SACHEVERELL, HENRY 6 ( English ecclesi astic and politician, was the son of Joshua Sacheverell, rector of St. Peter's, Marlborough. He was adopted by his godfather, Edward Hearst, and his wife, and was sent to Magdalen college, Oxford, in 1689, was demy of his college from 1689 to 170; and fellow from 1701 to 1713. Sacheverell took his degree of B.A. in 1693, and became M.A. in 1695 and D.D. in 1708. His first preferment was the small vicarage of Cannock in i shire; and in 1705 he was elected to the chaplaincy of St. Saviour's, Southwark. In 1709 he leapt into notoriety by his famous sermons attacking the Whig ministry on the charge of neglecting to watch over the interests of the church. These ser mons were delivered, one in Derby on Aug. 15, the other in St. Paul's cathedral; and both, especially the latter, were delivered in excessively violent language. They were immediately printed, and made the preacher the idol of the Tory party.
The attention of the House of Commons was drawn to the two sermons by John Dolben in Dec. 171o, and were denounced
as "malicious, scandalous and seditious libels." The Whig min istry, then slowly but surely losing the support of the country, were divided in opinion as to the propriety of prosecuting Sacheverell. Somers was against such a measure ; but Godol phin urged the necessity of a prosecution, and gained the day. The trial lasted from Feb. 27 to March 23, 1710, and the verdict was that Sacheverell should be suspended for three years and that the two sermons should be burnt at the Royal Exchange. Popular resentment over the trial resulted in the downfall of the ministry, Godolphin being dismissed in August and the other ministers in November. Immediately on the expiration of his sentence (April 13, 1713) Sacheverell was instituted to the valu able rectory of St. Andrew's, Holborn, by the new Tory ministry. He died at the Grove, Highgate, on June 5, 1724. (See also