suivant. His skill and industry attracted the attention of his superiors, and on 21 April 1609 he was created Lancaster herald in the place of Francis Thynne. In 1611 he accompanied Sir Richard St. George, Norroy king of arms, in his visitation of Derbyshire, and on 22 July 1613 William Camden (Clarenceux king) nominated him his deputy for the visitation of Huntingdonshire. Charles had barely completed this task when he died on 19 Nov. following. He married Penelope, daughter of Sir William Segar, Garter king of arms, who survived him and became the wife of Timothy Cartwright of Washbourn, Gloucestershire.
Charles was intimate with the antiquaries of his day. He was the friend of Camden and Sir Robert Cotton. Milles commends him in his 'Titles of Honour,' and Howes, the continuer of Stow's 'Chronicle,' acknowledges his assistance. Camden is said to have purchased Charles's valuable manuscript collections after his death for 90l. A portion of these collections is now at the College of Arms, but the greater part is in the British Museum. Among the more important volumes is a collection of epitaphs in the churches of London and elsewhere, with drawings of monuments and arms (Lansd. MS. 874), and an historical catalogue of the officers of the College of Arms (Harl. MS. 5880). Gough states that Le Neve possessed a manuscript visitation of Staffordshire by Charles, and Sir John Cullum a visitation of Suffolk; but of these documents nothing is now known. Several of Charles's letters are among the Cottonian MSS.
Charles's Huntingdonshire visitation is extant in three copies. One, marked 'C. 3 Huntingdon 1613,' at the College of Arms, has been printed for the Camden Society by Sir Henry Ellis (1849). The other two are at the British Museum (Harl. MSS. 1075, 1179).
[Sir Henry Ellis's Preface to Charles's Visitation (Camd. Soc 1849); Noble's Hist. College of Arms, pp. 214-15, 220; Gough's British Topography, ii. 230; Catt. of Harleian MSS., Lansdowne MSS., and Cottonian MSS. at the Brit. Mus.]
CHARLES, THOMAS (1755–1814), of Bala, Welsh preacher and writer, was born on 14 Oct. 1705 at Pantdwfn, in the parish of Llanfihangel-Abercowin, near St. Cleans in Carmarthenshire. He was the second son of a large family, of which David, the third son, [see Charles, David], also attained some eminence. His father, Rice Charles, was a small farmer. Thomas was sent to school when about ten or twelve years old to Llanddowror, when Griffith Jones, the precursor of the methodist movement in Wales and the founder of the ‘circulating schools,’ had been vicar until his death in 1761. Falling under the influence of an old disciple of Jones's named Rees Hugh, Charles ‘early entertained serious impressions.’ When fourteen years old he was sent to the grammar school at Carmarthen, and there he joined one of the methodist societies. He ascribed his full ‘awakening’ to a sermon from the famous Rowland of Llangeitho on 20 Jan. 1773. The methodists were still in communion with the established church, so that Charles’s sympathies with them did not affect his destination for the ministry. ‘Providence unexpectedly and wonderfully opened up his way to Oxford,’ where he matriculated at Jesus College on 31 May 1775. There he remained until 1778. He became acquainted with many of the chief evangelical and methodist leaders stayed during a summer vacation with Newton at Olney, where he met the ‘great Romaine,’ and on 14 June 1778 was ordained deacon by the Bishop of Oxford, as curate of Queen’s Camel in Somerset. During the summer he visited Wales, preached his first sermon in the church of his native village, paid a pilgrimage to Llangeitho, and met on a visit to Bala Miss Sarah ones, the lady who subsequently became his wife. In 1779 he took the degree of B.A. He found his curacy at Queen’s Camel very distasteful; the villagers showed ‘great contempt to the gospel and godly living;’ the absentee rector reduced Charles’s salary from 45l. to 40l. and then to 30l.; but a clergyman named Lucas, vicar of Milborne Port, an old Oxford friend, took him to live with him and help him in his parish. On 21 May 1780 Charles was ordained priest. His opinions made it hard for him to had a suitable curacy. He rejected an offer of Lady Huntingdon's chapel at Bath, and in 1783 abandoned his curacy to marry (20 Aug.) and settle at Bala. When at last ‘engaged to serve a church,’ he was, ‘after two Sundays, genteelly excused,’ and was content to take duty at places so distant from his home as Shawbury in Shropshire, and Llanymawddwy, fourteen miles south-west over the mountains; but in April 1784 the rector of the latter place dismissed him. Charles was not in want of actual means, as his wife conducted a large drapery business at Bala. He began new and independent work by collecting and catechising the children of Bala, for which purpose he gladly accepted the use of the Calvinistic methodist chapel there. At the end of 1784 he preached in the chapel. and at onm became one of the most prominent of the methodist clergy. He was soon ceaselesly occupied in
