Nicholas Ferrar

Nicholas Ferrar
Nicholas Ferrar, from a portrait by Cornelius Janssens, the original of which hangs in Magdalene College, Cambridge, alongside those of his parents.
Deacon
Born	22 February 1592 London
Died	4 December 1637 Little Gidding, Huntingdonshire
Venerated in	Anglican Communion
Feast	4 December (Church of England), 1 December (Episcopal Church (United States))

Nicholas Ferrar (22 February 1592 – 4 December 1637) was an English scholar, courtier, businessman and man of religion. Ordained as a deacon in the Church of England and having lost much of the family fortune in the Virginia Company, he retreated with his extended family in 1626 to the manor of Little Gidding in Huntingdonshire. There he lived for his remaining years in an informal spiritual community, following High Anglican practice.

His friend, poet and minister George Herbert (1593–1633) on his deathbed sent Ferrar the manuscript of The Temple, telling him to publish the poems if he thought they might "turn to the advantage of any dejected poor soul" and, "If not, let him burn it; for I and it are less than the least of God's mercies." Ferrar published them in 1633, and Herbert's poems have remained in print ever since. They are considered among the masterworks of the English language.

Nicholas Ferrar was born in London, the third son and fifth child (of six) of Nicholas Ferrar and his wife Mary (née Woodnoth). At the age of four he was sent to a nearby school, and is said to have been reading perfectly by the age of five. He was confirmed by the Bishop of London in 1598, contriving to have the bishop lay hands on him twice. In 1600 he was sent away to boarding school in Berkshire, and in 1605, aged 13, he entered Clare Hall, Cambridge. He was elected a fellow-commoner at the end of his first year, took his B.A. in 1610 and elected a fellow the following year. He first met George Herbert, known as a metaphysical poet, as a Cambridge undergraduate. Ferrar suffered from poor health and was advised to travel to continental Europe, and away from the damp air of Cambridge.