Barnabas Simpson
Barnabas Simpson was an English clergyman.
Early life
Simpson was the son of Rev. Robert Simpson, a Westmerian Puritan minister. The choosing of his name was perhaps a token of appreciation to Barnaby Potter, who from 1629 to 1642 was Bishop of Carlisle, the family's most important patron. Simpson matriculated at The Queen's College, Oxford on 15 July 1652, graduating a B.A. on 11 July 1656 and M.A. on 21 April 1659. He was designated a fellow of The Queen's College on 1 March 1659.Career
Simpson was ordained as a deacon and priest by Robert Skinner, Bishop of Oxford. In 1661, he was instituted to two offices, both of Westmorland, by Richard Sterne, Bishop of Carlisle: the vicariate of Bongate on 1 November and the rectorate of Ormside on 5 November. The Bongate Registers record that Simpson "publiquely reade ye whole booke of Articles ye twenteth day of Aprill 1662" in its parish church "on ye Sabboth day and in ye time of divine Service and did thereunto willingly and ex animo give his full assent and Consent."Perhaps the most prominent of Simpson's patrons was Lady Anne Clifford, who had the right of appointment to Long Marton and was said to have had Simpson's father Robert as her chaplain. In 1675, she paid tithe of £5 to him.
Simpson resigned as rector of Ormside in 1679 and on 8 January of that year was instituted to the rectorate of Long Marton. He held both the Bongate and Long Marton livings until his death.
In December 1700, Simpson signed a petition to Sir Christopher Musgrave, 4th Baronet requesting that he stand for the constituency of Westmorland in the interests of the established church. Musgrave stood, and won, in the January 1701 election alongside Henry Graham. Simpson was a correspondent of the bishop of Carlisle William Nicolson, to whom he was perhaps related by marriage, and was invited to dine with him on at least one occasion. During the election of 1702, he again sided with Musgrave and Graham, for whom Nicolson had canvassed strongly amongst the clergy.
As a result of Simpson's pluralism, Nicolson noted in his 1703 visitation that his Bongate livings had fallen into disrepair.
Nicolson also noted that his Long Marton livings were in a similar condition.
The church livings of Ormside and Bongate were valued at £40 each in the early 18th century and Long Marton around four times as much, indicating that Simpson ranked amongst the most prosperous clergy of the time.