Joseph Jane

Joseph Jane (died 1660) was an English royalist politician and controversialist.

Life

He was born into an old family which had long been influential in Liskeard, Cornwall. His father was mayor there in 1621, and 1625 he was himself mayor of Liskeard, and in 1626 was elected as Member of Parliament for Liskeard. He was re-elected in 1640 to the Long Parliament.

He was a royalist, and followed the king to Oxford in 1643. Next year he was one of the royal commissioners in Cornwall, where in August 1644 he entertained Charles I in his house. During 1645 and 1646 he was in correspondence with Sir Edward Hyde, afterwards earl of Clarendon, on the state of the royalist cause in Cornwall. On its failure Jane lost his estates, and had to pay a heavy composition. Remaining true to his principles, in 1650 and again in 1654 he was named clerk of the royal council .

His son William Jane was Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford.

Works

Jane undertook to answer John Milton's ‘Eἰκονοκλάστης’ in a work ‘Eἰκών Ἂκλαστος; the Image Unbroken, a Perspective of the Impudence, Falsehoode, Vanitie, and Prophaneness published in a libel entitled “Eἰκονοκλάστης against Eἰκών Βασιλικὴ,”’ published in 1651 (without place). It is a laborious answer to Milton, and takes his paragraphs in detail. Writing to Secretary Nicholas in June 1652, Edward Hyde said ‘the king has a singular good esteem both of Joseph Jane and of his book.’ Hyde shared this high opinion of the man, but doubted whether the book was worth translating into French, the better to counteract the effect of Milton's, as had been proposed.

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Jane, Joseph". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.