1615

John Davenport, Rev

1613–1615 — Oxford: Merton College and Magdalen Hall

University Formation in Reformed Theology

• Description: Davenport entered Merton College, Oxford, in 1613 and migrated to Magdalen Hall two years later. Both colleges had reputations as centers of Calvinist and Reformed sympathy. He left Oxford before completing his degree — financial constraints forced the interruption — but the intellectual formation he received there grounded his subsequent ministry in rigorous Reformed theology.
• Source: Francis J. Bremer, "The Davenport Project," Millersville University — https://sites.millersville.edu/fbremer/Bremer/Davenport.html
• Quote: "John was educated at the town grammar school and then entered Merton College, Oxford in 1613. Two years later he migrated to Magdalen Hall. Both of these colleges had a reputation as centers of religious reform." — Bremer, "The Davenport Project"

1615–1619 — Chaplain at Hylton Castle, County Durham

First Pastoral Ministry

• Description: Before completing his Oxford degree Davenport accepted a living as chaplain at Hylton Castle in County Durham. This gave him his first sustained pastoral experience outside the academy, and placed him in a position of personal ministry before he had formally credentialed himself. It was during this period that his Puritan convictions began to solidify in practice rather than in theory.
• Source: Francis J. Bremer, "The Davenport Project," Millersville University — https://sites.millersville.edu/fbremer/Bremer/Davenport.html
• Quote: "Before graduating, Davenport left Magdalen Hall to accept a living as chaplain at Hylton Castle in county Durham." — Bremer, "The Davenport Project"