Thomas Bray
Thomas Bray was an influential Anglican priest and missionary active during the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Born in England, he was educated at All Souls College, Oxford, and was ordained in 1681. Bray served as vicar in Over-Whitacre and later became the rector of Sheldon in Warwickshire. His significant contributions began during his visit to the Maryland colony in 1696, where he restructured the church and advocated for improved educational practices for children. He was instrumental in establishing the Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge, promoting the creation of Christian libraries and schools throughout the colonies. Notably, Bray's sermons and writings addressed social justice issues, including the rights of enslaved Africans and the conditions of displaced American Indians, as well as advocating for better prison conditions in England. He played a key role in supporting the establishment of the Georgia colony as a refuge for English debtors. Bray served as rector of St. Botolph Without, Aldgate in London from 1706 until his death, leaving a legacy of social and educational reform.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Thomas Bray
Clergyman
- Born: 1656
- Birthplace: Marton, Shropshire, England
- Died: February 15, 1730
- Place of death: London, England
Biography
Thomas Bray, Anglican priest and missionary in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, was born in England and attended All Souls College at Oxford. He was ordained as a minister in 1681 and served as vicar of Over-Whitacre; he was selected as rector for Sheldon in Warwickshire in 1690. The priest was sent to the colony of Maryland in 1696 to evaluate and report on the church’s condition, and during his ten-week stay, he restructured the church, revising its approach to the teaching of children and implementing a system for the review and consideration of pastoral candidates. Thomas Bray helped found the Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge, which advocated the development of Christian libraries in the colonies, and he established numerous libraries and schools.
Thomas Bray’s sermons and writings defended the rights of enslaved Africans and displaced American Indians, and he fought to improve prison conditions in his native England. Thomas Bray also encouraged General James Edward Oglethorpe in the founding of the Georgia colony as a settlement to which English debtors could be sent. At that time, debtors were being imprisoned in England’s jails. Thomas Bray was appointed rector of St. Botolph Without, Aldgate, in London in 1706, where he remained until his death.