View source for Samuel Seabury

{{Short description|American Episcopal Bishop (1729–1796)}}
{{other people}}
{{use mdy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
| type = Bishop
| honorific-prefix = [[The Most Reverend]]
| honorific-suffix = 
| name = Samuel Seabury
| title = [[List of presiding bishops of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America|2nd Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church]]
| image = Ralph Earl - Samuel Seabury - NPG.84.171 - National Portrait Gallery.jpg
| alt = 
| caption = 
| church = [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal Church]]
| archdiocese = 
| diocese = 
| see = 
| term = 1789–1792
| predecessor = [[William White (bishop of Pennsylvania)|William White]]
| successor = [[Samuel Provoost]]
| other_post = [[Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut|Bishop of Connecticut]] <small>''(1784–1796)''</small><br>[[Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island|Bishop of Rhode Island]] <small>''(1790–1796)''</small>
<!--   Orders   -->| ordination = December 23, 1753
| ordained_by = [[Richard Osbaldeston]]
| consecration = November 14, 1784
| consecrated_by = [[Robert Kilgour]]
| rank = <!--   Personal details   -->
| birth_date = November 30, 1729
| birth_place = [[Ledyard, Connecticut|North Groton, Connecticut]], [[British America]] 
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1796|02|25|1729|11|30}}
| death_place = [[New London, Connecticut]], U.S.
| buried = [[St. James Episcopal Church (New London, Connecticut)]]
| resting_place_coordinates = 
| nationality = [[Americans|American]]
| religion = [[Anglicanism|Anglican]]
| residence = 
| parents = Samuel Seabury & Abigail Mumford
| spouse = Mary Hicks
| children = 5
| occupation = 
| profession = <!-- or | previous_post = -->
| education = 
| alma_mater = [[Yale College]]<br>[[University of Edinburgh]]
| motto = 
| signature = 
| signature_alt = 
| coat_of_arms = 
| coat_of_arms_alt = 
| feast_day = November 14
| venerated = [[Church of England]] [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal Church]] [[Anglican Church in North America]]
}}
{{Ordination
| denomination = Church of England, Episcopal Church (United States)
| name = {{PAGENAMEBASE}}
| ordained deacon by = [[John Thomas (bishop of Salisbury)|John Thomas]], ([[Bishop of Lincoln|Lincoln]])
| date of diaconal ordination = 21 December 1753
| place of diaconal ordination = [[Fulham Palace]]
| ordained priest by = [[Richard Osbaldeston]], ([[Bishop of Carlisle|Carlisle]])
| date of priestly ordination = 23 December 1753
| place of priestly ordination = [[Fulham Palace]]
| consecrated by = [[Robert Kilgour]], ([[Bishop of Aberdeen|Aberdeen]])
| co-consecrators = {{plainlist|
*[[Arthur Petrie]] ([[Diocese of Moray, Ross and Caithness|Moray, Ross and Caithness]])
*[[John Skinner (bishop)|John Skinner]] ([[Bishop of Aberdeen|Aberdeen]])
}}
| date of consecration = 14 November 1784
| place of consecration = Bishop John Skinner's house, Longacre, [[Aberdeen]]
| elevated by = 
| date of elevation = 
| bishop 1 = 
| consecration date 1 = 
| sources = 
}}

'''Samuel Seabury''' (November 30, 1729{{spaced ndash}}February 25, 1796) was the first [[United States|American]] [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal]] [[bishop]], the second [[Presiding Bishop]] of the [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal Church in the United States of America]], and the first Bishop of [[Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut|Connecticut]]. He was a leading [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|Loyalist]] in New York City during the [[American Revolution]] and a known rival of [[Alexander Hamilton]].

==Early life and education==
He was born in [[Ledyard, Connecticut|North Groton (since renamed Ledyard), Connecticut]], in 1729 in a home that still stands as a Historic Landmark on the corner of Church Hill Road and Spicer Hill Road in [[Ledyard, Connecticut|Ledyard]], [[Connecticut]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2009-11-12|title=Samuel Seabury – Ledyard CT – Connecticut Historical Markers on Waymarking.com|url=https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM7N61_Samuel_Seabury_Ledyard_CT|access-date=|website=www.waymarking.com}}</ref> His father, also Samuel Seabury (1706–1764), was originally a [[Congregational church|Congregationalist]] minister in [[Groton, Connecticut|Groton]] but was ordained deacon and priest in the [[Church of England]] in 1730. Seabury, the father, was a rector in [[New London, Connecticut]], from 1732 to 1743, and of [[St. George's Episcopal Church (Hempstead, New York)|St George's]], [[Hempstead (village), New York|Hempstead]], New York on [[Long Island]] from 1743 until his death. Samuel Seabury, the father, claimed as property a slave named Newport, who is documented in his will. <ref>{{Cite book|url=http://hdl.handle.net/2027/coo.31924067113500|title=Abstracts of wills on file in the Surrogate's office,city of New York.|series=New-York Historical Society. Collections. The John Watts de Peyster publication fund series,v. 25–41|date=1893–1913|publisher=New York|hdl=2027/coo.31924067113500}}</ref>

Samuel Seabury, his son, graduated from [[Yale College]] in 1748, and studied [[theology]] with his father. He studied medicine in [[Edinburgh Medical School]] from 1752 to 1753 and was ordained [[Deacon#Anglicanism|deacon]] by [[John Thomas (Bishop of Salisbury)|John Thomas]], [[Bishop of Lincoln]], and [[Priest#Anglican or Episcopalian|priest]] by [[Richard Osbaldeston]], [[Bishop of Carlisle]], on December 21 and 23 respectively, 1753. Seabury was [[Rector (ecclesiastical)|rector]] of [[Christ Church, New Brunswick, New Jersey]], from 1754 to 1757, rector in [[Jamaica, New York]], from 1757 to 1766, and of St. Peter's, Westchester (now the [[Westchester_Square,_Bronx|Westchester Square]] neighborhood of [[The Bronx]]) from 1766 to 1775.

== Seabury and slavery ==
Samuel Seabury grew up in an economy based on slavery, and in a slaveholding family. His father legally owned at least one slave, Newport, who is marked in his will.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://hdl.handle.net/2027/coo.31924067113500|title=Abstracts of wills on file in the Surrogate's office,city of New York.|series=New-York Historical Society. Collections. The John Watts de Peyster publication fund series, v. 25–41|date=1893–1913|publisher=New York|hdl=2027/coo.31924067113500}}</ref> Samuel Seabury became a slaveholder when he married Mary Hicks on October 12, 1756. Seabury's father-in-law, Edward Hicks, gifted his daughter with an enslaved woman.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Steiner|first=Bruce|title=Samuel Seabury, 1729–1796; A Study in the High Church Tradition|publisher=[[Ohio University Press]]|year=1971|location=Oberlin|pages=65–66}}</ref> Edward Hicks promised the Seaburys a certain level of financial assistance and his failure to do so soon became part of a legal dispute. As part of the ongoing dispute in the 1760s, Hicks transferred the ownership of four slaves to Samuel Seabury. Hicks and the four enslaved people later moved into the Seabury home. After Hicks died, Seabury transferred three of the slaves back to the Hicks estate. Seabury continued to legally own one slave, Charles, as his property.<ref>“Certifying the transfer of four slaves to father-in-law Edward Hicks from Samuel Seabury, 1765,” Samuel Seabury Papers, MSS Se116, General Theological Seminary, New York, NY. For greater understanding of family financial dispute and estimate of slave worth see, Steiner, Samuel Seabury, 66, 75–79.</ref>

According to the 1790 census, the Seabury household in [[New London, Connecticut|New London]] had three slaves.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1790/heads_of_families/connecticut/1790b-04.pdf|title=Wayback Machine|website=www2.census.gov}}</ref> After the Bishop died, a probate inventory of his estate listed a 38-year-old woman, Nell, and a 9-year-old girl, Rose.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Register |url-access=subscription |url=https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/9049/images/007628892_00375?usePUB=true&pId=2958307&img=1|access-date=2021-04-22|website=www.ancestry.com}}</ref> Seabury's journal notes that Nell worked in the parsonage house at St. James's Episcopal Church in New London, where he and his daughter Maria lived.<ref>“Seabury’s Journal B. 1791–1795,” The Bishop Samuel Seabury Papers, General Theological Seminary, Item 453, as cited in Steiner, 314.</ref>

==American Revolution and dispute with Alexander Hamilton==
Seabury was one of the signatories of the White Plains Protest of April 1775 against all unlawful congresses and committees and, in many other ways, he proved himself a devoted Loyalist. He wrote "Free Thoughts on the Proceedings of the Continental Congress" (1774) under the pen name A. W. Farmer (standing for "a Westchester farmer"), which was followed by "The Congress Canvassed" (1774). [[Alexander Hamilton]] responded to these open letters in "[[A Full Vindication of the Measures of Congress]], from the Calumnies of their Enemies". Seabury wrote a third "Farmer's Letter" entitled "A View of the Controversy between Great Britain and her Colonies" to answer Hamilton, and Hamilton completed the exchange by writing "[[The Farmer Refuted]]" (1775).

The three "Farmer's Letters" are forceful presentations of the Loyalist claim, written in a plain, hard-headed style. Their authorship was long in question, but it is certain that Seabury claimed them in England in 1783, when he was seeking episcopal consecration. At the same time, he claimed authorship of a letter entitled "An Alarm to the Legislature of the Province of New York" (1775), not signed by the Westchester farmer, which discussed the power of what he viewed as the only legal political body in the colony. Seabury's clarity of style and general ease of reading set him apart from his ecclesiastical colleagues throughout his life.

The pieces Seabury wrote under the pen name A.W. Farmer in the ''Letters to a Westchester Farmer'' display not only Seabury’s Loyalism, but a particular view of social hierarchy and slavery. In “A View of the Controversy,” Seabury wrote that “liberty is a very good thing, and slavery a very bad thing” and later notes that “abject slavery” equated in some way with “cruel oppression.” In his Revolutionary writings, he indicated that slavery was a state that individuals, namely white Loyalists, must avoid. In this Seabury aligned with his rebel American counterparts, such as Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, though he was on the opposite side of the conflict.<ref>Samuel Seabury, Letters of a Westchester Farmer (White Plains, NY: Westchester County Historical Society, 1930), 109, 120.</ref> 

Seabury was arrested in November 1775 by local Patriots and was kept in prison in Connecticut for six weeks. He was prevented from carrying out his ministry; after some time in Long Island, he took refuge in New York City where he was appointed chaplain to the [[King's American Regiment]] in 1778. At the end of the war, he stayed in the United States; he moved to Connecticut and was loyal to the new government.

==Ecclesial career==
[[Image:Seaburytablet.JPG|thumb|250px|right|Tablet marking Seabury's consecration at [[Marischal College]], [[Aberdeen]]]]
On March 25, 1783, a meeting of ten Episcopal clergy at the [[Glebe House (Woodbury, Connecticut)|Glebe House]] in [[Woodbury, Connecticut]], elected Seabury bishop as their second choice (a [[favorite son]] was elected first but declined for health reasons). There were no Anglican bishops in America to consecrate him and so he sailed to London on July 7. In England, however, his consecration was considered to be impossible because, as an American citizen, he could no longer take the [[Oath of Allegiance (United Kingdom)|oath of allegiance to the King]]. He then turned to the [[Scottish Episcopal Church]], although he had also approached the surviving [[Nonjuring schism|non-juring]] bishops in England, William Cartwright of Shrewsbury and Kenrick Price of Manchester.<ref>The Nonjurors, by S. L. Ollard, from S.L. Ollard and Gordon Crosse, eds. A Dictionary of English Church History, London: Mowbray and Co., Ltd, 1912, pages 411–414.</ref> The Episcopalians in Scotland were and are not the established church; they were a legally recognized but oppressed church which refused to recognize the [[House of Hanover|Hanoverian]] kings. Earlier scandal had been caused by the presence of two [[Nonjuring schism|non-juring]] bishops in America in the 1720s (John Talbot and Robert Welton)<ref name=rector group=N>Talbot was the rector of [[St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Burlington, New Jersey]]</ref> who were removed from their positions after being accused of schism in the Church of England in America.<ref name="hills">{{cite journal |last1=Hills |first1=George Morgan |date=1879 |title=John Talbot, the first Bishop in North America |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/20084381.pdf |journal=The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=32–55 |jstor=20084381 |access-date=27 June 2018 }}</ref>   

Seabury was consecrated in [[Aberdeen]] on November 14, 1784, on the condition that he study the Scottish rite of [[Holy Communion]] and work for its adoption, rather than that of the [[Book of Common Prayer (1662)|1662 English prayer book]]. To the present day, the American liturgy adheres to the main features of this rite in one of its Holy Eucharist Liturgies. Seabury was consecrated bishop by [[Robert Kilgour]], [[Bishop of Aberdeen]] and [[Primus of Scotland]]; [[Arthur Petrie]], Bishop of Ross and Moray; and [[John Skinner (bishop)|John Skinner]], [[coadjutor bishop]] of Aberdeen. The consecration took place in Skinner's house in Longacre, approximately 500 metres from the present [[St Andrew's Cathedral, Aberdeen]]. The chair on which Kilgour sat to perform the consecration is preserved in Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, [[Keith, Moray]].<ref name="isladeveron">{{cite web |title=The Chair |url=http://isladeveronchurches.org/holy-trinity-keith/the-chair/ |website=Isla Deveron Churches |access-date=27 June 2018 |archive-date=January 11, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140111165930/http://isladeveronchurches.org/holy-trinity-keith/the-chair/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The anniversary of his consecration is now a lesser [[feast day]] on the calendars of the Episcopal Church (United States) and the [[Anglican Church of Canada]] and other churches of the [[Anglican Communion]].

Seabury's consecration by the [[Nonjuring schism|non-juring]] Scots caused alarm in the British government who feared an entirely [[Jacobitism|Jacobite]] church in the United States, and Parliament was persuaded to make provision for the ordination of foreign bishops. Seabury's tenacity in the matter had the effect of making possible a continued relationship between the American and English churches. The problem was revealed not to be one of liturgical restrictions (the oath) but of political plans.

Seabury returned to Connecticut in 1785 and made [[New London, Connecticut|New London]] his home, becoming rector of [[St. James Episcopal Church (New London, Connecticut)|St James Church]] there. A meeting of his Connecticut clergy was held during the first week of August 1785 at Christ Church on the South Green in [[Middletown, Connecticut|Middletown]]. On August 3, the first Anglican ordinations on American soil took place at Christ Church in Middletown, and Henry Van Dyke, Philo Shelton, [[Ashbel Baldwin]], and Colin Ferguson were ordained to the Holy Order of Deacons that day, with Ferguson being ordained priest on the 7th. Seabury said of Christ Church, Middletown, "Long may this birthplace be remembered, and may the number of faithful stewards who follow this succession increase and multiply till time shall be no more."

In 1790, Seabury also took charge of the [[Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island|Diocese of Rhode Island]]. In 1792, he joined with Bishops [[William White (bishop of Pennsylvania)|William White]], [[Samuel Provoost]], and [[James Madison (bishop)|James Madison]] who had all received English consecration, thus uniting the Scottish and the English [[apostolic succession]]s.

===Contribution to liturgy===
[[File:Coat of Arms of Samuel Seabury.svg|150px|thumb|Coat of Arms of Samuel Seabury]]
Seabury played a decisive role in the evolution of [[Anglican]] [[liturgy]] in North America after the Revolution. His "[[Mass (liturgy)#Communion rite|Communion]] Office," published in New London in 1786, was based on the Scottish Liturgy of 1764 rather than the 1662 [[Book of Common Prayer]] in use in the Church of England. Seabury's defense of the Scottish service&mdash;especially its restoration of oblationary language and the [[epiklesis]] or invocation of the Holy Spirit in the Prayer of Consecration was adopted into the Book of Common Prayer with minor change by the Episcopal Church in 1789. The English 1552, 1559, 1604 and 1662 Books of Common Prayers of Consecration ended with the Words of Institution; but the Scottish Rite Prayer continued with an oblation, anamnesis, epiclesis, intercessions and doxology based on the ancient classical models of consecration prayers. The Prayer was a mix of Roman and Orthodox doctrines with some Calvinist elements. The English Rites focused on the memorial to the exclusion of sacrificial language in the Prayer of Consecration. Such sacrificial language as remained was placed at the end of the service in an optional Prayer of Oblation at which point the congregation made a self-offering beseeching God "to accept our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving." The removal of oblation from the prayer of consecration was done in order to avoid the suggestion that the Holy Eucharist was a material Peace Offering to God made by his Church in and with Christ with the very same sacrifice he had offered once for all and now made present as a sacrament.<ref>Bard Thompson, ''Liturgies of the Western Church'', 1961 p. 235 {{ISBN|0-529-020-77-7}}</ref> The restoration of the full Eucharistic Prayer taken from the Scottish Rite included the words, "which we now offer unto thee," after "with these thy holy gifts." The prayer continued after the oblationary words with, "the memorial thy Son hath commanded us to make," in the American Prayer Book, thereby restoring the connection between "prayers and supplications" and the self-offering of the congregation with and through the consecrated elements. The changes undid Cranmer's intentions of 1549 and 1552.<ref>''The Study of Liturgy'', Editors: Jones, Wainwright, Yarnold SJ, Bradshaw, 1991, 'The Eucharist in Anglicanism after 1662,' pp. 318–321, {{ISBN|0-19-520922-2}}</ref> The adoption of the Scottish Rite brought the Episcopal Church's eucharistic doctrine closer to the tradition of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. The adoption of the Scottish Prayer of Consecration restored to the liturgy of the new Church the ancient doctrine from the mid-second century that the eucharist is the Church's sacrifice.<ref>''Study'', pp. 210–212</ref>

Seabury also argued for the restoration of another ancient custom, the weekly celebration of Holy Communion on Sunday rather than the infrequent observance that became customary in most Protestant churches after the [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation]]. In "An Earnest Persuasive to Frequent Communion", published in 1789 in [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]], he wrote that "when I consider its importance, both on account of the positive command of Christ, and of the many and great benefits we receive from it, I cannot but regret that it does not make a part of every Sunday's solemnity." Seabury was ahead of his time, but within a century the custom of weekly 8 am [[Eucharist]] even in 'Low Church' parishes (in addition to the monthly 1st Sunday of the month Holy Communion) was rapidly spreading through many Anglican congregations under the impact of the [[Liturgical Movement]]. By the end of the 20th century, many other Protestant denominations had adopted weekly communion if this had not already been their practice (as with the Disciples of Christ).

===Later life===
In [[Cheshire, Connecticut|Cheshire]] in 1794, he established the Episcopal Academy of Connecticut, which later became [[Cheshire Academy]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=22371|title=Cheshire Marker|publisher=Hmdb.org}}</ref>

He died in New London on 25 February 1796, where his remains lie in a small chapel at [[St. James Episcopal Church (New London, Connecticut)|St. James]]. The church also features a stained glass window depicting his consecration in Scotland.  Seabury's portrait by [[Ralph Earl]] is in the collection of the [[National Portrait Gallery (United States)|National Portrait Gallery]] in Washington, D.C. A notable portrait hangs at the [[General Theological Seminary]], and a smaller painting is to be found at the College of Preachers on the grounds of the [[Washington National Cathedral]].

Seabury was a superior organizer and a strict churchman. Seabury's "Farmer's Letters" rank him as the most vigorous American loyalist controversialist and, along with his prayers and devotional writings, one of the greatest masters of style of his period. His printed sermons and essays enjoyed wide readership well after his death.

===Consecrators===
[[File:Consecration-of-Samuel-Seabury.jpg|thumb|The consecration of Seabury depicted in stained glass at [[All Saints Church, Jordanhill]], Glasgow]]
* [[Robert Kilgour]], 39th [[Bishop of Aberdeen]]
* [[Arthur Petrie]], 37th [[Bishop of Moray, Ross and Caithness]]
* [[John Skinner (bishop)|John Skinner]], [[coadjutor Bishop]] of Aberdeen
Samuel Seabury was the [[Succession of Bishops of the Episcopal Church in the United States|first bishop]] consecrated for the [[Episcopal Church (United States)]].

==Family==
His brother [[David Seabury (politician)|David Seabury]] was a Loyalist who moved to [[Nova Scotia]]. He returned to the United States in 1806.

Seabury married Mary Hicks in 1756. His father-in-law Edward Hicks provided financial assistance to Seabury. 

His son Charles (1770–1844) was rector in various Long Island churches.

A nephew, Seabury Tredwell, was the owner of the [[Old Merchant's House]] in Manhattan, now a museum.

A grandson, [[Samuel Seabury (1801–1872)]] was an [[Episcopal Church in the United States of America|American Episcopal]] clergyman, as was that Seabury's son, [[William Jones Seabury]].

==Veneration==
On September 12, 1849, the relics of Samuel Seabury were [[Translation (relic)|translated]] to the Church of [[St. James Episcopal Church (New London, Connecticut)|St. James the Great]] in [[New London, Connecticut|New London]], Connecticut, and buried under the [[chancel]]. The service was conducted like any other funeral from the [[Book of Common Prayer|Prayerbook]], but with particular solemnity. [[Book of Wisdom|Wisdom]] 5:1–17 was read along with the Psalm ''[[Psalm 68|Exurgat Deus]]'' as a Thanksgiving''.'' After the recitation of the [[Nicene Creed]], the Rev. Dr. Jarvis gave the [[benediction]]. ''The Colonial Church Chronicle and Missionary Journal'' wrote about the service: "The venerable relics consisted of the entire skeleton of the departed Prelate, from which every other portion of the body had disappeared. The bones were in a good state of preservation; the head was uncommonly large, and not without some distinguishing characteristics, resembling those of the portraits. The sight of such a sacred memorial deeply affected the little circle of spectators who beheld in silence, and with heads instinctively uncovered. A company of brethren in the Priesthood were standing together over the dust of him to whom they felt in common the obligations of children, and the deeper reverence of spiritual sons for a patriarch of the Church, and a sore-tried confessor of the truth of God."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Removal of the Remains of Bishop Seabury (1849)|url=http://anglicanhistory.org/usa/seabury/removal1849.html|access-date=2021-12-01|website=anglicanhistory.org}}</ref> The [https://seaburysociety.com/ Seabury Society] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201093845/https://seaburysociety.com/ |date=December 1, 2021 }} gives September 12 as an additional day of commemoration: The Translation of Samuel Seabury's Relics.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Samuel Seabury|url=https://seaburysociety.com/resources/guides/samuelseabury/|access-date=2021-12-01|website=Seabury Society|language=en-US}}</ref> 

Seabury is celebrated with a [[Commemoration (Anglicanism)|commemoration]] in the [[Calendar of saints (Church of England)|Church of England]] on [[November 14]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Calendar|url=https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/churchs-year/calendar|access-date=2021-04-10|website=The Church of England|language=en}}</ref> and his consecration is honored with a feast in the [[Calendar of saints (Episcopal Church)|Episcopal Church (USA)]] and the [[Anglican Church in North America]] on the same date.  The observance is also found in other Anglican churches including the [[Anglican Church of Canada]] ''[[Book of Alternative Services]]'' and the [[Scottish Episcopal Church]] ''Revised Scottish Calendar, 1991''. The Rt. Rev. [[Arthur Cleveland Coxe]], the Bishop of Western New York, composed a poem –[http://anglicanhistory.org/usa/seabury/coxe_mitre.html Seabury's Mitre]– for his commemoration. This poem has since been [https://seaburysociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Seaburys-Mitire-DRAYTON-HALL-SATB.pdf set to music] by the Seabury Society to be sung as an anthem on Seabury's Feast Day.

There have been several [[List of Anglican devotional societies|Anglican Devotional Societies]] which have borne Bishop Seabury's name committed to his veneration, the earliest dating to 1844 and the most recent being reestablished in 2019 by members of the [[Anglican Church in North America]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=About|url=https://seaburysociety.com/about/|access-date=2021-12-01|website=Seabury Society|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Honors==
Seabury Hall, at [[Trinity College (Connecticut)|Trinity College]] in [[Hartford, Connecticut]], is named after Samuel Seabury. An Episcopal seminary, [[Seabury-Western Theological Seminary]], memorializes his honored position in the church. [[Bishop Seabury Academy]] in [[Lawrence, Kansas]], and [[Seabury Hall]] in [[Makawao, Hawaii]], are private schools, affiliated with the Episcopal Church, that also honor Seabury in the naming of their schools. [[Bishop Seabury Anglican Church]]{{snd}}founded in 1875 in the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut and now a member of the Anglican Church in North America{{snd}}is likewise named in Seabury's memory.<ref name="bsac-history">{{cite web |title=Our History |url=https://www.bishopseabury.org/vision |publisher=Bishop Seabury Anglican Church |access-date=19 January 2023}}</ref>

==Publications==
* ''[http://anglicanhistory.org/usa/seabury/farmer/ Letters of a Westchester Farmer]'' (1774–75)
* ''[http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp/Seabury.htm The Communion-Office, or Order for the Administration of the Holy Eucharist or Supper of the Lord with Private Devotions]'' (1786)
* ''[[s:Earnest Persuasive to Frequent Communion|An Earnest Persuasive to Frequent Communion]]'' (1789)
* ''Hamilton's View of the Controversy between Great Britain and her Colonies'' as "A. W. Farmer"
* The Errors of Calvinism	n.p. 1766 ST2
* A View of the Controversy between Great-Britain and Her Colonies. New York 1774
* Free Thoughts on the Proceedings of the Continental Congress	New York 1774
* The Congress Canvassed. New York 1774
* An Alarm to the Legislature of the Province of New-York, Occasioned by the Present Political Disturbances. New York 1775
* A Discourse on Brotherly Love, Preached before the Honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons, of Zion Lodge, at St. Paul’s Chapel, in New York, on the Festival of St. John the Baptist, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy-Seven.	New York	1777	SUI
* A Discourse on II Tim. III. 16. Delivered in St. Paul’s and St. George’s Chapels, in New-York, on Sunday the 11th of May, 1777.	New York	1777 SUI
* St. Peter’s Exhortation to Fear God and Honor the King, Explained and Inculcated: in a Discourse Addressed to His Majesty’s Provincial Troops, in Camp at King’s Bridge, on Sunday the 28th Sept. 1777.	New York	1777	Attributed although doubtful. SUI
* A Sermon Preached before the Grand Lodge, and the Other Lodges of Ancient Freemasons, in New-York, at St. Paul’s Chapel, on the Anniversary of St. John the Evangelist, 1782.	New York	1783	SUI
* Samuel, by Divine Permission, Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the State of Connecticut [injunction regarding political prayers]	n.p.	1785 	Broad-side SUI, ST2
* Bishop Seabury’s Second Charge, to the Clergy of His Diocess [sic], Delivered at Derby, in the State of Connecticut, on the 22d of September, 1786.	New Haven	1786	SUI
* Forms of prayer for the United States in Congress Assembled		1786	Only a fragment survives
* The Address of the Episcopal Clergy of Connecticut, to the Right Reverend Bishop Seabury, with the Bishop’s Answer and, a Sermon, Before the Convention at Middletown, August 3d, 1785...Also Bishop Seabury’s first Charge, to the Clergy of his Diocess [sic], Delivered at Middletown, August 4, 1785. With a List of the Succession of Scot’s Bishops, from the Revolution 1688, to the present Time.	New Haven	1786	The Charge is paginated separately.
* The Communion-Office, or Order for the Administration of the Holy Eucharist or Supper of the Lord. With Private Devotions. Recommended to the Episcopal Congregations in Connecticut.	New London	1786
* A Sermon Delivered before the Boston Episcopal Charitable Society in Trinity Church; at Their Anniversary Meeting on Easter Tuesday March 25, 1788.	Boston	1788	SUI
* A Sermon Preached in Christ Church, Philadelphia, Before the Corporation for the Relief of the Widows and Children of Clergymen at their Anniversary Meeting, October 7, 1789.	Philadelphia	1789	SUI
* An Earnest Persuasive to Frequent Communion; Addressed to Those Professors of the Church of England, in Connecticut, Who Neglect That Holy Ordinance.	New Haven	1789	SUI
* The Duty of Considering our Ways. A Sermon Preached in Saint James Church, New-London, on Ashwednesday, 1789.	New London	1789
* An Address to the Ministers and Congregations of the Presbyterian and Independent Persuasions in the United States of America, by a Member of the Episcopal Church	New Haven	1790	SUI
* A Discourse, Delivered in St. John’s Church, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, at the Conferring the Order of Priesthood on the Rev. Robert Fowle, A.M. of Holderness, on the Festival of St. Peter, 1791.	 SUI
* A Discourse Delivered before the Triennial Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church at Trinity Church, New York, on the Twelfth Day of September, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Ninety-Two.	New York	1792	SUI
* Discourses on Several Subjects.	New York	1793
* Samuel, by Divine Permission, Bishop of Connecticut and Rhode Island [regarding the deposition of James Sayre]	n.p.	1793	Broad-side SUI
* A Discourse Delivered in St. James’ Church, in New-London, on Tuesday the 23d of December, 1794, Before an Assembly of Free and  Accepted Masons, Convened for the Purpose of Installing a Lodge in that City New London	1794
* A Burial Office for Infants Who Depart this Life before they have Polluted their Baptism by Actual Sin	n.p.	1795	SUI
* A Discourse Delivered Before an Assembly of Free and Accepted Masons, Convened for the Purpose of Installing a Lodge in the City of Norwich, in Connecticut, on the Festival of St. John the Baptist, 1795.	Norwich
* Samuel, By Divine Permission, Bishop of Connecticut and Rhode-Island… [charitable fund]	New London	1795	SUI
* Samuel, By Divine Permission, Bishop of Connecticut and Rhode-Island…[Algerian Captives]	New London	1795	ST2
* The Psalter or Psalms of David, Pointed as They are to be Sung or Said in Churches. With the Order for Morning and Evening Prayer Daily Throughout the Year. [Also containing the Athanasian Creed, the Litany, Prayers for special occasions, Thanksgivings, and a Catechism]	New London	1795
* [https://archive.org/details/discoursesonseve00seab_0 Discourses on Several Important Subjects].	New York	1798

==In popular culture==
[[File:Thayne Jasperson in Seabury Costume.jpg|right|thumb| Seabury is portrayed in the 2015 [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] musical ''[[Hamilton (musical)|Hamilton]]'' and the 2020 film ''[[Hamilton (2020 film)|Hamilton]]'' by [[Thayne Jasperson]].]]
In the 2015 musical [[Hamilton (musical)|''Hamilton'']] written by [[Lin-Manuel Miranda]], Seabury appears as the lead vocalist in the song "Farmer Refuted", named after [[The Farmer Refuted|Hamilton's letter to Seabury]] and detailing their notable feud regarding the American Revolution.<ref name="genius">{{cite web|title=Lin-Manuel Miranda (Ft. Lin-Manuel Miranda, Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton & Thayne Jasperson) – Farmer Refuted|url=https://genius.com/Lin-manuel-miranda-farmer-refuted-lyrics|access-date=27 June 2018|website=genius.com|language=en}}</ref> Seabury was portrayed by [[Thayne Jasperson]] in the original cast.<ref name="playbill">{{cite web|title=Thayne Jasperson|url=https://www.playbill.com/person/thayne-jasperson-vault-0000122142|website=Playbill.com|language=en}}</ref> Jasperson is still performing as Seabury in [[Richard Rodgers Theatre]].<ref name="stillinhamilton">{{cite web |title=Thayne Jasperson|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Thayne-Jasperson|access-date=February 10, 2025|website=Broadway World}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.deseret.com/entertainment/2025/08/05/hamilton-broadway-10-year-anniversary-thayne-jasperson-original-cast/|title=10 years of ‘Hamilton,’ through the eyes of the Utahn who has lived it every night|author=Lottie Elizabeth Johnson|date=August 6, 2025|website=Deseret News}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Saints}}
* [[List of presiding bishops of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America]]
* [[List of Episcopal bishops of the United States]]
* [[List of bishops of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America|Historical list of the Episcopal bishops of the United States]]
*[[William Jones Seabury]]

==Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=N}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book |last1=McBride |first1=Spencer W. |title=Pulpit and Nation: Clergymen and the Politics of Revolutionary America |date=2016 |publisher=[[University of Virginia Press]] |location=Charlottesville}}
* {{cite book |last1=Hebb |first1=Ross N. |title=Samuel Seabury and Charles Inglis: Two Bishops, Two Churches |date=2010 |publisher=Fairleigh Dickinson University Press}}
* {{cite book |last1=Beardsley |first1=Eben Edwards |title=Life and Correspondence of the Right Reverend Samuel Seabury, D.D.: First Bishop of Connecticut, and of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America |date=1881 |publisher=Houghton, Mifflin |location=Boston |url=https://archive.org/details/lifeandcorrespo02beargoog |access-date=27 June 2018 |language=en}}
* The Primus Project (2023), ''[https://www.trincoll.edu/primus-project/wp-content/uploads/sites/115/2023/11/Founding-of-Washington-College-Report-1-1.pdf The Founding of Trinity College, Part I: The Slave Economy]'', Retrieved December 6, 2024. 
* {{cite book |last1=Steiner |first1=Bruce |title=Samuel Seabury, 1729–1796: a study in the High Church tradition |url=https://archive.org/details/samuelseabury1720000stei |url-access=registration |date=1972 |publisher=Ohio University Press|isbn=9780821400982 }}
* {{cite web |last1=Seabury |first1=William Jones |title=Memoir of Samuel Seabury |url=http://anglicanhistory.org/usa/seabury/bio1908/ |website=anglicanhistory.org |access-date=27 June 2018 |date=1908}}
* {{cite book |last1=Marshall |first1=Paul V. |title=One, Catholic, and Apostolic{{snd}}Samuel Seabury and the Early Episcopal Church |date=2004 |publisher=Church Publishing Incorporated |location=New York}}
* {{cite web |last1=Wilkinson |first1=Todd |title=The Scottish Roots of the Episcopal Church |url=http://www.scotshistoryonline.co.uk/episcopal-church.html |website=Scots History Online |access-date=2 February 2006}}
* {{EB1911|wstitle=Seabury, Samuel|volume=24|page=531}}

==External links==
* {{wikisource author-inline}}
* {{commons category-inline}}
* ''[http://www.scotshistoryonline.co.uk/episcopal-church.html Scottish Roots of the Episcopal Church]'' on the Scottish History website
* [http://anglicanhistory.org/usa/seabury/index.html Samuel Seabury page] at [[Project Canterbury]]

{{S-start}}
{{S-rel|ep}}
{{S-new}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut|Bishop of Connecticut]]|years=1784&ndash;1796}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Abraham Jarvis]]}}
{{S-bef|before=[[William White (Bishop of Pennsylvania)|William White]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[List of Presiding Bishops in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America|Presiding Bishop]]|years=1789–1792}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Samuel Provoost]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{Presiding Bishops in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seabury, Samuel}}
[[Category:1729 births]]
[[Category:1796 deaths]]
[[Category:People from New London, Connecticut]]
[[Category:People associated with Aberdeen]]
[[Category:18th-century Anglican bishops in the United States]]
[[Category:18th-century American bishops]]
[[Category:18th-century American Episcopal priests]]
[[Category:Loyalists in the American Revolution from Connecticut]]
[[Category:American slave owners]]
[[Category:Presiding Bishops of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America]]
[[Category:Episcopal Church in Connecticut]]
[[Category:American military chaplains]]
[[Category:People from Hempstead (village), New York]]
[[Category:Anglican saints]]
[[Category:American Revolution chaplains]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh]]
[[Category:People from colonial Connecticut]]
[[Category:Yale College alumni]]
[[Category:Episcopal bishops of Rhode Island]]
[[Category:Episcopal bishops of Connecticut]]
[[Category:18th-century Anglican theologians]]