what was known as the ‘Half Way Covenant.’ This resolution provided that persons baptised in infancy and recognising their covenant obligations in mature years might have their children baptised. Davenport was one of the leaders against this doctrine. On 9 Dec. 1668 he was ordained over the first church at Boston. His opposition to the ‘Half Way Covenant’ led to the withdrawal of part of his congregation, who formed a new church—‘the old South Church.’ The old and new bodies waged incessant warfare, but in its midst Davenport died of apoplexy, on 13 March 1669–70. Davenport married a daughter of the Rev. Abraham Pierson in 1663, and had by her five children. A son, John (1635–1677), was a Boston merchant.
Davenport enjoyed, and seems to have deserved, a high reputation for industry and earnestness. The Indians of Quinnipiac called him ‘the big-study man,’ and Laud described him as ‘a most religious man who fled to New England for the sake of a good conscience.’
His chief works were: 1. ‘A Letter to the Dutch Classis containing a just complaint against an unjust doer,’ 1634. 2. ‘Certain Instructions delivered to the Elders of the English Church deputed, which are to be propounded to the Pastors of the Dutch Church in Amsterdam,’ 1634. 3. ‘A Report of some Passages or Proceedings about his calling to the English Church in Amsterdam, against John Paget,’ 1634. 4. ‘Allegations of Scripture against the Baptising of some kinds of Infants,’ 1634. 5. ‘Protestation about the publishing of his writings,’ 1634. 6. ‘An Apologeticall Reply to the Answer of W. B.,’ 1636. 7. ‘The Profession of the Faith of the Reverend and worthy Divine, Mr. John Davenport,’ 1642. 8. ‘A Catechism containing the chief Heads of the Christian Religion,’ 1659. 9. ‘The Saints' Anchor-hold in all Storms and Tempests,’ 1661. 10. ‘The Power of Congregational Churches asserted and vindicated,’ in answer to J. Paget, 1672. 11. ‘Another Essay for Investigation of the Truth in Answer to two questions concerning (1) The Subject of Baptism (2) The Consociation of Churches,’ Cambridge, 1663. 12. ‘A Discourse about Civil Government in a new Plantation,’ Cambridge, 1663. 13. ‘Sermons and other Articles.’
[Brook's Lives of the Puritans, iii. 446–51; Neal's Puritans, ii. 229; Hook's Ecclesiastical Biog. vol. iv.; Sprague's Annals of the American Pulpit, i. 93; Morse and Parish's Compendious Hist. of New England, pp. 129–34; West's Hist. of New England, i. 386; Wood's Athenæ Oxon. (Bliss), iii. 889; Holmes's Annals of America, i. 244; Hutchinson's Hist. of Massachussetts Bay, i. 82, 115, 215; Trumbull's Complete Hist. of Connecticut, passim; Winthrop's Hist. of New England, passim; Mather's Magnalia Christi Americana, i. 321–31; Massachusetts Hist. Soc. (letter of Davenport to Winthrop); Dexter's Congregationalism, passim; Appleton's Dict. of American Biog. ii.]
DAVENPORT, MARY ANN (1765?–1843), actress, whose maiden name was Harvey, was born at Launceston. Her first appearance on the stage took place at Bath on 21 Dec. 1784 as Lappet in ‘The Miser’ of Fielding. After staying in Bath two seasons she went to Exeter, where she married Davenport, an actor of the Exeter company. With him she proceeded to Birmingham, and, after vainly seeking an engagement in London, to the Crow Street Theatre, Dublin, where she opened as Rosalind. Up to this time she had naturally played juvenile heroines, in which she showed archness and exuberant spirits. Upon an emergency, however, she undertook in a revival the part of an old woman. Her success in this was so great that she was never able to return to her former line. She was accordingly engaged at Covent Garden to replace Mrs. Webb, to whom she was greatly superior, and appeared for the first time at that house on 24 Sept. 1794 as Mrs. Hardcastle in ‘She Stoops to Conquer.’ In the course of the season she played Lady Wronghead in the ‘Provoked Husband,’ the Nurse in ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ the Duenna, and many similar characters. To these she added at the same theatre in 1795–6 Mrs. Malaprop, Mrs. Quickly in ‘King Henry IV, Part I.,’ and ‘Merry Wives of Windsor,’ and Mrs. Peachum in the ‘Beggar's Opera.’ At the Haymarket in 1797, and in subsequent years at one or other of the theatres named, she played Miss Lucretia M'Tab in ‘The Poor Gentleman,’ Mrs. Quickly in ‘King Henry IV, Part II.,’ and ‘King Henry V,’ Mrs. Heidelberg in ‘The Clandestine Marriage,’ and very many similar parts. She was the original Deborah Dowlas in Colman's ‘Heir-at-Law,’ Dame Ashfield in Morton's ‘Speed the Plough,’ Mrs. Brulgruddery in Colman's ‘John Bull,’ Monica in Dimond's ‘Foundling of the Forest,’ and Dame Gertrude in ‘The Forest of Bondy, or the Dog of Montargis.’ In these and very many similar rôles she won a high and well-deserved reputation. Her last performance was for her benefit, Covent Garden, on 25 May 1830, when she played the Nurse in ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ She died on 9 May 1843, aged 78, or, according to another account, 84 years. She bore a high reputation as an actress and a woman. During the life of her husband she lived in great privacy; after his death, on 13 March 1814, she drew, with a daughter,
