Churchill, Charles

Churchill, Charles an English clergyman and poet, was born in the parish of St. John the Evangelist, Westminster, in February 1731. He was educated at Westminster School, and admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge, but left immediately and never returned He was ordained priest in 1756, and then exercised his clerical functions at Cadbury, Somersetshire, and at Rainham, in Essex, his father's living. At the death of his father, in 1758, he succeeded him in the curacy and lectureship of St. John's. In a short time, however, he forsook all external decency, appearing, to the amazement of the town, in a blue coat, ruffles, and a goldlaced hat. Being remonstrated with by the dean of Westminster for various irregularities, he resigned his preferments, and. treated his clerical office with utter. contempt. He now lived a profligate life, and devoted his talents to poetry, for which he had unquestionable genius. He died November 4, 1764. For particulars of his career and writings see Chalmers, Biog. Dict. s.v.; Allibone, Dict. of Brit. and Amer. Authors, s.v.