English Dissenters were Christians who separated from the Church of England in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.

They originally agitated for a widereaching Protestant Reformation of the Established Church, and triumphed briefly under Oliver Cromwell. King James I of England, VI of Scotland had said "no bishop, no king"; Cromwell capitalised on that phrase, abolishing both upon founding the Commonwealth of England. After the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, the episcopacy was reinstalled and the rights of the Dissenters were limited: the Act of Uniformity 1662 required Anglican ordination for all clergy, and many instead withdrew from the state church. These ministers and their followers came to be known as Nonconformists, though originally this term referred to refusal to use certain vestments and ceremonies of the Church of England, rather than separation from it.

Dissenters opposed state interference in religious matters, and founded their own churches, educational establishments, and communities; some emigrated to the New World.

Rational Dissenters

In the eighteenth century, one group of Dissenters became known as "Rational Dissenters". In many respects they were closer to the Anglicanism of their day than other Dissenting sects; however, they believed that state religions impinged on the freedom of conscience. They were fiercely opposed to the hierarchical structure of the Established Church and the financial ties between it and the government. Like moderate Anglicans, they desired an educated ministry and an orderly church, but they based their opinions on reason and the Bible rather than on appeals to tradition and authority. They rejected doctrines such as the Trinity and original sin, arguing that they were irrational. Rational Dissenters believed that Christianity and faith could be dissected and evaluated using the newly emerging discipline of science, and that a stronger belief in God would be the result.

List of Dissenting groups

Historical Dissenting groups

In existence during the English Interregnum (1649–60):

Adamites

The Adamites took their name and practises from a North African Christian sect that first existed between the 2nd and 4th centuries. The Adamites that emerged in the 17th century had similar beliefs to this sect, believing that they existed in a state of grace, claiming to have regained the innocence that Adam and Eve possessed prior to the Fall.

The Adamites were said to have associated with each other in the nude, professing that a person could reattain the innocence and purity held by Adam through being unburdened by clothing.

Very little is known about these English Adamites, as most information on them comes from their critics, who believed them to be radicals.

Anabaptists

During the Interregnum, the term Anabaptist was often used to describe sects who seemed to hold or practiced believers baptism or baptism by immersion by their opponents. These included the General Baptist, the Particular Baptist, Barrowists, and other nonconformists groups.

It is generally assumed that the Baptist and other dissenting groups absorbed the British Anabaptists. The relations between Baptists and Anabaptists were early strained. In 1624 the then five existing Baptist churches of London issued an anathema against the Anabaptists. Today there is little dialogue between Anabaptist organizations (such as the Mennonite World Conference) and the Baptist bodies.

Barrowists

Henry Barrowe maintained the right and duty of the Church to carry out necessary reforms without awaiting the permission of the civil power; and advocated congregational independency. He regarded the whole established church order as polluted by the relics of Roman Catholicism, and insisted on separation as essential to pure worship and discipline.

Behmenists

The Behmenists religious movement began on continental Europe and took its ideas from the writings of Jakob Böhme (Behmen being one of the translations of his name used in England), a German mystic and theosopher who claimed Divine Revelation. In the 1640s, his works appeared in England and English Behmenists developed. Eventually, some of these merged with the Quakers of the time.

Böhme's writings primarily concerned the nature of sin, evil, and redemption. Consistent with Lutheran theology, Böhme believed that humanity had fallen from a state of divine grace into a state of sin and suffering, that the forces of evil included fallen angels who had rebelled against God, and subsequently that God's goal was to restore the world to a state of grace.

However, in some ways, Behmenist belief deviated significantly from traditional Lutheran belief. For example, Böhme rejected the concepts of sola fide and sola gratia.

Brownists

By 1580, Robert Browne had become a leader in the movement for a congregational form of organization for the Church of England and attempted to set up a separate Congregational Church in Norwich, Norfolk, England. He was arrested but released on the advice of William Cecil, his kinsman. Browne and his companions were obliged to leave England and moved to Middelburg in the Netherlands in 1581.

Diggers

The Diggers were an English group of Protestant agrarian communists, begun by Gerrard Winstanley as ''True Levellers'' in 1649, who became known as ''Diggers'' due to their activities.

Their original name came from their belief in economic equality based upon a specific passage in the Book of Acts. The Diggers tried (by "levelling" real property) to reform the existing social order with an agrarian lifestyle based on their ideas for the creation of small egalitarian rural communities. They were one of a number of nonconformist dissenting groups that emerged around this time.

Enthusiasts

Familists

The Family of Love, or the Familists, were a religious sect that began in continental Europe in the 16th century. Members of this religious group were devout followers of a Dutch mystic named Hendrik Niclaes. The Familists believed that Niclaes was the only person who truly knew how to achieve a state of perfection, and his texts attracted followers in Germany, France, and England.

The Familists were extremely secretive and wary of outsiders. For example, they wished death upon those outside of the Family of Love, and re-marriage after the death of a spouse could only take place between men and women of the same Familist congregation.

The group were considered heretics in 16th century England. Among their beliefs were that there existed a time before Adam and Eve, heaven and hell were both present on Earth, and that all things were ruled by nature and not directed by God. They took their name from a prophecy in the Book of Daniel that four ancient monarchies (Babylonian, Persian, Macedonian, and Roman) would precede Christ's return. They also referred to the year 1666 and its relationship to the biblical Number of the Beast indicating the end of earthly rule by carnal human beings. They were one of a number of nonconformist dissenting groups that emerged around this time.

Grindletonians

In a sermon preached at Paul's Cross on 11 February 1627, and published under the title of ''The White Wolfe'', 1627, Stephen Denison, minister of St. Catherine Cree, charges the 'Gringltonian (''sic'') familists' with holding nine points of an antinomian tendency. These nine points are repeated from Denison by Ephraim Pagitt in his ''Heresiography'' (2nd ed. 1645, p. 89), and glanced at by Alexander Ross, Πανσεβεια (2nd ed. 1655, p. 365). In 1635 John Webster, curate at Kildwick, was before a church court charged with being a Grindletonian, and simultaneously in New England John Winthrop thought that Anne Hutchinson was one. The last known Grindletonian died in the 1680s.

Muggletonians

The Muggletonians, named after Lodowicke Muggleton, were a small Protestant Christian movement which began in 1651 when two London tailors announced they were the last prophets foretold in the biblical Book of Revelation. The group grew out of the Ranters and in opposition to the Quakers. Muggletonian beliefs include a hostility to philosophical reason, a scriptural understanding of how the universe works and a belief that God appeared directly on this earth as Christ Jesus. A consequential belief is that God takes no notice of everyday events on earth and will not generally intervene until it is meet to bring the world to an end.

Muggletonians have avoided all forms of worship or preaching and, in the past, met only for discussion and socializing amongst members. The movement has been egalitarian, apolitical, pacifist and has resolutely avoided evangelism. Members attained a degree of public notoriety by cursing those who reviled their faith. This practice, which proved uncannily effective, ceased in the mid-nineteenth century and one of the last to suffer was the novelist Sir Walter Scott.

Puritans

The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England. The designation "Puritan" is often incorrectly used, notably based on the assumption that hedonism and puritanism are antonyms: historically, the word was used to characterize the Protestant group as extremists similar to the Cathari of France, and according to Thomas Fuller in his ''Church History'' dated back to 1564. Archbishop Matthew Parker of that time used it and "precisian" with the sense of stickler. T. D. Bozeman therefore uses instead the term precisianist in regard to the historical groups of England and New England.

Philadelphians

The Philadelphians, or the Philadelphian Society, were a Protestant 17th century religious group in England. They were organized around John Pordage (1607–1681), an Anglican priest from Bradfield, Berkshire, who had been ejected from his parish in 1655 because of differing views, but then reinstated in 1660 during the English Restoration. Pordage was attracted to the ideas of Jakob Böhme, a Lutheran theosophist and Christian mystic.

Ranters

The Ranters were an alleged sect in the time of the Commonwealth (1649–1660) who were regarded as heretical by the established Church of that period. If they indeed existed, their central idea was pantheistic, that God is essentially in every creature; this led them to deny the authority of the Church, of scripture, of the current ministry and of services, instead calling on men to hearken to Jesus within them. Many Ranters seem to have rejected a belief in immortality and in a personal God, and in many ways they resemble the Brethren of the Free Spirit in the 14th century. The Ranters revived the Brethren of the Free Spirit's beliefs of amoralism and followed the Brethren's ideals which “stressed the desire to surpass the human condition and become godlike.” Further drawing from the Brethren of the Free Spirit, the Ranter embraced antinomianism and believed that Christians are freed by grace from the necessity of obeying Mosaic Law. Because they believed that God was present in all living creatures, the Ranters' adherence to antinomianism allowed them to reject the very notion of obedience, thus making them a great threat to the stability of the government.

Sabbatarians

Sabbatarians were known in England from the time of Elizabeth 1 (1558–1601). Some Dutch Anabaptists embraced Sabbatarianism, and may have helped to introduce these practices into England. Socinians and Reformed Church members were also know to hold Sabbatarian beliefs.Sabbatarian practitioner were also to be found within the Church of England in one form or another. Even the puritans were known to harbor Sabbatarian views. Now with access to an English Bible this allowed scriptural study and questioning of Church doctrines including the Christian Sunday to anyone that could read.English Sabbatarianism is generally associated with two individuals: John Traske (1585–1636); and, Theophilus Brabourne (1590–1662). Dorothy Traske (1585?-1645) was also a major figure in keeping the early Traskite congregations growing in numbers.

Seekers

The Seekers were not a distinct religion or sect, but instead formed a religious society. Like other Protestant dissenting groups at the time, they believed the Roman Catholic Church to be corrupt, which subsequently applied to the Church of England as well through its common heritage.

Seekers considered all Churches and denominations to be in error, and believed that only a new Church established by Christ upon His return could possess His grace. Their anticipation of this event was found in their practises. For example, Seekers held meetings as opposed to religious services, and as such had no clergy or hierarchy. During these gatherings they would wait in silence and speak only when felt that God had inspired them to do so.

Furthermore to this, the Seekers denied the effectiveness of external forms of religion such as the sacraments, baptism, and the Scriptures as a means of salvation.

Socinians

The followers of Socinianism were Unitarian or Nontrinitarian in theology and influenced by the Polish Brethren. The Socinians of 17th century England influenced the development of the English Presbyterians, the English Unitarians, and the Non-subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland.

Present-day Dissenting groups

Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion

Baptists

Presbyterians

Congregationalists

Quakers

Unitarians

See also

Christian anarchism

Freedom of religion

Nonconformism

Religion in the United Kingdom

17th century denominations in England

English Independents

Separatists

Dissenting academies

Notes

References

Fitzpatrick, Martin. "Heretical Religion and Radical Political Ideas in Late Eighteenth-Century England." ''The Transformation of Political Culture: England and Germany in the Late Eighteenth Century''. Ed. Eckhart Hellmuth. Oxford: Oxford University Press; London: German Historical Institute, 1990. ISBN 0199205019.

Philip, Mark. "Rational Religion and Political Radicalism." ''Enlightenment and Dissent'' 4 (1985): 35–46.

Dobrowsky, Josef, (1788). "Geschichte der Bömischen Pikarden und Adamiten", ''Abhandlungen der königlich böhmischen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften''.

ExLibris, Early English dissenters

Category:Religion in England Category:Politics of England Category:Christian terms Category:Christian mystics Category:Christian radicalism

es:Disidente inglés eo:Anglaj disidentoj fr:Dissidents anglais ko:비국교도 it:Dissenzienti inglesi ja:非国教徒 (イギリス) pt:Dissidentes ingleses

This is a list of people whose names in English are commonly appended with the phrase "''the Great''", or who were called that or an equivalent phrase in their own language. Other languages have their own suffixes such as ''e Bozorg'' and ''e azam'' in Persian and Urdu respectively.

In Persia, the title "the Great" at first seems to be a colloquial version of the Old Persian title "Great King". This title was first used by the conqueror Cyrus II of Persia.

The Persian title was inherited by Alexander III of Macedon (336–323 BC) when he conquered the Persian Empire, and the epithet "Great" eventually became personally associated with him. The first reference (in a comedy by Plautus) assumes that everyone knew who "Alexander the Great" was; however, there is no earlier evidence that Alexander III of Macedon was called "''the Great''".

The early Seleucid kings, who succeeded Alexander in Persia, used "Great King" in local documents, but the title was most notably used for Antiochus the Great (223–187 BC).

Later rulers and commanders began to use the epithet "the Great" as a personal name, like the Roman general Pompey. Others received the surname retrospectively, like the Carthaginian Hanno and the Indian emperor Ashoka the Great. Once the surname gained currency, it was also used as an honorific surname for people without political careers, like the philosopher Albert the Great.

As there are no objective criteria for "greatness", the persistence of later generations in using the designation greatly varies. For example, Louis XIV of France was often referred to as "The Great" in his lifetime but is rarely called such nowadays, while Frederick II of Prussia is still called "The Great". A later Hohenzollern - Wilhelm I - was often called "The Great" in the time of his grandson Wilhelm II, but rarely later.

Rulers

Abbas I of Persia (1571–1629), Shah of Iran

Akbar (1542–1605), ruler of the Mughal Empire of South Asia, mainly India

Alain I of Albret (1440–1522), French aristocrat

Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), King of Macedonia, Persia, Greece, Egypt, and all of Mesopotamia

Alexander I of Georgia (1386–1446), King of Georgia

Alfonso III of León (c. 848-910), King of León, Galicia and Asturias

Alfred the Great (848/849-899), King of Wessex

Antiochus III the Great (c. 241–187 BC), ruler of the Seleucid Empire

Ashoka the Great (c. 304–232 BC), Indian emperor of the Maurya dynasty

Ashot I of Iberia “the Great”(died 826/830), presiding prince of Iberia (modern Georgia),

Askia Mohammad I (c. 1442–1538), ruler of the Songhai Empire

Bhumibol Adulyadej (born 1927), King of Thailand

Bolesław I Chrobry (967-1025), sometimes called "the Great", first King of Poland

Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologne and Duke of Lotharingia (also listed in the following section)

Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (1736–1809), founder and ruler of the Rattanakosin Kingdom (in what is now Thailand)

Cnut the Great (c. 985 or 995-1035), King of Denmark, England, Norway and parts of Sweden

Casimir III the Great (1310–1370), King of Poland

Catherine the Great (1729–1796), Empress of Russia

Chandragupta II (reigned 375-413/415), also known as Vikramaditya, ruler of the Gupta empire in India

Charlemagne (died 814), King of the Franks and Emperor of the Romans

Chulalongkorn (1853–1910), King of Siam (now Thailand)

Chlothar II (584-629), King of Neustria and King of the Franks

Conrad, Margrave of Meissen (c. 1097-1157), Margrave of Meissen

Constantine I (c. 272-337), Roman emperor

Cyaxares the Great (c. 625-585 BC), third king of Media

Cyrus the Great (c. 600 BC or 576 BC–530 BC), founder and ruler of the Persian or Achaemenid Empire

Darius the Great (550 – 486 BC), third ruler of the Persian Empire

Devapala (died 850), ruler of the Pala Empire in the Indian subcontinent

Dionysius I, Greek tyrant of Syracuse

Ferdinand I of León and Castile (c. 1015–1065), King of León and Count of Castile

Frederick the Great (1712–1786), King of Prussia

Genghis Khan (1162?-1227), founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire

Gero (c. 900–965), ruler of Marca Geronis, a very large march in Europe

Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden (1594–1632), King of Sweden, founder of the Swedish Empire, and noted military leader

Gwanggaeto the Great, King of Goguryeo, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea

Hanno the Great, the name of three leaders of Carthage, in the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd centuries BC

Henry I, Duke of Burgundy (946–1002)

Henry IV of France (1553–1610), King of France and King of Navarre

Herod the Great (73/74 BC-4 BC), King of Judea

Hugh the Great (898-956), Duke of the Franks and Count of Paris

Hugh Magnus of France (1007–1025), co-King of France

Hugh I, Count of Vermandois (1057–1101)

Humphrey I de Bohun (died c. 1123), Anglo-Norman aristocrat

Ivan III of Russia (1440–1505), Tsar of Russia

John I of Portugal (1358–1433), King of Portugal and the Algarve

John II of Aragon (1398–1479), King of Aragon and, through his wife, King of Navarre

Justinian I (483-565), Byzantine Emperor

Kamehameha I (c. 1758-1819), first King of Hawai'i

Kanishka (died c. 127), ruler of the Kushan Empire in Central Asia and parts of India

Kvirike III of Kakheti (1010–1029), King of Kakheti in eastern Georgia

Kublai Khan (1215–1294), Mongol ruler in the 13th century and Emperor of China; founder of the Yuan Dynasty

Llywelyn the Great (c. 1172–1240), Prince of Gwynedd and de facto ruler of most of Wales

Louis I of Hungary (1326–1382), King of Hungary, Croatia and Poland

Mangrai the Great (1238–1317), Lanna, northern Thailand

Emperor Meiji (1852–1912), Emperor of Japan

Mircea I of Wallachia (1355–1418)

Mithridates II of Parthia (died 88 BC), ruler of the Parthian Empire (in present day Iran)

Mithridates VI of Pontus (134 BC–63 BC), ruler of Pontus and the Bosporan Kingdom

Mstislav I of Kiev (1076–1132), Grand Prince of Kievan Rus

Narai (1633–1688), King of Ayutthaya (in what is now modern Thailand)

Naresuan (1555–1605), King of Ayutthaya

Odo the Great (died c. 735), Duke of Aquitaine

Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (912-973)

K'inich Janaab' Pakal (603-683), ruler of the Mayan city-state of Palenque

Parakramabahu I of Polonnaruwa (1123–1186), King of Sri Lanka

Peter Krešimir IV of Croatia (died 1075), King of Croatia

Peter the Great (1672–1725), Tsar of Russia

Peter III of Aragon (1239–1285), King of Aragon and King of Sicily

Pompey (106 BC-48 BC), military and political leader of the late Roman Republic, rival of Julius Caesar

Radama I (1793–1828), first king of greater Madagascar

Raja Raja Chola I (c. 947-1014), Indian emperor of the Cholas.

Rajendra Chola I (reigned 1014–1044), Tamil King of India

Ramesses II (reigned 1279 BC – 1213 BC), considered the greatest pharaoh of Ancient Egypt

Ram Khamhaeng (around 1237 to 1247-1298), King of Sukhothai (in present day Thailand)

Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona (1082–1131), also Count of Provence and various other counties

Rhodri the Great (c. 820–878), King of Gwynedd (in present day Wales)

Roman the Great (after 1160-1205), Grand Prince of Kiev

Saladin (c. 1138-1193), Kurdish Sultan of Egypt and Syria, founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, and victor over the Crusaders

Samudragupta (c. 335–375), ruler of the Gupta empire in the Indian subcontinent

Sancho III of Navarre (c. 992-1035), King of Kingdom of Navarre

Sargon of Akkad (died c. 2215 BC), ruler of the Akkadian Empire

Sejong the Great (1397–1450), Korean king

Shapur II (309-379), king of the Sassanid Empire, Persia

Simeon I of Bulgaria (864/865-927), ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire

Stephen III of Moldavia (1433–1504), Prince of Moldavia (Romania)

Stephen Uroš IV Dušan of Serbia (c. 1308-1355), King of Serbia and Emperor of the Serbs and Greeks

Taksin (1734–1782), King of the Thonburi Kingdom (Thailand)

Timur (1336–1405), better known as Tamerlane, founder of the Timurid Dynasty

Theobald II, Count of Champagne (1090–1151), Count of Blois and of Chartres as Theobald IV, Count of Champagne and of Brie

Theodoric the Great (454-526), King of the Ostrogoths, regent of the Visigoths and a viceroy of the Byzantine Empire

Theodosius I (347-395), Roman emperor

Tigranes the Great (140-55 BC), Emperor of Armenia

Tiridates III of Armenia (285-339), King of Armenia

Umar (c. 586 to 590–644), second caliph of the Muslim Empire

Valdemar I of Denmark (1131–1182), King of Denmark

Valentinian I (364-375), Roman Emperor

Vladimir I of Kiev (c. 958-1015), ruler of Kievan Rus

Vytautas (c. 1350-1430), archduke of the Lithuanian Grand Duchy

William I, Count of Burgundy (1020–1087), Count of Burgandy and Mâcon

William V, Duke of Aquitaine (969-1030), also Count of Poitou

Xerxes I (519-465 BC), King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire (Persia)

Yu the Great (c. 2200-2100 BC), legendary ruler in ancient China

Religious figures

Abraham the Great of Kashkar (ca. 492-586), monk and saint of the Assyrian Church of the East

Abraham Kidunaia (died c. 366, hermit, priest, and Christian saint of Mesopotamia

Albertus Magnus (1193/1206–1280), medieval German philosopher and theologian

Anthony the Great (c. 251–356), early Christian saint of Egypt

Babai the Great (c. 551–628), Assyrian church leader

Basil of Caesarea (330-379), Greek bishop and theologian

Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologne and Duke of Lotharingia (also listed in the previous section)

Euthymius the Great (377-473), abbot and Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox saint

Gertrude the Great (1256-c. 1302), German Benedictine, mystic, theologian and Roman Catholic saint

Pope Gregory I (c. 540-604)

Hiyya the Great, 3rd-century rabbi, Palestine

Pope John Paul II (1920–2005)

Pope Leo I (c. 391 or 400-461)

Macarius of Egypt (c. 300-391), Egyptian hermit

Pope Nicholas I (c. 800-867)

Photius I of Constantinople (c. 810–c. 893), Eastern Orthodox saint and Patriarch of Constantinople

William of Maleval (died 1157), founder of the Catholic congregation of Williamites

Other

Beli Mawr, a figure in medieval Welsh literature and genealogies

Emmy the Great, folk singer

Matteo Rosso the Great, Roman politician and father of Pope Nicholas III

Prokop the Great, Hussite general in Bohemia

See also

Epithet

List of monarchs by nickname

List of nicknames of European Royalty and Nobility: G-I

James, son of Zebedee, also known as James the Greater, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus

Ajax (mythology), called Ajax the Greater

Notes

Category:Monarchs Great, List of people known as The Category:Greatest Nationals Category:Epithets

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Isaac Watts (17 July 1674 – 25 November 1748), was an English hymn-writer, theologian and logician. He was recognised as the "Father of English Hymnody", as he was the first prolific and popular English hymnwriter, credited with some 750 hymns. Many of his hymns remain in active use today and have been translated into many languages.

Life

Born in Southampton, England, in 1674, Watts was brought up in the home of a committed Nonconformist — his father, also Isaac Watts, had been incarcerated twice for his controversial views. At King Edward VI School (where one of the houses is now named "Watts" in his honour), he learned Latin, Greek and Hebrew.

He displayed a propensity for rhyme at home, driving his parents to the point of distraction on many occasions with his verse. Once, he had to explain how he came to have his eyes open during prayers.

: ''A little mouse for want of stairs'' : ''ran up a rope to say its prayers.''

Receiving corporal punishment for this, he cried

: ''O father, father, pity take'' : ''And I will no more verses make.''

Watts, unable to go to either Oxford or Cambridge on account of his non-conformity, went to the Dissenting Academy at Stoke Newington in 1690, and much of his life centred around that village, then a rural idyll but now part of Inner London.

His education led him to the pastorate of a large Independent Chapel in London, and he also found himself in the position of helping trainee preachers, despite poor health. Taking work as a private tutor, he lived with the non-conformist Hartopp family at Fleetwood House and later in the household of Sir Thomas Abney and Lady Mary Abney at Theobalds, Cheshunt, in Hertfordshire, and at their second residence, Abney House, Stoke Newington. Though a non-conformist, Sir Thomas practised occasional conformity to the Church of England as necessitated by his being Lord Mayor of London 1700–01. Likewise, Isaac Watts held religious opinions that were more non-denominational or ecumenical than was at that time common for a non-conformist, having a greater interest in promoting education and scholarship, than preaching for any particular ministry.

On the death of Sir Thomas Abney, Watts moved permanently with his widow and her remaining daughter to Abney House, a property that Mary had inherited from her brother, along with title to the Manor itself. The beautiful grounds at Abney Park, which became Watts' permanent home from 1736 to 1748, led down to an island heronry in the Hackney Brook where he sought inspiration for the many books and hymns he wrote.

He died in Stoke Newington and was buried in Bunhill Fields, having left behind him a massive legacy, not only of hymns, but also of treatises, educational works, essays and the like. His work was influential amongst independents and early religious revivalists in his circle, amongst whom was Philip Doddridge, who dedicated his best known work to Watts. On his death, Isaac Watts' papers were given to Yale University, an institution with which he was connected because of its being founded predominantly by fellow Independents (Congregationalists).

Watts and hymnody

Sacred music scholar Stephen Marini (2003) describes the ways in which Watts contributed to English hymnody. Notably, Watts led the way in the inclusion in worship of "original songs of Christian experience"; that is, new poetry. The older tradition limited itself to the poetry of the Bible, notably the Psalms. This stemmed from the teachings of the 16th century Reformation leader John Calvin, who initiated the practice of creating verse translations of the Psalms in the vernacular for congregational singing. Watts' introduction of extra-Biblical poetry opened up a new era of Protestant hymnody as other poets followed in his path.

Watts also introduced a new way of rendering the Psalms in verse for church services. The Psalms were originally written in Biblical Hebrew within the religion of Judaism. Later, they were adopted into Christianity as part of the Old Testament. Watts proposed that the metrical translations of the Psalms as sung by Protestant Christians should give them a specifically Christian perspective:

:"While he granted that David [to whom authorship of many of the Psalms is traditionally ascribed] was unquestionably a chosen instrument of God, Watts claimed that his religious understanding could not have fully apprehended the truths later revealed through Jesus Christ. The Psalms should therefore be "renovated" as if David had been a Christian, or as Watts put it in the title of his 1719 metrical psalter, they should be "imitated in the language of the New Testament."

:''From all that dwell below the skies :''Let the Creator's praise arise; :''Let the Redeemer's name be sung :''Through every land, by every tongue.

Significant cultural or contemporary impacts

One of his best known poems was an exhortation "Against Idleness And Mischief" in ''Divine Songs for Children'', a poem which was famously parodied by Lewis Carroll in his book ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'', in the poem "How Doth the Little Crocodile", which is now better known than the original.

In the 1884 comic opera called ''Princess Ida'', there is a punning reference to Watts in Act I. At Princess Ida's women's university no males of any kind are allowed, and the Princess's father, King Gama, relates that "She'll scarcely suffer Dr. Watts' 'hymns'".

Isaac Watts is commemorated in the Church of England, the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America on November 25 and in the Episcopal Church (USA) on November 26.

In the 1850 novel ''David Copperfield'' by Charles Dickens, school master Dr. Strong quotes from Watts' Against Idleness And Mischief: "Satan finds some mischief still, for idle hands to do."

Other works

Besides being a famous hymn-writer, Isaac Watts was also a renowned theologian and logician, writing many books and essays on these subjects.

Watts was the author of a text book on logic which was particularly popular; its full title was, ''Logic, or The Right Use of Reason in the Enquiry After Truth With a Variety of Rules to Guard Against Error in the Affairs of Religion and Human Life, as well as in the Sciences''. This was first published in 1724, and its popularity ensured that it went through twenty editions.

Watts' logic text book was written for beginners of logic, and the book is arranged methodically. He divided the content of his elementary treatment of logic into four parts: perception, judgement, reasoning, and method, which he treated in this order. Each of these parts is divided into chapters, and some of these chapters are divided into sections. The content of the chapters and sections is then subdivided by using some combination of the following devices: divisions, distributions, notes, observations, directions, rules, illustrations, and remarks. Thus, every contentum of the book comes under one or more of these headings, and this methodical arrangement serves to make the exposition clear.

In Watts' ''Logic'' there are some notable departures from what one would expect to find in a text book of logic from Watts' time, and there are also some notable innovations. Detectable throughout the work is the influence of British empiricism, and in particular, the influence of philosopher and empiricist John Locke. For, Locke was a contemporary of Watts, and in the ''Logic'' there are several references to Locke and his ''Essay Concerning Human Understanding'', in which Locke espoused his empiricist views. Another departure from most other authors of logic is that Watts was careful to distinguish between judgements and propositions. According to Watts, judgement is "to compare... ideas together, and to join them by affirmation, or disjoin then by negation, according as we find them to agree or disagree". However, he continues by saying, "when mere ideas are joined in the mind without words, it is rather called a judgement; but when clothed with words it is called a proposition". Watts' ''Logic'' follows the scholastic tradition and divides propositions into universal affirmative, universal negative, particular affirmative, and particular negative. In the third part, Watts discusses reasoning and argumentation, with particular emphasis on the theory of syllogism, which was a centrally important part of the classical logic which Watts' was treating in his work. According to Watts, and in keeping with the common practice of logicians of his day, Watts defined logic as an art (see liberal arts), as opposed to a science. Throughout the ''Logic'' Watts revealed his high conception of logic by stressing the practical side of logic, rather than just the speculative side. According to Watts, as a practical art, logic can be really useful in any of our inquiries, whether they are inquiries in the arts, or inquiries in the sciences, or inquiries of an ethical kind. It is Watts' emphasis on logic as a practical art which distinguishes his book from others. For, by stressing that there is a practical and non-formal part of logic, Watts was able to give rules and directions for any kind of inquiry, including the inquiries of science and the inquiries of philosophy. These rules of inquiry were given in addition to the formal content of classical logic that one would expect to find in a text book on logic from that time. Thus, Watts' conception of logic as being divided into its practical part and its speculative part, and therefore containing more than just formal logic, marks a departure from the conception of logic of most other authors. Instead, Watts' conception of logic is much more akin to that of the later, nineteenth century logician, C.S. Peirce.

Isaac Watts' ''Logic'' became the standard text on logic at Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard and Yale; being used at Oxford University for well over 100 years. C.S. Peirce, the great nineteenth century logician, wrote favourably of Watts' ''Logic''. When preparing his own text book on Logic entitled ''A Critick of Arguments: How to Reason'' (also known as the ''Grand Logic''), Peirce wrote, 'I shall suppose the reader to be acquainted with what is contained in Dr Watts' ''Logick'', a book... far superior to the treatises now used in colleges, being the production of a man distinguished for good sense.' The ''Logic'' was followed in 1741 by a supplement, ''The Improvement of the Mind'', which itself went through numerous editions and later inspired Michael Faraday.

Memorials

The earliest surviving built memorial to Isaac Watts is at Westminster Abbey; this was completed shortly after his death. His much-visited chest tomb, in its photogenic setting at Bunhill Fields, dates from 1808, replacing the original that had been paid for and erected by Lady Mary Abney and the Hartopp family. In addition a stone bust of Watts can be seen in the non-conformist library Dr Williams's Library in central London. The earliest public statue stands at Abney Park, where he lived and died before it became a cemetery and arboretum; a later, rather similar statue, was funded by public subscription for a new Victorian public park in the city of his birth, Southampton. In the mid nineteenth century a Congregational Hall, the Dr Watts Memorial Hall, was also built in Southampton, though after World War II it was lost to redevelopment. Now standing on this site is the Isaac Watts Memorial United Reformed Church.

One of the earliest built memorials may also now be lost: a bust to Watts that was commissioned on his death for the London chapel with which he was associated. The chapel was demolished in the late eighteenth century; remaining parts of the memorial were rescued at the last minute by a wealthy landowner for installation in his chapel near Liverpool. It is unclear whether it still survives.

The stone statue in front of the Abney Park Chapel at Dr Watts' Walk, Abney Park Cemetery, was erected in 1845 by public subscription. It was designed by the leading British sculptor, Edward Hodges Baily RA FRS. A scheme for a commemorative statue on this spot had first been promoted in the late 1830s by George Collison, who in 1840 published an engraving as the frontispiece of his book about cemetery design in Europe and America; and at Abney Park Cemetery in particular. This first cenotaph proposal was never commissioned, and Baily's later design was adopted in 1845.

Works

Books

''The Improvement of the Mind - first three chapters as text from Wikisource - 1815 Edition'' s:The Improvement of the Mind

''The Improvement of the Mind'' Vol 1 Vol 2 at The Internet Archive

''Logic, or The Right Use of Reason in the Enquiry After Truth With a Variety of Rules to Guard Against Error in the Affairs of Religion and Human Life, as well as in the Sciences''

''A Short View of the Whole Scripture History: With a Continuation of the Jewish Affairs From the Old Testament Till the Time of Christ; and an Account of the Chief Prophesies that Relate to Him''

Apparently, Watts is thought to have been the author of the tract: ''An Essay on the Freedom of Will in God and Creatures'' (copy on The Internet Archive).

Hymns

Some of Watts' hymns are:

Joy to the world! (arranged by Lowell Mason to an older melody originating from Handel)

Come ye that love the Lord (often sung with the chorus [and titled] "We’re marching to Zion")

Come Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove

Jesus shall reign where’er the sun

O God, Our Help in Ages Past

When I survey the wondrous cross

Alas! and did my Saviour bleed

This is the day the Lord has made

'Tis by Thy strength the mountains stand

Many of his hymns are included in the Methodist hymn book Hymns and Psalms. Many of his texts are also used in the American hymnal The Sacred Harp, using what is known as the shape note singing technique.

See also

Puritan

English Dissenter

Independent (religion)

Congregational church

Africa (William Billings)

Notes

References

Marini, Stephen A. (2003) ''Sacred Song in America: Religion, Music, and Public Culture''. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.

''Trust in Freedom: The Story of Newington Green Unitarian Church 1708 - 1958'' by Michael Thorncroft. Privately printed for church trustees, 1958.

*Chapter titles: The Fertile Soil; The Church is Built; The Early Years (1714–1758); The Age of Richard Price; New Causes for Old; The Ideal of Service; The Lights Go Out; The Present Day.

External links

''A Solemn Address to the Great and Ever Blessed God'' (1802), originally published as ''A Faithful Inquiry after the Ancient and Original Doctrine of the Trinity'' (1745)

The Isaac Watts Fan Club background info and midi files

Hymns by Isaac Watts

O God our help in ages past (this is the official school hymn of King Edward VI School, Southampton, Watts' alma mater)

Monergism.com Isaac Watts Links to works of Isaac Watts

''Logic'' by Isaac Watts Link to a freely available digital copy, digitized by google, with a pdf download available.

''Improvement of the Mind'' by Isaac Watts Link to a freely available digital copy, digitized by google, with a pdf download available.

''The Harmony of all the Religions which God ever Prescribed to Men and all his Dispensations towards them'' by Isaac Watts Link to a freely available digital copy, digitized by google, with a pdf download available.

Category:1674 births Category:People from Southampton Category:1748 deaths Category:Christian hymnwriters Category:English hymnwriters Category:English evangelicals Category:People celebrated in the Lutheran liturgical calendar Category:English Congregationalist clergy Category:17th-century Congregationalist clergy Category:People educated at King Edward VI School, Southampton Category:Anglican saints Category:English logicians Category:English theologians Category:18th-century Congregationalist clergy Category:17th-century English people Category:18th-century English people

de:Isaac Watts es:Isaac Watts fr:Isaac Watts fy:Isaac Watts id:Isaac Watts ja:アイザック・ウォッツ no:Isaac Watts pt:Isaac Watts simple:Isaac Watts sv:Isaac Watts zh:以撒华滋

name	Rutger Hauer
birth name	Rutger Oelsen Hauer
birth date	January 23, 1944
birth place	Breukelen, Netherlands
occupation	Actor
years active	1969–present
website	http://www.rutgerhauer.org/
spouse	Ineke ten Kate (1985–present) }}

Rutger Oelsen Hauer (; ; born 23 January 1944) is a Dutch stage, television and film actor. His career began in 1969 with the title role in the popular Dutch television series "''Floris"'', directed by Paul Verhoeven. His film credits include ''Flesh + Blood'', ''Blind Fury'', ''Blade Runner'', ''The Hitcher'', ''Nighthawks'', ''Wedlock'', ''Sin City'', ''Confessions of a Dangerous Mind'', ''Ladyhawke'', ''Escape from Sobibor'', ''The Blood of Heroes'', ''Batman Begins'', ''Hobo with a Shotgun'' and ''The Rite''.

Hauer is a dedicated environmentalist and has founded an AIDS awareness organization, the Rutger Hauer Starfish Association.

He is the father of actress Aysha Hauer and the grandfather of fashion model Leandro Maeder.

Early life

Hauer was born in Breukelen, The Netherlands, the town lending its name to New York City's Borough ''Brooklyn''. His parents were drama teachers Arend and Teunke. Rutger grew up in Amsterdam. Since his parents were very occupied with their careers, he and his three sisters (one older, two younger) were raised mostly by nannies. At the age of 15, Hauer ran off to sea and spent a year scrubbing decks aboard a freighter. Returning home, he worked as an electrician and a carpenter for three years while attending acting classes at night school. He went on to join an experimental troupe, with which he remained for five years before Paul Verhoeven cast him in the lead role of the very successful 1969 television series ''Floris'', a Dutch ''Ivanhoe''-like medieval action drama. The role made him famous in his native country.

Film career

Hauer's career changed course when Paul Verhoeven cast him as the lead in ''Turkish Delight'' (1973) (based on the Jan Wolkers book of the same name). The movie found box-office favour abroad as well as at home, and within two years its star was invited to make his English-language debut in the British film ''The Wilby Conspiracy'' (1975). Set in South Africa and starring Michael Caine and Sidney Poitier, the film was an action melodrama with a focus on apartheid. Hauer's supporting role, however, was barely noticed in Hollywood, and he returned to Dutch films for several years. During this period, he made ''Katie Tippel'' (1975) and worked again with Verhoeven on ''Soldier of Orange'' (1977), and ''Spetters'' (1980). These two films paired Hauer with fellow Dutch actor Jeroen Krabbé.

Hauer made his American debut in the Sylvester Stallone vehicle ''Nighthawks'' (1981), cast as a psychopathic and cold-blooded terrorist named "Wulfgar" (after a character in the Old English poem ''Beowulf''). The following year, he appeared in arguably his most famous and acclaimed role as the eccentric, violent, yet sympathetic replicant Roy Batty in Ridley Scott's 1982 science fiction thriller, ''Blade Runner''.

Hauer went on to play the adventurer courting Gene Hackman's daughter (Theresa Russell) in Nicolas Roeg's poorly received ''Eureka'' (1983); the investigative reporter opposite John Hurt in Sam Peckinpah's ''The Osterman Weekend'' (1983); the hardened Landsknecht mercenary Martin in ''Flesh & Blood'' (1985); and the knight paired with Michelle Pfeiffer in the Medieval romance ''Ladyhawke'' (1985).

He continued to make an impression on audiences in ''The Hitcher'' (1986), in which he was the mysterious Hitchhiker intent on murdering C. Thomas Howell's lone motorist and anyone else who crossed his path. At the height of Hauer's fame, he was even set to be cast as RoboCop in the film directed by old friend Verhoeven, although the role ultimately went to American everyman method actor Peter Weller. That same year, however, Hauer starred as Nick Randall in ''Wanted: Dead or Alive'' as the descendant of the character played by Steve McQueen in the television series of the same name.

Italian director Ermanno Olmi mined the gentler, more mystic and soulful side of Hauer's personality in ''The Legend of the Holy Drinker'' (1989), the story of a lost soul who dies of drink in Paris while attempting to pay a debt of honour in a church. Phillip Noyce also attempted to capitalize, with far less success, on Hauer's spiritual qualities in the martial arts action adventure ''Blind Fury'' (1989). Hauer returned to science fiction opposite Joan Chen with ''Salute of the Jugger'' (1990), in which he played a former champion in a post-apocalyptic world. He and Chen would work together again in two more science fiction films, ''Wedlock'' and ''Precious Find''.

By the 1990s, Hauer was as well known for his humorous appearances in Guinness commercials as for his screen roles, which had increasingly involved low-budget films, including ''Split Second'', which was set in a flooded London after global warming; ''Omega Doom'', another post-apocalyptic story in which he plays a soldier-robot; and ''New World Disorder'', opposite Tara FitzGerald. He also appeared in the Kylie Minogue music video ''On a Night Like This''. In the late 1980s and 1990s, as well as in 2000, Hauer acted in several British and American television productions, including ''Inside the Third Reich'' (as Albert Speer); ''Escape from Sobibor'' (for wich he received a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor); ''Fatherland''; ''Hostile Waters''; ''Merlin''; ''The 10th Kingdom''; ''Smallville''; ''Alias''; and '''Salem's Lot''.

In 1999, Hauer was awarded the Dutch “Best Actor of the Century Rembrandt Award”.

Hauer played an assassin in ''Confessions of a Dangerous Mind'' (2003), a villainous cardinal with influential power in ''Sin City'' (2005) and a devious corporate executive running Wayne Enterprises in ''Batman Begins'' (2005). He also acted as the host in the British reality television documentary ''Shock Treatment'' (2005). He recently starred in ''Goal! 2: Living the Dream...'' as Real Madrid coach Rudi Van Der Merwe.

In 2009, his role in Dazzle (''Oogverblindend''), by avant-garde filmmaker Cyrus Frisch, received positive reviews. The film was praised in Dutch press as "the most relevant Dutch film of the year" ('Parool' newspaper). The same year Hauer starred in the title role of ''Barbarossa'', an Italian film directed by Renzo Martinelli. It co-starred Israeli actor Raz Degan. In April 2010, he was cast in the live action adaptation of the short and fake ''Grindhouse'' trailer ''Hobo With a Shotgun'', which was released in 2011.

On March 4, 2011, it was announced that Hauer would play vampire hunter, Van Helsing in legendary horror director Dario Argento's ''Dracula 3D''. Filming is scheduled to begin sometime in 2011.

Personal life

Hauer is a dedicated environmentalist. He fought for the release of Greenpeace's co-founder, Paul Watson, who was convicted in 1994 for sinking a Norwegian whaling vessel. Hauer has also established an AIDS awareness organization called the Rutger Hauer Starfish Association. He married his second wife, Ineke, in 1985 (they had been together since 1968); and he has one child, actress Aysha Hauer, who was born in 1966 and who made him a grandfather in 1988. His grandson Leandro Maeder is a fashion model and is currently the face of Dsquared².

In April 2007, he published his autobiography ''All Those Moments: Stories of Heroes, Villains, Replicants, and Blade Runners'' (co-written with Patrick Quinlan), where he discusses many of his movie roles. Proceeds of the book go to Hauer's Starfish Association.

Filmography

''Turkish Delight'' (1973)

''The Wilby Conspiracy'' (1975)

''Katie Tippel'' (1975)

''Soldier of Orange'' (1979)

''Spetters'' (1980)

''Nighthawks'' (1981)

''Blade Runner'' (1982)

''The Osterman Weekend'' (1983)

''Eureka'' (1984)

''A Breed Apart'' (1984)

''Terror in the Aisles'' (1984)

''Ladyhawke'' (1985)

''Flesh + Blood'' (1985)

''The Hitcher'' (1986)

''Wanted: Dead or Alive'' (1987)

''Escape from Sobibor'' (1987) (TV)

''The Sword and The Rose'' (1988)

''Blind Fury'' (1989)

''Salute of the Jugger'' (1989)

''Wedlock'' (1991)

''Split Second'' (1992)

''Beyond Justice'' (1992)

''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1992)

''Blind Side'' (1993) (HBO)

''Voyage'' (1993)

''Surviving the Game'' (1994)

''Fatherland'' (1994) (TV)

''Bone Daddy'' (1997)

''The Call of the Wild: Dog of the Yukon'' (1997)

''Deathline'' (1997)

''Omega Doom'' (1997)

''Crossworlds'' (1997) (Brazil)

''Bleeders'' (1997)

''Knockin' on Heaven's Door'' (1997) (Germany)

''Tactical Assault'' (1998)

''Merlin'' (1998) (TV)

''Simon Magus'' (1999)

''New World Disorder'' (1999)

''Lying in Wait'' (2000)

''The 10th Kingdom'' (2000) (TV)

''The Last Words of Dutch Schultz'' (2002)

''Confessions of a Dangerous Mind'' (2002)

''Scorcher'' (2002)

'''Salem's Lot'' (2004) (TV)

''Sin City'' (2005)

''Batman Begins'' (2005)

''Dracula III: Legacy'' (2005)

''The Poseidon Adventure'' (2005) (TV)

''7eventy 5ive'' (2006)

''The Hunt for Eagle One'' (2006)

''Minotaur'' (2006)

''Mentor'' (2006)

''Moving McAllister'' (2007)

''Goal! 2: Living the Dream...'' (2007)

''Magic Flute Diaries'' (2008)

''Brideflight'' (2008)

''Barbarossa'' (2009)

''Oogverblindend Dazzle dir. Cyrus Frisch'' (2009)

''The Mill and the Cross'' (2010)

''Tonight at Noon'' (2010)

''The Key is Salamander'' (2011)

''Hobo with a Shotgun'' (2011)

''Black Butterflies'' (2011)

''Alle for en'' (2011)

''The Rite'' (2011)

''Dracula 3D

References

Oogverblindend****

External links

Rutger Hauer at Box Office Mojo

Category:1944 births Category:Living people Category:AIDS activists Category:Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (television) winners Category:Dutch environmentalists Category:Dutch expatriates in the United States Category:Dutch film actors Category:Dutch television actors Category:Golden Calf winners Category:People from Breukelen Category:Waldorf school alumni

ar:راتغر هاور bs:Rutger Hauer ca:Rutger Hauer da:Rutger Hauer de:Rutger Hauer es:Rutger Hauer fr:Rutger Hauer fy:Rutger Hauer hr:Rutger Hauer id:Rutger Hauer it:Rutger Hauer la:Rutger Hauer lv:Ritgers Hauers lb:Rutger Hauer hu:Rutger Hauer nl:Rutger Hauer ja:ルトガー・ハウアー no:Rutger Hauer pms:Rutger Hauer pl:Rutger Hauer pt:Rutger Hauer ru:Хауэр, Рутгер sh:Rutger Hauer fi:Rutger Hauer sv:Rutger Hauer tr:Rutger Hauer uk:Рутгер Хауер zh:魯格·豪爾

Birth name	Miranda Jane Richardson
Birth date	March 03, 1958
Birth place	Southport, Lancashire, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1981 – present }}

Miranda Jane Richardson (born 3 March 1958) is an English stage, film and television actor. She has been nominated for two Academy Awards, and has won two Golden Globes (with seven nominations) and a BAFTA (with seven nominations) during her career.

Early life

Richardson was born in Southport, Lancashire, to Marian Georgina (née Townsend), a housewife, and William Alan Richardson, a marketing executive. The second daughter of a middle class family, she revealed a talent for acting as a girl.

Career

Theatre

Richardson enrolled at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, where she studied alongside Daniel Day-Lewis, having started out with juvenile performances in ''Cinderella'' and ''Lord Arthur Savile's Crime'' at the Southport Dramatic Club. Richardson enjoyed a successful and extensive theatre career, making her stage debut in ''Moving'' at the Queen's Theatre in 1981. Soon afterwards, she appeared in repertory theatre, until she found recognition in the West End for a series of stage performances, ultimately receiving an Olivier Award nomination for her performance in ''A Lie of the Mind'', and in 1996, she is cited as "the greatest actress of our time in any medium" by one critic after she appeared in ''Orlando'' at the Edinburgh Festival. She returned to the London stage in May 2009 to play the lead role in Wallace Shawn's new play, ''Grasses of a Thousand Colours'' at the Royal Court Theatre.

Film and television

In 1985, Richardson made her film debut as Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in the United Kingdom, in Mike Newell's biographical drama, ''Dance With A Stranger''. Within a year, she had been cast by Steven Spielberg to appear in his World War II drama, ''Empire of the Sun'' (1987).

thumb|Richardson at the world premiere of ''The Young Victoria'', 2009.Richardson is known for her role as an infantile Queen Elizabeth I, aka Queenie, in the British television comedy ''Blackadder II''. She returned in guest roles in one episode each in ''Blackadder the Third'' and ''Blackadder Goes Forth''. She returned to role from Blackadder for a Christmas special ''Blackadder's Christmas Carol'' and a special edition for the millennium ''Blackadder: Back and Forth''. She appeared in TV series ''The Storyteller'' in episode "The Three Ravens" playing a witch.

Her portrayal of a troubled theatre-goer in ''Secret Friends'' (BBC 2, 1990) was described as "a miniature tour de force... Miranda Richardson's finest hour, all in ten minutes" (''The Sunday Times''). Other television roles include Pamela Flitton in ''A Dance to the Music of Time'' (1997), Miss Gilchrist in ''St. Ives'' (1998), Bettina the obsessive-compulsive interior decorator in ''Absolutely Fabulous'', the sadistic Queen Elspeth in Hallmark's ''Snow White: The Fairest Of Them All'' (2001), and the emotionally repressed Queen Mary in ''The Lost Prince'' (2003).

Richardson has appeared in a number of high-profile supporting roles in the cinema, including Vanessa Bell in ''The Hours'', Lady Van Tassel in ''Sleepy Hollow'' and Patsy Carpenter in ''The Evening Star''. She also won acclaim for her performances in ''The Crying Game'' and ''Enchanted April'', for which she won a Golden Globe. She received Academy Award nominations for her performances in ''Damage'' and ''Tom & Viv''.

Her film credits also include Robert Altman's ''Kansas City'' (1996), Robert Duvall's ''The Apostle'' (1997) and Richard E. Grant's ''Wah-Wah'' (2005). In 2002, she performed a triple-role alongside Ralph Fiennes in David Cronenberg's acclaimed thriller ''Spider'', a film that won her several international critics awards.

Richardson also appeared as Queen Rosalind of Denmark in the Julia Stiles vehicle ''The Prince and Me'' and as the ballet mistress Madame Giry in the long-awaited film version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical ''The Phantom Of The Opera'' (2004), starring Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum. In 2005, she appeared in the role of Rita Skeeter, the toxic ''Daily Prophet'' journalist in ''Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire''. In 2006 she appeared alongside Bill Nighy in Stephen Poliakoff's multi-Golden Globe winning BBC drama, ''Gideon's Daughter''. She played Mrs. Claus in the film ''Fred Claus'' (2007), co-starring Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti.

Richardson teamed up alongside ''Absolutely Fabulous'' star Jennifer Saunders in the BBC sitcom, ''The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle''. She appeared as a guest on Nigel Slater's ''A Taste of my Life'' in which she cooked dishes including lamb tagine and huevos rancheros.

It was announced in December 2008 that Richardson was cast in a leading role in original AMC pilot, ''Rubicon''. She plays Katherine Rhumor, a New York socialite who finds herself drawn into the central intrigue of a think tank, after the death of her husband.

Additionally, she played Labour politician Barbara Castle in the British film ''Made in Dagenham''.

Personal life

Richardson lives in West London with her two cats, Otis and Waldo, and her dogs Liv and Ivo. Her hobbies include drawing, walking, gardening, fashion, falconry, and music.

Theatre roles

''Savage Amusement'' (Hazel) - Derby Playhouse, Lancaster

''Stags and Hens'' (Linda) - Derby Playhouse, Lancaster

''All My Sons'' (Ann) - Derby Playhouse, Lancaster

''Sisterly Feelings'' (Brenda) - Derby Playhouse, Lancaster

''Ten Times Table'' (Phillipa) - Library Theatre, Manchester

''Whose Life Is It Anyway?'' (Kay Sadler) - Library Theatre, Manchester

''Play It Again, Sam'' (Linda Christie) - Library Theatre, Manchester

''Tom Jones'' (Sophie Western) - Library Theatre, Manchester

''Educating Rita'' (Rita) - Haymarket Theatre, Leicester

''Moving'' (Jane Gladwin) - Queen's Theatre (1980/1)

''The Table of the Two Horseman'' (Katie Wyld) - Bristol Theatre Royal (9 March 1983/2 April 1983)

''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (Honey) - Bristol Theatre Royal (6 April 1983/30 April 1983)

''The Maids'' (Madame) - Bristol New Vic (27 September 1983/22 October 1983)

''Insignificance'' (The Actress) - Bristol New Vic (25 October 1983/19 December 1983)

''Life of Einstein'' - Dukes Playhouse, Lancaster (1984)

''Edmond'' (Glenna) - Newcastle (1985)

''A Lie of the Mind'' (Beth) - Royal Court Theatre, West End (1987)

''The Changeling'' (Beatrice-Joanna) - (Lyttelton) National Theatre, West End (1988)

''Mountain Language'' (Young Woman) - (Lyttelton) National Theatre, West End (1988)

''Etta Jenks'' (Etta Jenks) - Royal Court Theatre, West End (1990)

''The Designated Mourner'' (Judy) - Royal National Theatre, West End (1996)

''Orlando'' (Orlando) - 50th Edinburgh International Festival (11/21 August 1996)

''Aunt Dan and Lemon'' (Aunt Dan) - Almeida Theatre, Islington, London (5 May/5 June 1999)

''The Play What I Wrote'' (Herself) - Wyndham's Theatre, West End (30 January 2002, 5 May 2002, 2 January 2003)

''Comic Aid 2005'' - (Herself - Asia Tsunami Aid) - Carling Apollo, West End (22 February 2005)

''One Knight Only'' - (Herself - Asia Tsunami Aid) - Theatre Royal, Haymarket, West End (20 March 2005)

''Grasses of a thousand colours'' (Cerise) - Royal Court Theatre (May 2009)

Filmography

Year	! Film	! Role	! Other notes
1984	''A Woman of Substance''	Paula McGill Amory	TV
	''Dance with a Stranger''	Ruth Ellis
	Oriel
	Mary Turner
''Blackadder II''		TV
	''After Pilkington''	Penny
''The Death of the Heart''	Daphne Heccomb
	''Blackadder the Third''	Amy Hardwood	TVEpisode: Amy and Amiability
	DHSS Blonde
	Mrs. Victor
''Sweet as You Are''	Julia Perry
1988	''Blackadder's Christmas Carol''		TV
	''Ball Trap on the Cote Sauvage''	Early Bird
''Blackadder Goes Forth''	Nurse Mary Fletcher-Brown
''The Mad Monkey''	Marilyn
	''Secret Friends''	Olivia	TV
	Frederica
	Columbine / Rosalind / Ophelia
''Twisted Obsession''	Marilyn
''Old Times''	Anna
''Die Kinder''	Sidonie Reiger	TV
	''The Crying Game''	Jude O'Hara
	Ingrid Fleming
''Enchanted April''	Rose Arbuthnot
		Clara
''The Line, the Cross and the Curve''	Mysterious woman
	''Absolutely Fabulous''	Bettina	TV
''Tom & Viv''	Vivienne Haigh-Wood	National Board of Review Award for Best ActressNominated — Academy Award for Best ActressNominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading RoleNominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
	Charlie Maguire	Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
''The Night and the Moment''	Julie
	''The Evening Star''	Patsy Carpenter	Society of Texas Film Critics Awards 1996
	Carolyn Stilton
	''[[The Designated Mourner''	Judy
''Saint-Ex''	Consuelo
''The Apostle''	Toosie	Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female
''A Dance to the Music of Time''	Pamela Flitton	TVNominated — British Academy Television Award for Best Actress
		Miss Gilchrist
''[[The Scold's Bridle''	Dr Sarah Blakeney
	Queen Mab / The Lady of the Lake	Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
		Queen of Hearts / Society Woman
''The Big Brass Ring''	Dinah Pellarin	Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
''Blackadder: Back & Forth''
''The King and I''	Anna Leonowens
		Gloria Carter
''Chicken Run''	Mrs. Tweedy	Voice Only
	Mary Magdalene	Voice Only
	2001	''Snow White: Fairest of Them All''	Elspeth / Queen
		Vanessa Bell	Nominated — Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best CastNominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
	Yvonne / Mrs. Cleg	San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting ActressSant Jordi Award for Best Foreign Actress Toronto Film Critics Association Awards 2003
	''[[The Lost Prince''
''The Rage In Placid Lake''	Sylvia Lake
	Mary Field
	''The Prince and Me''	Queen Rosalind
''Churchill: The Hollywood Years''	Eva Braun
	Madame Giry
''Absolutely Fabulous''	Bettina "White Box"	TV
	''Midsummer Dream''	Queen Titania	Voice Only
	Rita Skeeter
	''Gideon's Daughter''	Stella	TVNominated — Satellite Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
''Merlin's Apprentice''	Lady of the Lake	TV
''Wah-Wah''	Lauren Compton
	Veronica Scott
''Paris, je t'aime‎''	The Wife	Segment: ''Bastille''
		Mabs Tucker
''Fred Claus''	Mrs. Annette Claus
''Southland Tales''	Nana Mae Van Adler-Frost
	Catherine Kenney
''The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle''	Helena	TV
	2009	''The Young Victoria''
	''Made in Dagenham''	Barbara Castle	Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
	Rita Skeeter
	Katherine Rhumor	TV

Awards and nominations

Academy Award

Nominated (1993): Best Supporting Actress, ''Damage''

Nominated (1995): Best Actress, ''Tom & Viv''

BAFTA Award

Nominated (1988): Best Actress, ''After Pilkington'' (TV)

Nominated (1993): Best Supporting Actress, ''The Crying Game''

'''Won (1993): Best Supporting Actress, ''Damage''

Nominated (1994): Best Actress, ''Tom & Viv''

Nominated (1998): Best Actress, ''A Dance to the Music of Time'' (TV)

Nominated (2004): Best Actress, ''The Lost Prince'' (TV)

Nominated (2011): Best Supporting Actress, ''Made in Dagenham''

Golden Globe Award

Won (1993): Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical/Comedy, ''Enchanted April''

Nominated (1993): Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture, ''Damage''

Nominated (1995): Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama, ''Tom & Viv''

Won (1995): Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV, ''Fatherland''

Nominated (1999): Best Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV, ''Merlin''

Nominated (2000): Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV, ''The Big Brass Ring''

Nominated (2005): Best Actress in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television, ''The Lost Prince''

Laurence Olivier Award

Nominated (1988): Best Actress, ''A Lie of the Mind''

Notes

External links

Category:1958 births Category:Alumni of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School Category:BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe (television) winners Category:English film actors Category:English stage actors Category:English television actors Category:English radio actors Category:English voice actors Category:Living people Category:People from Southport Category:Royal National Theatre Company members

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