Hannah Wood
ODNB; AO (Foster)
Born in Burford, Oxfordshire, Heylyn attended Burford Grammar School before matriculating from Magdalen College, Oxford in 1616. He graduated B.A. in 1617, proceeded M.A. in 1620, B.D. in 1629, and D.D. in 1633. In 1621 he published his lectures on historical geography in a work entitled "Microcosmos: a Little Description of the Great World," which proved highly popular; he also published several poetic works of satire at the beginning of his career. Heylyn became the chaplain to Charles I in 1631 and was licenced to preach in 1633; he was made canon of Westminster in 1631, rector of Hemingford the same year, rector of Houghton-le-Spring in 1632, rector of Alresford in 1633, and rector of South Warnborough in 1639. A controversial figure since his early university days, Heylyn sought the patronage of William Laud by taking on his opponents in polemical pamphlets and sending him exposés and sermons he had penned. Heylyn's prolific writings earned him favour and rich livings, but his fortunes were reversed with the onset of the civil war. He was sequestered from Alresford in 1644 and South Warnborough in 1645; with his goods and assets having been seized, Heylyn retired to Winchester and occupied himself with his writings, often combative and controversial in nature. Heylyn was restored to his livings upon the Restoration, but did not receive any promotions, likely on account of his onset blindness and his lack of patrons at court. Heylyn died in 1662 and was survived by his wife Letitia. His corpus of writings, especially those on the subject of the English Reformation, was his lasting legacy.