HART, JAMES (1663–1729), minister of Edinburgh, born in 1663, studied at the university of Edinburgh, and graduated A.M. on 11 July 1687. He became minister of Ratho, near Edinburgh, in July 1692, and ten years afterwards (19 Aug. 1702) was translated to Greyfriars' Church, Edinburgh, as successor to Gilbert Rule. During the early years of his pastorate he strongly opposed the Union. He denounced Principal William Carstares [q. v.] from the pulpit as an enemy to his country and a traitor to the church. He was speedily reconciled to the change in political affairs after the Union was effected, and in 1714 was deputed with others by the General Assembly to congratulate George I on his accession to the throne. George nominated him to the post of king's almoner in 1726, and he died pastor of Greyfriars' Church on 10 June 1729. Wodrow describes him as ‘a worthy, good man, and one whose sermons were much haunted. He was naturally a little warm and keen, but of considerable gravity and prudence with it.’ When Steele visited Scotland in 1718 he met Hart while endeavouring to bring about a union betwixt the presbyterian and episcopal churches, and was much impressed by his singular and original character. The contrast between Hart's affability and benevolence in private and his fierce diatribes in the pulpit against sin and the doom awaiting the sinner attracted Steele's notice, and he afterwards referred to him as ‘the hangman of the Gospel.’ Hart's published works were a sermon entitled ‘The Qualifications of Rulers and the Duty of Subjects described,’ Edinburgh, 1703, and ‘The Journal of Mr. James Hart in 1714’ (edited by Principal Lee, Edinburgh, 1832). He married, first, Margaret Livingston, and secondly, Mary Campbell, by whom he had thirteen children, nine of whom survived him.
[Hew Scott's Fasti, i. 42, 140, 399; Aitken's Life of Steele, ii. 154; Wodrow's Analecta, iv. 62; Stevenson's History; Cibber's Lives of the Poets, iv. 118; Chambers's Domestic Annals of Scotland.]
HART, JOHN (d. 1574), orthographic reformer, entered the College of Arms at an early age, became Newhaven pursuivant extraordinary, and was created Chester herald in 1566. On 6 Dec. 1569, after the suppression of the northern rebellion, he was sent to Doncaster by Lord Clinton with 2,000l., to be delivered to Sir Thomas Gargrave. He also took a further sum of 2,000l. to Sir Ralph Sadler at Northallerton. He died in London on 16 July 1574. On 8 July 1578 Mary, his widow, presented a petition to Lord Burghley.
His works are: 1. ‘The Opening of the Unreasonable Writing of our Inglish Toung: wherein is shewid what necessarili is to be left, and what folowed for the perfect writing thereof,’ 1551. Royal MS. in British Museum, 17 C. vii. pp. 230. The work, which consists of thirteen chapters, is dedicated to Edward VI. 2. ‘An Orthographie, conteyning the due order and reason, howe to write or painte thimage of mannes voice, moste like to the life or nature. Composed by J. H., Chester Heralt,’ London, 1569, 8vo. Reprinted, mostly in Pitman's system of phonetic shorthand, lithographed by Isaac Pitman, London, 1850, 16mo. In this remarkable treatise he expounds a plan for reforming the existing orthography of the English language on a strictly phonetic basis. Other early attempts in the same direction were made by Sir John Cheke [q. v.], Sir Thomas Smith, and William Bullokar [q. v.] 3. ‘A Methode, or Comfortable Beginning for all Unlearned, whereby they may be taught to read English in a very short time with pleasure,’ London (H. Denham), 1570, 4to.
[Ames's Typogr. Antiquities (Herbert), pp. 701, 951, 1268; Casley's Cat. of MSS. p. 267; Gibson's Bibl. of Shorthand, p. 89; Hazlitt's Bibl. Collections and Notes, i. 202; Hazlitt's Handbook to Literature, p. 257; Heber's Catalogue, pt. i.; The Huth Library, ii. 655; Lowndes's Bibl. Man. (Bohn), p. 1006; Noble's College of Arms, pp. 177, 187; Cal. of State Papers, Dom. (1547–80), pp. 354, 594, Addenda (1566–79), pp. 140, 152, 326–8, 461; Tanner's Bibl. Brit.; Wood's Athenæ Oxon. (Bliss), i. 636.]
HART, JOHN (d. 1586), jesuit, was, according to Wood, educated at Oxford, though in what college or hall he could not discover; his name does not occur in the register. Being dissatisfied with the established church he withdrew to Douay, was reconciled to the Roman catholic communion, and admitted into the English College there in 1570. He took the degree of B.D. in the university of Douay in 1577, and was ordained priest on 29 March 1578. In June 1580 he was ordered to the English mission, but was arrested as soon as he landed at Dover, and was sent in custody to London to be examined by the privy council. He was committed to prison and confined in a filthy dungeon. On the day after (15 Nov. 1581) Father Campion's condemnation, he was tried with several other priests and condemned to death on account of his sacerdotal character. On 1 Dec. 1581 he was to have been executed with Campion, Sherwin, and Briant, but when placed on the hurdle he promised to recant, and he was taken back to prison, where he wrote to secretary Walsingham the com-
