THE RECTORS THE REV. JOHN KEWLEY, M.D. JOHN KEWLEY was born in England about 1770 of Roman Catholic parents. He was educated across the Channel at St. Omer, where a Roman Catholic college for British youth was located, and later at Douay, which contains a Roman Catholic university founded by Philip II. in 1562 and a noted seminary for English priests. He spent some time successively at the universities of London, Edinburgh, and Glasgow, at the last named receiving the degree of doctor of medicine. He was at this period of his life, as he claimed, “a sincere professor of the Roman Catholic religion and continued so till a more free intercourse with the world led me into a state of apathy respecting religion." In the next glimpse obtainable of him in his somewhat erratic career we find that he had drifted to one of the West India islands where he was practising medicine. He is said to have joined " Lady Huntington's persuasion" and preached somewhat among that body and the Methodists. We next learn of him as residing in Cumberland, Maryland, and assisting in the organization of Emmanuel parish, April 11, 1803, of which he was elected registrar. He at once officiated as lay reader and was sent as a delegate to the ensuing diocesan convention. The vestry furthermore recommended him to the Bishop and Standing Committee as a candidate for Holy Orders. He was ordered deacon June 19, 1803, by the Right Rev. Thomas J. Claggett in St. Paul's Church, Prince George County, the clergymen assisting in the service being the Rev. Henry Lyon Davis and the Rev. Walter Delany Addison. He was ordained priest by the same bishop in St. Peter's Church, Baltimore, the priests assisting in the laying on of hands being the Rev. John Coleman and the Rev. George Dashiell. His appointment as minister of the parish dates from January 1, 1803, at a salary of one hundred pounds and his resignation as rector took effect January 1, 1805. His next rectorship was in Chester Parish, Kent County, Maryland. At the annual convention of the diocese Dr. Kewley was the preacher on Tuesday in Whitsun week, |