On July 11, 1638 Obadiah Sedgwick married Priscilla Goddard at the parish church, Ogbourne St Andrew.
Obadiah Sedgwick was born in 1600, the son of Joseph Sedgwick, vicar at St Peter's, Marlborough. He went on to become lecturer at St Mildred's in the City of Westminster before moving onto a parish in Coggeshall. In 1642 he became chaplain to the regiment of foot raised by Denzil Holles and finally rector at St Paul's, Covent Garden.
But these were extraordinary times.
It all started to go wrong for Charles I when his best friend forever George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, was assassinated in 1628. Charles had already fallen out with his MPs, dissolving Parliament three times between 1625 and 1629. Add to this inflammatory mix religious upheaval and lo and behold civil war erupted, Charles lost his throne and eventually his head as well.
And in the middle of all this we have Obadiah Sedgwick, a Puritan divine and member of the Westminster Assembly, a council of fellow theologians, appointed by Parliament to restructure the Church of England.
So we know a lot about Obadiah but what about Priscilla? Historical sources place her as the daughter of Edward Goddard, a Parliamentarian, and his wife Priscilla D'Oyley.
Priscilla was Obadiah's third wife. He had married first Joane Fellows and by her had three children, Obadiah, Frances and Joseph. In 1635 he married Judith Langley and had a daughter Susan. Then in 1638 he married Priscilla and had three children, Luce, Robert and Priscilla.
In 1640 we find Priscilla living in the City of London. Obadiah was a lecturer at St Mildred's Church, Bread Street where their daughter Luce was buried that year.
A year later Priscilla was with her husband, then incumbent at St Peter ad Vincula, Coggeshall where their son Robert was baptised.
The family were in the City of Westminster where Obadiah was Minister at St Paul's, Covent Garden when he wrote his last will and testament on March 17, 1654.
As Obadiah put his estate in order an all important consideration was what would happen to his unpublished writings, his notes and sermons and this decision he leaves to the friends he worked alongside for so many years on the Westminster Assembly; Simeon Ashe, Adoniram Bifield, Edmund Calamy and Humphry Chambers.
He leaves bequest to his sisters and servants but as can be expected his main concern was for his family. And as evidence of his trust and confidence in her, he makes Priscilla his sole executrix. To her he leaves responsibility for the sale of his estates 'in Upham and Snapp in the Parish of Alborne' the money from which is to pay for his various bequests.
The will with a codicil was proved at London on January 21, 1657 and administration was granted to Priscilla.
Obadiah's will indicates that Priscilla was an educated, astute woman who shared her husband's fervent Puritan beliefs and a woman who was at the very epicentre of the religious movement driving the English Civil War.
Unfortunately I have been unable to find any further reference to Priscilla, no writings, no will, nothing - yet!
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Obadiah Sedgwick
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George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham
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Charles I
Obadiah Sedgwick was born in 1600, the son of Joseph Sedgwick, vicar at St Peter's, Marlborough. He went on to become lecturer at St Mildred's in the City of Westminster before moving onto a parish in Coggeshall. In 1642 he became chaplain to the regiment of foot raised by Denzil Holles and finally rector at St Paul's, Covent Garden.
But these were extraordinary times.
It all started to go wrong for Charles I when his best friend forever George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, was assassinated in 1628. Charles had already fallen out with his MPs, dissolving Parliament three times between 1625 and 1629. Add to this inflammatory mix religious upheaval and lo and behold civil war erupted, Charles lost his throne and eventually his head as well.
And in the middle of all this we have Obadiah Sedgwick, a Puritan divine and member of the Westminster Assembly, a council of fellow theologians, appointed by Parliament to restructure the Church of England.
So we know a lot about Obadiah but what about Priscilla? Historical sources place her as the daughter of Edward Goddard, a Parliamentarian, and his wife Priscilla D'Oyley.
Priscilla was Obadiah's third wife. He had married first Joane Fellows and by her had three children, Obadiah, Frances and Joseph. In 1635 he married Judith Langley and had a daughter Susan. Then in 1638 he married Priscilla and had three children, Luce, Robert and Priscilla.
In 1640 we find Priscilla living in the City of London. Obadiah was a lecturer at St Mildred's Church, Bread Street where their daughter Luce was buried that year.
A year later Priscilla was with her husband, then incumbent at St Peter ad Vincula, Coggeshall where their son Robert was baptised.
The family were in the City of Westminster where Obadiah was Minister at St Paul's, Covent Garden when he wrote his last will and testament on March 17, 1654.
As Obadiah put his estate in order an all important consideration was what would happen to his unpublished writings, his notes and sermons and this decision he leaves to the friends he worked alongside for so many years on the Westminster Assembly; Simeon Ashe, Adoniram Bifield, Edmund Calamy and Humphry Chambers.
He leaves bequest to his sisters and servants but as can be expected his main concern was for his family. And as evidence of his trust and confidence in her, he makes Priscilla his sole executrix. To her he leaves responsibility for the sale of his estates 'in Upham and Snapp in the Parish of Alborne' the money from which is to pay for his various bequests.
The will with a codicil was proved at London on January 21, 1657 and administration was granted to Priscilla.
Obadiah's will indicates that Priscilla was an educated, astute woman who shared her husband's fervent Puritan beliefs and a woman who was at the very epicentre of the religious movement driving the English Civil War.
Unfortunately I have been unable to find any further reference to Priscilla, no writings, no will, nothing - yet!
Obadiah Sedgwick
George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham
Charles I