Ryther, John (1632-01-01 - 1681-06-01)

Born between 1631 and 1635 in Yorkshire to John Rither, a tanner and Quaker. Admitted sizar at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge in 1650. Vicar of Frodingham and Bromby from 1655 until ejection in 1660. Became vicar of North Ferriby, Yorkshire, but was ejected again with the Act of Uniformity in 1662. Preached from his house in Brough, but forced from there with the Five Mile Act in 1666. Became pastor of an Independent church at Bradford-dale in 1668. Imprisoned in 1669 for preaching at chapelries in Halifax. Relocated to London in 1669. His new congregation there built a meeting-house in Wapping, Middlesex. Ordained Independent minister in 1670. Gained a reputation as the "Seaman's Preacher" and convicted again of illegal preaching, but he managed to evade arrest, allegedly with the help of his congregation of sailors. Published a series of sermons on Jonah in 1672, A Plat for Mariners, which was republished many times into the nineteenth century. He and his wife Margaret had a son John, also a preacher, and a daughter, Rachel. Died June 1681.