Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Symonds, Richard (1609-1660?)
SYMONDS, RICHARD (1609–1660?), Welsh puritan, born in 1609, was the son of Thomas Symonds of Abergavenny, Monmouthshire. He matriculated from Exeter College, Oxford, on 18 Feb. 1626–7, and graduated B.A. on 5 Feb. 1628–9 (Foster, Alumni Oxon.) Being soon afterwards ordained, he appears to have settled in North Wales or on the borders, and in 1635 was keeping school at Shrewsbury, Richard Baxter being among his pupils. Here he gave shelter to Walter Cradock [q. v.], who had fled from Wrexham to avoid the bishop's officers (Baxter, Catholic Communion Defended, ii. 28). He is mentioned under the date of 12 Feb. 1637–8 (Cal. State Papers, Dom. p. 249) as ‘a suspended priest, driven out of North Wales,’ who then kept school at Brampton Bryan, under the protection of Sir Robert Harley, with whom he and the rector of the parish were charged with ‘all the customary irregularities’ in public worship. During the next few years he preached occasionally to the independents at Bristol (Broadmead Records, p. 9). When the civil war broke out he fled to London and preached in several of the chief city churches. He is said to have been stationed for a time at Sandwich in Kent, and in August 1642 was apparently at Andover, where the ejected vicar would not permit him to enter the church (Commons' Journals, ii. 735).
When the House of Commons in 1645 turned its attention to the spiritual condition of Wales, it was ordered that Symonds, Walter Cradock, and Henry Walter should each be paid 100l. a year out of the diocesan and capitular revenues of Llandaff and St. Davids ‘towards their maintenance in the work of the ministry in South Wales.’ The ordinance passed the upper house on 17 Nov. 1646, but the salaries were made payable from Michaelmas 1645 (ib. iv. 242, 622, 707; Lords' Journals, pp. 568–9, where the ordinance is printed). Thereupon Symonds proceeded to South Wales, to which country his labours were subsequently confined. He was appointed one of the approvers of preachers under the act for the propagation of the Gospel in Wales, passed 22 Feb. 1649–50. He is mentioned as preaching at St. Fagan's, near Cardiff, about 1655, and in September 1657 the trustees for maintenance of ministers settled on him an augmentation of 50l. towards a lecture to be preached in Llandaff Cathedral (Cal. State Papers, Dom. 1657–8, p. 100).
He is probably to be identified with the minister who preached before the House of Commons on 30 Sept. 1646 and 26 April 1648 (Commons' Journals, iv. 678, v. 545). His theological views were those of a high Calvinist, though an opponent charged him with preaching ‘high strains of antinomianism.’ He probably died shortly before the Restoration.
[Authorities cited; Edwards's Gangræna, 2nd edit. pt. iii. 108–9, 241–2; Walker's Sufferings of the Clergy, ii. 301; Rees's Protestant Nonconformity in Wales, 2nd edit. pp. 48, 54–6, 67, 69–70, 513; Historical Traditions and Facts relating to the County of Monmouth, pt. vi.]