Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Martin, Edward
MARTIN, EDWARD, D.D. (d. 1662), dean of Ely, a native of Cambridgeshire, was matriculated in the university of Cambridge, as a sizar of Queens' College, 5 July 1605. He graduated B.A. in 1608-9, M. A. in 1612, was elected a fellow of his college 11 March 1616–1617, and proceeded B.D. in 1621, in which degree he was incorporated in the same year at Oxford (Wood, Fasti Oxon. ed. Bliss, i. 400). In 1627 he was chaplain to Archbishop Laud, and he offended the puritan party by licensing a book by Dr. Thomas Jackson (1579–1640) [q. v.], called 'An Historical Narration,' and also by preaching a sermon at St. Paul's Cross against presbyterianism. He became vicar of Oakington in 1626 and rector of Conington, Cambridgeshire, in 1630, and was elected president of Queens' College 16 Oct. 1631, being in the same year created D.D. by royal mandate. He was also rector of Uppingham, Rutland, from 1631 to 1637, where he was succeeded by Jeremy Taylor. In 1638 he was instituted to the rectory of Houghton Conquest, Bedfordshire, and soon afterwards to that of Doddington, Cambridgeshire. He was elected one of the proctors for the clergy in convocation in 1640, and again in 1662.
In August 1642 he sent the college plate to the king. Cromwell thereupon surrounded several colleges with soldiers, and took away by force the masters of Queens', Jesus, and St. John's, and hurrying them to London, incarcerated them in the Tower by order of parliament. Martin was afterwards removed to Lord Petre's house in Aldersgate Street, where he drew up the famous mock petition, entitled his 'Submission to the Covenant.' Subsequently he was remanded to Ely House and other places of confinement for more than five years. In the meanwhile he was ejected from the presidentship of Queens' College, and lost all his other preferments.
About August 1648 he effected his escape, and went to Thorington, Suffolk, where he resided with Henry Cooke, who had been a member of his college. He assumed the name of Matthews, but was discovered by some soldiers from Yarmouth, was brought to London, and on 23 May 1650 was committed to the Gatehouse by John Bradshaw, president of the council of state. Ultimately, by some interest with Colonel Wanton, he obtained his release and a pardon for breaking prison. He then returned to Suffolk and resumed his own name and usual habit; but subsequently he went abroad for seven or eight years, during most of which time he lived at Paris with Lord Hatton. In 1656 he was resident at Utrecht with many other royalists (Burn, Hist. of Westmorland, i. 298).
Returning to England at the Restoration, he was formally restored to the presidentship of Queens' College, 2 Aug. 1660. He was one of the managers of the Savoy conference. By patent dated 22 Feb. 1661–2 he was nominated to the deanery of Ely, and was installed by proxy, 25 April 1662. He died three days afterwards on 28 April 1662, and was buried in the college chapel. He is author of 'Dr. Martin, late Dean of Ely, his Opinion concerning 1. The Difference between the Church of England and Geneva. 2. The Pope's Primacy as pretended successive to St. Peter's. 3. The Authority of the Apostolical Constitutions and Canons. 4. The Discovery of the Genuine Works of the Primitive Fathers. 5. The false Brotherhood of the French and English Presbyterians. Together with his character of divers English travelers in the time of our late troubles. Communicated by five pious and learned Letters in the time of his exile,' London, 1662, 12mo.
[Addit. MSS. 5808 f. 150, 5847 p. 80, 5876 f. 20; Dean Barwick's Life, Engl. edit., p. 32; Bentham's Ely, p. 234; Cambridge Antiquarian Communications, ii. 152; Carter's Cambridge, p. 187; Foster's Alumni Oxon. 1500–1714; Cosins's Opinion for communicating with Geneva rather than Rome, pp. 12, 16; Kennett's Register and Chronicle, pp. 47, 99, 100, 117, 221; Troubles and Tryal of Archbishop Laud, p. 368; Le Neve's Fasti (Hardy), i. 348, iii. 685; Lloyd's Memoires, 1677, pp. 461, 531; Lowndes's Bibl. Man. (Bohn), p. 1489; Nalson's Collections, i. 354; Prynne's Canterburies Doome, pp. 167, 170, 177, 359, 508, 510, 533; Quench-Coale, Pref. p. 23; Querela Cantab. p. 4; Searle's Hist. of Queen's College, p. 572; True Relation of the manner of taking the Earl of Northampton, 1642; Walker's Sufferings of the Clergy, ii. 154.]