# Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Jackson, Arthur (1593?-1666)

​JACKSON, ARTHUR (1593?–1666), ejected divine, was born at Little Waldingfield, Suffolk, about 1593. He early lost his father, a Spanish merchant in London; his mother (whose second husband was Sir T. Crooke, bart.) died in Ireland. His uncle and guardian, Joseph Jackson of Edmonton, Middlesex, sent him to Trinity College, Cambridge. His tutor was inefficient, but Jackson was studious and obtained his degrees. In 1619 he left Cambridge, married, and became lecturer, and subsequently rector, at St. Michael's, Wood Street, London. He was also chaplain to the Clothworkers' Company, preaching once a quarter in this capacity at Lamb's Chapel, where he celebrated the communion on a common turn-up table. He declined to read the ‘book of sports.’ Laud remonstrated with him, but, as Jackson was ‘a quiet peaceable man,’ took no action against him. His parochial diligence was exemplary; he remained amidst his flock during the plague of 1624. He accepted the rectory of St. Faith's under St. Paul's, vacant about 1642 by the sequestration of Jonathan Brown, LL.D., dean of Hereford, who died in 1643. Under the presbyterian régime Jackson was a member of the first London classis, and was on the committee of the London provincial assembly.
He was a strong royalist, signing both of the manifestos of January 1648–9 against the trial of Charles. In 1651 he got into trouble by refusing to give evidence against Christopher Love [q. v.] The high court of justice fined him 500l., and sent him to the Fleet (Baxter says the Tower) for seventeen weeks. At the Restoration he waited at the head of the city clergy to present a bible to Charles II as he passed through St. Paul's Churchyard (in Jackson's parish) on his entry into London. He opposed the nonconformist vote of thanks for the king's declaration, being of opinion that any approbation of prelacy was contrary to the covenant. In 1661 he was a commissioner on the presbyterian side at the Savoy conference. The Uniformity Act of 1662 ejected him from his living, and Jackson retired to Hadley, Middlesex, afterwards removing to his son's house at Edmonton. He does not appear to have preached in conventicles, but devoted himself to exegetical studies. Since his college days he had been accustomed to rise at three or four o'clock, winter and summer, and would spend fourteen, and sometimes sixteen, hours a day in study. He died on 5 Aug. 1666, aged 73. He married the eldest daughter of T. Bownert of Stonebury, Hertfordshire, who survived him, and by her he had three sons and five daughters. Jackson published: 1. ‘Help for the Understanding of the Holy Scripture; or, Annotations on the Historicall part of the Old Testament,’ &c., Cambridge and London, 1643, 4to; 2nd vol., 1646, 4to. 2. ‘Annotations on Job, the Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon,’ &c., 1658, 4to, 2 vols. Posthumous was: 3. ‘Annotations upon … Isaiah,’ &c., 1682, 4to (edited by his son).
[Memoir by his son, John Jackson, prefixed to Annotations upon Isaiah; Reliquiæ Baxterianæ, 1696, i. 67, ii. 284; Calamy's Account, 1713, pp. 3 sq.; Calamy's Continuation, 1727, i. 7; Walker's Sufferings of the Clergy, 1714, ii. 34; Palmer's Nonconformist's Memorial, 1802, i. 120 sq.; Neal's Hist. of the Puritans, 1822, iii. 280, 325, iv. 374.]
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