CALAMY, Edmund, grandson to the preceding (by
his eldest son, Mr Edmund Calamy, who was ejected from
the living of Moxton in Essex, on St Bartholomew's day
1662), was born in London on the 5th April 1671. After
having learned the languages, and gone through a course
of natural philosophy and logic at a private academy in
England, he studied philosophy and civil law at the uni-
versity of Utrecht, and attended the lectures of the learned
Grævius. Whilst he resided there, an offer of a pro-
fessor's chair in the university of Edinburgh was made him
by Mr Carstairs, principal of that university, sent over on Calamy
purpose to find a person properly qualified for such an Calamy.
office. This he declined, and returned to England in 1691,
bringing with him letters from Grævius to Dr Pococke,
canon of Christ-church, and regius professor of Hebrew,
and to Dr Bernard, Savilian professor of astronomy, who
obtained leave for him to prosecute his studies in the Bod-
leian Library. Having resolved to make divinity his prin-
cipal study, he entered into an examination of the contro-
versy between the conformists and nonconformists, which
determined him to join the latter, and, coming to London
in 1692, he was unanimously chosen assistant to Mr Mat-
thew Sylvester at Blackfriars; and in 1694 he was ordain-
ed at Mr Annesley's meeting-house in Little St Helena,
and soon afterwards was invited to become assistant to Mr
Daniel Williams in Hand-Alley. In 1702 he was chosen
one of the lecturers in Salters Hall; and in 1703 he suc-
ceeded Mr Vincent Alsop as pastor of a great congregation
in Westminster. He drew up the table of contents to Mr
Baxter's History of his Life and Times, which was sent to
the press in 1696; made some remarks on the work itself,
and added to it an index; and, reflecting on the useful-
ness of the book, he saw the expediency of continuing
it, as Mr Baxter's history came no lower than the year
1684. Accordingly he composed an abridgment of it, with
an account of many other ministers who were ejected
after the restoration of Charles II.; their apology, con-
taining the grounds of their nonconformity and practice
as to stated and occasional communion with the church
of England; and a continuation of their history until the
year 1691. This work was published in 1702. He af-
terwards published a moderate defence of nonconformity,
in three tracts, in answer to some tracts of Dr Hoadley.
In 1709 Mr Calamy made a tour to Scotland, and had
the degree of doctor of divinity conferred on him by the
universities of Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Glasgow. In
1713 he published a second edition of his Abridgment
of Mr Baxter's History of his Life and Times; in which,
among various additions, there is a continuation of the
history through King William's reign and Queen Anne's,
down to the passing of the occasional bill; and in the
close is subjoined the reformed liturgy, which was drawn
up and presented to the bishops in 1661, "that the
world may judge," as he says in his preface, "how fairly
the ejected ministers have been often represented as irre-
concilable enemies to all liturgies." In 1718 he wrote
a vindication of his grandfather, and several other persons,
against certain reflections cast upon them by Mr Arch-
deacon Echard in his History of England; and in 1728
appeared his continuation of the account of the ministers,
lecturers, masters, and fellows of colleges, and school-
masters, who were ejected, after the Restoration in 1660,
by or before the act of uniformity. He died on the 3d of
June 1732, greatly regretted, not only by the dissenters,
but also by the moderate members of the established
church, both clergy and laity, with many of whom he
lived in great intimacy. Besides the pieces already men-
tioned, he published a great many sermons on several sub-
jects and occasions. He was twice married, and had thir-
teen children.