Jollie, Thomas (the Elder) (1629-09-14 - 1703-03-14)

Born at Droylesden, near Manchester 14 September 1629 to James Jollie, a wealthy clothier, and Elizabeth Lowe of Denton (formerly the wife of John Hall). entered Trinity College, Cambridge where he developed a friendship with Oliver Heywood, but never graduated. Made pastor at the congregationalist chapel of Altham, Whalley parish, Lancashire in September 1649. While there, he married four times but the names of his wives are unknown. At the Restoration, his strict congregationalist views and practices caused him to be repeatedly arrested. He relocated to Healey ca. 1662, and then ran a meetinghouse out of a farmstead in Wymondhouses, near Altham in 1669 but, apart from a brief respite in 1672 when his meetinghouse was licensed under the Declaration of Indulgence, he continued to be prosecuted for his activities. Nevetheless, he continued preaching in conventicles and in large circuits throughout the West Riding of Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cheshire, and Westmorland. The 1687 Declaration of Indulgence finally allowed Jollie relief from persecution, allowing his congregation to worship in the open at New Chapel, Wymondhouses from 1688. He sought to promote an association of dissenting ministers, but his involvement in the exorcism of Richard Dugdale in 1690 caused a souring of relations with many ministers. He became engaged in a pamphlet war with the publication of The Surey demoniack, or, An account of Satans strange and dreadful actings in and about the body of Richard Dugdale of Surey in 1697. Died 14 March 1703, and was buried at Altham, 18 March.

"Mr. Jollie" is the preacher of several sermons at Frankland's academy c. 1686-1688, as recorded in BL Add MS 54185. The BL manuscript catalogue identifies him as Thomas Jollie the elder. This attribution is not entirely certain, since in one place the cataloguer also identifies him as Timothy Jollie the elder.