Ironside family

Gilbert Ironside  (1588 - 1671) - Rector of Winterbourne Steepleton & Abbas  

He was elder son of Ralph Ironside, rector of Long Bredy and of Winterbourne Abbas and was born at Hawkesbury, near Sodbury, Gloucestershire, on 25 November 1588[1]. The second son, Ralph (1590–1683) became rector of Long Bredy in succession to his father, who died in 1629.[2] 

Gilbert Ironside matriculated at Trinity College, Oxford, 22 June 1604, and became scholar of his college 28 May 1605, B.A. 1608, M.A. 1612, B.D. 1619, and D.D. 1620, and Fellow of Trinity 1613. 

In 1618 he was presented to the rectory of Winterbourne Steepleton, Dorsetshire, by Sir Robert Miller. 

In 1629 he succeeded his father in the benefice of Winterbourne Abbas. He was also rector of Yeovilton in Somerset. Anthony à Wood says that he kept his preferments during the protectorate, but this is doubtful.[2]. 

In the 1630’s he was closer to the Laudians than the Purtians, attacking the latter’s sabbatarian views as a “holy fraud”. In 1637 he sharply criticised John White’s “Ten Vows” arguing that they would produce “schism in the church and rebellion in the state”

One of the first victims of the war were those who had supported Arch Laud. GI rector of WS & WA was a fierce critic of Puritians and of John White in particular, whom he accused of causing “disaffectionin the present government, turbulent commotions at home, needless fruitless plantations abroad”

He was stripped of Dorset estates worth £500 a year and “imprisioned in Dorchester gaol, where he continued until the Restoration, almost starved to death”, his family relying on charity from those he had formerly helped. Nonetheless he can scarely have been ruined as shortly after the Restoration he was appointed Bishop of Bristol “being wealthy he was looked upon as the fittest person to enter upon that mean bishophric”

Either by marriage or other means he amassed a large fortune before the Restoration. On 13 October 1660, he was appointed to a prebendal stall in York Minster, but resigned the post next year, when on 13 January 1661 he was consecrated bishop of Bristol. As a man of wealth, he was considered fitted to maintain the dignity of the episcopate with the reduced revenues of the see. At Bristol, Ironside showed forbearance to nonconforming ministers. Edmund Calamy gives particulars of a long conference between him and John Westley, grandfather of John Wesley. 

Despite his suffering during the commonwealth, Ironside warned the cavaliers not to assume they were the king’s most faithful servants and was reasonably accommodating to dissenting clergy. He was the author of Seven Questions of the Sabbath briefly disputed, Oxford, 1637 

He married (1) Elizabeth, daughter of Edward Frenchman of East Compton, Dorsetshire, and (2) Alice, daughter of William Glisson of Marnhull, Dorsetshire. By his first wife, he was father of four sons - John, Ralph, Gilbert Ironside the younger (see below) and Edward. 

Gilbert Ironside died on 19 September 1671, and was buried in his cathedral without any memorial, near the steps of the bishop's throne. 

(Source : Underwood - Fire from Heaven)

Gilbert Ironside  [the younger] (1632 - 1701) - Recector of Winterbourne Steepleton and Faringdon.

Son of the above Gilbert Ironside, he was born in Winterbourne Steepleton. He matriculated at Wadham College on 14/11/1650, BA 4/2/1653, MA 22/6/1655, BD 12/10/1664 and DD 30/6/1666. He held various offices in the university and like his father became a scholar of his own college. In 1663, he was presented to the rectory of Winterbourne Faringdon by Sir John Miller and in 1666 was succeeded his father as rector of Winterbourne Steepleton (Faringdon at this time was also deserted).

He was vice chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1687 to 1689. He was appointed Bishop of Bristol in 1689 but was transferred to the see of Hereford in 1691. At about 60 years of age, he is thought to have married a widow Mary (nee Robinson) of Bristol. 

He died on 27th August 1701 in London and was buried in the Church of St Mary Somerset, Thames Street, London  in a silver coffin which had "disappeared" by 1867 when the church was demolished. The remains and black marble tombstone were moved to Hereford Cathedral in 1867.

Note : There is an Ironside buried in the church itself (1654 ??) . Floor stone to left hand side of altar in front of altar rail.  Check this !!

DNH&AS

Volume XXXV1

Augmentation Books 1650 -1660 (held in Lambeth Palace Library)

Extracted by Edw Alex Fry

No 36 Vol 996a   Admissions to Livings

 P70      Winterbourne Steepleton                                                      7th May 1656

 James Lydford, clerk,  was admitted by the Com. For Approbation of Public Preachers upon a presentation exhibited 18th December 1655 from Thomas Fownes Esq patron and certificates from… (entry finishes thus).

No 38 Volume 999

 P80      Winterbourne Steepleton                                                      9th March 1658/9

 Gilbert Ironsyde, clerk, admitted 9th March 1658/9 upon a presentation exhibited 4th of same month from Thomas Gallop, gent, patron and certificates from Dom Estcot; Jo Ball; Tho Spralt; Phineas Bucy; tho Wilkins; Seth Ward; Josh Crosse; Nath Bull; Tho Pooler & Jo Willis.

[1] R G Bartelot “Archdeacon Ironside : two letters from the John Walker MSS

SDNQ xix (1929) 211

[2] Wood, athenae Oxonienses ii357