FERRAR, NICHOLAS (1592-1637), English theologian, was born in London in 1592 and educated at Clare Hall, Cam bridge, graduating in 161o. In 1618 he became actively connected with the Virginia Company. When, in 1623, it was deprived of its patent he entered parliament, but, soon deciding to devote himself to a religious life, he purchased the manor of Little Gid ding, Huntingdonshire, where he organized a small religious com munity. Here, in 1626, Ferrar was ordained a deacon by Laud, and declining preferment, he lived an austere, almost monastic life of study and good works. He died on Dec. 4, 1637, and the house was despoiled and the community broken up ten years later. There are extant a number of "harmonies" of the Gospel, printed and bound by the community, two of them by Ferrar himself. One of the latter was made for Charles I. on his request, after a visit in 1633 to see the "Arminian Nunnery at Little Gid ding." Little Gidding is described in Shorthouse's John Inglesant. FERRAR, ROBERT (c. i , bishop of St. David's and martyr, born of a Yorkshire family, is said to have studied both at Cambridge and Oxford before he became a canon regular of St. Augustine. He accompanied Bishop Barlow on his embassy to Scotland in 1535 and became prior of St. Oswald's at Nostell, near Pontefract. At the dissolution of the monasteries he mar ried and is said to have been Cranmer's chaplain. In the reign of Edward VI., Ferrar enjoyed high favour and was made (1548) bishop of St. David's, where he had much trouble with his chapter. He had some differences with the King's Council; the complaints of the chapter were therefore listened to and the bishop was sum moned to London to answer a charge of praemunire and impris oned.
As soon as the heresy laws were re-established under Mary, Ferrar was sent down to be tried by his successor at St. David's. He was burnt at the stake at Carmarthen on March 3o, See the admirable and exhaustive article by T. F. Tout in the Dict. Nat. Biog.