and held the seat until his death in 1649.[10] He died unmarried in his 44th year, and was buried in Caldecote church where his monument describes his defence of Caldecote.[2]
Legacy
By his will, Abbot endowed a free school at Caldecote.[11] It was supported by land left to it at
Baddesley Ensor.[12]
Works
Abbot was a
lay theologian and scholar. His Whole Booke of Job Paraphrased, or made easy for any to understand (1640), was written in a terse style, and his Vindiciae Sabbathi (1641) influenced the
Sabbatarian controversy.[13] His The Whole Book of Psalms Paraphrased (1650) was published posthumously by Richard Vines, and dedicated to Joan Purefoy, his mother.[14]
Mistaken identifications
Abbot has been confused with others of the same name and has been described as a clergyman, which he never was. His writings have been incorrectly attributed in some bibliographical authorities to a relation of
George Abbot the
archbishop of Canterbury. One of the sons of
Sir Morris Abbot called
George was also an MP in the Long Parliament but for the constituency of
Guildford.[13]
Notes
^He died on "Feb. 1648-9" see Dictionary of National Biography, Errata (1904), p. 1 in
Grosart 1885, p. 23. This means he died 3 days after the execution of Charles I, which is usually recorded as having happened on 30 January 1649 not 1648 because at that time the new year was 25 March not 1 January (for a more detailed explanation see
Old Style and New Style dates).