Theophilus Brabourne

1590-c.166l. Controversialist. Frustrated in his plans to enter university and the ministry, he worked for a time in his father's hosiery business in London. After private study he was eventually ordained and preached in Norwich. His idiosyncratic views began to appear with two pamphlets in which he argued that Saturday should be observed as the Christian Sabbath (Discourse upon the Sabbath Day, 1629; and Defence ...of the Sabbath Day, 2nd ed., 1632). The latter was more dogmatic and brought him eighteen months' imprisonment. One of the judges at the trial desired to burn him as a heretic. After this Brabourne gave up the ministry, but did not attempt to found any sect and wrote against separation from the national church. His last pamphlet (1661) attacked Quaker scruples over the oath of allegiance and supremacy.