Definition
Theophilus Higgons (c. 1578 – 1659) was an English Anglican divine who twice changed his religious allegiance, first converting from Anglicanism to Roman Catholicism and later returning to the Church of England.
Overview
Born at Chilton, near Brill in Buckinghamshire, Higgons was the son of Robert Higgons. He received early education at the free school in Thame, Oxfordshire, before entering Christ Church, Oxford, as a student in November 1592 at the age of fourteen. He earned a Bachelor of Arts on 20 October 1597 and a Master of Arts on 4 June 1600. While at Christ Church, Higgons displayed Puritan sympathies, notably sawing down a maypole as censor.
In 1605, following the promotion of Thomas Ravis to Bishop of Gloucester, Higgils became Ravis’s domestic chaplain and later followed him to London, where he was appointed lecturer at St Dunstan’s, Fleet Street. His preaching earned him popularity, but his secret marriage caused disapproval among his congregation, leading him to leave his wife and relocate to the north of England.
Disillusioned, Higgons converted to Roman Catholicism, likely under the influence of the Jesuit John Floyd. He spent two years in France, studying at Douai and the College of St Omer, and adopted the pseudonym Thomas Forster while residing in Rouen. Unable to secure a Catholic benefice, he was reconverted to Protestantism by Thomas Morton, after which he became rector of Hunton, Kent. During the First English Civil War his benefice was sequestered, and he spent his final years under the protection of a local gentleman in Maidstone, where he died in 1659 and was buried in the town’s churchyard.
Higgons was a prolific author. His works include theological treatises such as A Scholastical Examination of Man's Iniquity and God's Justice (1608), apologetic writings defending his Catholic conversion (Apology, refuting Sir E. Hoby's Letter, 1609), and later Protestant works like Reasons proving the lawfulness of the Oath of Allegiance (1611) and Mystical Babylon (1624). He also published sermons and a miscellany of passages from Master Freeman, rector of Hunton.
Etymology/Origin
The given name Theophilus derives from the Greek Θεόφιλος, meaning “friend of God” (theos = God, philos = friend or lover). The surname Higgons is of English origin, likely a variant of “Higgins,” a patronymic name meaning “son of Hugh.”
Characteristics
- Religious affiliation: Initially Anglican, converted to Roman Catholicism (c. 1609–c. 1610), then returned to Anglicanism.
- Academic background: Educated at Christ Church, Oxford; attained B.A. and M.A. degrees.
- Clerical positions: Domestic chaplain to Bishop Thomas Ravis; lecturer at St Dunstan’s, Fleet Street; rector of Hunton, Kent.
- Literary output: Authored theological treatises, apologetic pamphlets, sermons, and polemical works under both his own name and the pseudonym Thomas Forster.
- Political context: Lived through the early Stuart period and the English Civil War; his clerical benefice was sequestrated during the conflict.
Related Topics
- Anglicanism and Puritanism in early 17th‑century England
- Religious conversion and recusancy in post‑Reformation England
- The English Civil War (1642–1651) and its impact on clergy
- Christ Church, Oxford, and its role in shaping early modern theologians
- John Floyd, English Jesuit missionary
- Thomas Morton, Anglican polemicist who influenced Higgons’s reconversion
- The College of Douai and the English Catholic diaspora in France.