Obadiah Grew

Obadiah Grew (1607–1689) was an English nonconformist minister.

Grew was born at Atherstone, Warwickshire on 1 November 1607, the third son of Francis Grew and Elizabeth Denison. He was baptised the same day at the parish church of Mancetter, Warwickshire. Francis Grew was a layman, originally of good estate but impoverished by prosecutions for nonconformity in the high commission court and Star-chamber. Obadiah was educated at Reading, under his uncle, John Denison, and was admitted a student at Balliol College, Oxford, in 1624, his tutor being Richard Trimnell. He graduated B.A. on 12 February 1629, M.A. on 5 July 1632. In 1632 he was elected master of the Atherstone grammar school.

He was ordained in 1635 by Robert Wright, bishop of Coventry and Lichfield. He was probably lecturer at Atherstone, as well as master of the school. At the outbreak of the First English Civil War he sided with the parliamentary party. Among the thirty parliamentary divines who crowded into Coventry for safety in 1642 were Richard Vines, rector of Weddington, Warwickshire, and Grew, his near neighbour. Both were appointed to preach at St. Michael's Church, which the royalist vicar. William Panting, had deserted. At the end of 1643 the solemn league and covenant was taken in St. Michael's by all the parishioners. In March 1644 Grew obtained the vicarage from the city corporation. The vestry books of 1645 show some puritan changes; the old font was replaced by a new one, and the brass eagle was sold. The bells, however, were kept in order.

In 1646 Grew took part with John Bryan in a public disputation on infant baptism at Trinity Church, with Hanserd Knollys and another. Towards the end of 1648 Oliver Cromwell was in Coventry on his way to London from Scotland; Grew pleaded with him for the king's life. On 10 October 1651 he accumulated the degrees of B.D. and D.D. at Oxford. In 1654 he was made assistant to the Warwickshire commission for removing scandalous ministers. He was a member of the Kenilworth classis, which included over twenty churches. He approved the rising of the 'new royalists ' in August 1659 (see George Booth) and though threatened by John Lambert's soldiers, then holding Coventry, refused to read the proclamation against Booth, as required by authority. He welcomed the Restoration.

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