born: c.1647/8 Sherborne?

married: Elizabeth, of Rimpton. (buried 1720 at Long Bredy, Dorset.)

died: 20 Oct. 1712, Long Bredy

Educated at Sherborne School c.1650. (described as the son of Thomas Plowman of Sherborne in the 4th edition of the Sherborne Register.) 

B.A. from Magdalen College, Oxford 25 Feb. 1668/9.

Returned to Sherborne School as an Usher, or junior master. Resigned Michaelmas 1674 because of the prohibition on clerical duty whilst being an Usher at the school to become:

Vicar of Abbotsbury 1 Aug. 1674.

Rector of Winterborne Steepleton 23 April 1694.

Rector of Winterborne Came 9 May & Winterborne Faringdon 16 Nov. 1696.

Rector of Long Bredy 5 July 1701. there is a monument to his memory in the Chancel.

He is listed as a subscriber in "Walker's Suffering of the Clergy".

his children;

1. George Plowman.

born: 12 July 1685, bapt. 15 July 1685, Abbotsbury.

died: ?

2. Daunbeney Plowman.

born: 1686 bapt. 2 Dec. 1686, at Gorwell Farm, Abbotsbury.

3. Ann Plowman

born: 1688 bapt. 14 August 1688, Winterborne Steepleton.

4. William Plowman

born: 1690 bapt. 17 July 1690, Winterborne Steepleton.

Matric. Wadham College.

5. John Plowman, of whom presently;

6. George Plowman

born: 1694 bapt. 5 June 1694, Winterborne Steepleton.

7. Elizabeth Plowman

born: 1696 bapt. 4 July 1696, Winterborne Steepleton.

8. Catherine Plowman

born: 24 October 1698 bapt. 22 November 1698, Winterborne Came.

died: 1701, Long Bredy.

9. James Plowman

born: 14 June 1700 bapt. 25 June 1700, Winterborne Came.

died: 1701 bur. 21 May 1701, Winterborne Came.

The Sherborne Register

4th Edition

1550-1950

c.1650

Plowman, William, son of T Plowman, Sherborne; Wadham Coll, Oxf. M.A. (Magdalen Coll): Usher of the School 1667; resigned Michaelmas 1674, but continued to act as Usher until Midsummer 1675, "because his successor, Oliver Philipps, was prevented from coming"; Vicar of Abbotsbury 1674, Rector of Winterborne Steepleton 1694; of Winterborne Came 1696; of Long Bredy 1701-12: d.1712 (son 1710).

c.1660

Plowman, John, Sherborne; Governor 1691; Warden 1698.

1710

Plowman, John, son of Rev W. Plowman (O.S.), Long Bredy, b.1695, Wadham Coll, Oxf 1712; B.A. (Ch.Ch.) 1716.

A History of Sherborne School by A B Gourlay

WILLIAM PLOWMAN, 1667, was another O.S. and affords an illustration of the difficulties that could arise over a master's teaching licence. In 1670 he had been furnished with the official certificate of approval for transmission to the ordinary. This was based on the Statutes of 1592, and Plowman claimed that by swearing before the school Warden never to teach Papistry "he is become Perfect and Compleat Usher to all intents and purposes. And he did repaire to the Citty of New Sarum" with his headmaster to suscribe to the Act of Uniformity, only to find himself fobbed off on the day by the Dean's deputy who accepted the master, but rejected the usher. Evidently there were two sides to the case and in 1672 Plowman was forced to appeal to the Governors, reporting "that the Deane has lately again cited him (as several times within the Compasse of 12 months past) to appear at his Court at Sarum to show cause why he should not be excommunicated (amongst other things) for refusing to take a licence to teach as Usher here."

This Dean of Salisbury was Ralph Brideoake, in his time headmaster and feoffe of Manchester Grammar School and therefore presumably well versed in academic procedure and quite aware of what he was doing. None the less the Sherborne Governors supported Plowman, took the matter successfully to court and paid the costs. In spite of this, three years later they were not prepared to waive in his case the prohibition on clerical duty and Plowman had to resign in consequence. But this did not stop him in after years from sending his own son to the school.

Extract from " The Rectors of Long Bredy in Dorset 1500-1815" by Canon F E Trotman.

W, Plowman was the son of Thomas Plowman of Sherborne, educated at the famous school, and Usher or Lower Master there 1667-75. He was 17 when he matriculated at Wadham College, Oxford, in 1664: resigned his post at the School in 1674 to become Vicar of Abbotsbury; passed on to Winterborne Steepleton in 1694 and Came in 1686; and became Rector of Long Bredy in 1701. A son, William also of Wadham College, was born when his father was at Steepleton and a daughter, Catherine was buried at Long Bredy in 1701. Elizabeth Plowman of Rimpton, buried(?) at Rimpton, buried at Long Bredy in 1720 was Probably his widow. The Rector's own monument is in the Chancel.

"P.M.S. GW: Plowman A.M. Luj eccliae Rectoris qui obit Octob Vicesimo anno. Dom. 1712"