of London on 14 March 1614, and created Baron Constable and Viscount Dunbar in the peerage of Scotland by patent dated at Newmarket 14 Nov. 1620. About the same time he was appointed deputy-justice in eyre for Galtres Forest (Cal. State Papers, Dom. 1623–5, p. 219). He was charged with recusancy to the extent of not frequenting church in 1629, but obtained a stay of process and a letter of immunity from the king (ib. 1628–9, p. 522, 1635, p. 141). He was apparently much addicted to gaming, losing on one occasion 3,000l. at a sitting (ib. 1635–6, p. 462). He died in 1645. Constable married Mary, second daughter of Sir John Tufton of Hothfield, Kent. He was succeeded in the title and estates by his son John.
[Douglas's Peerage of Scotland, i. 457; Nichols's Progresses of James I, vi. 629; Poulson's Holderness, i. 89, ii. 233.]
CONSTABLE, JOHN (fl. 1520), epigrammatist, son of Roger and Isabel Constable of London, was educated at St. Paul's School during the mastership of William Lilly. Thence he went to Oxford and entered Byham Hall, of which John Plaisted was head. This hall stood in Merton Street, opposite the college church, and its site is now in the possession of Corpus Christi College. Constable took the degrees of B.A. in 1511, and M.A. in 1515, when, according to Anthony à Wood, he left the university with the reputation of a great rhetorician and poet. The titles of two books by him are known, but only one, it is believed, is now extant. ‘Joannis Constablii Londinensis et artium professoris epigrammata. Apud inclytam Londini Urbem. mdxx.,’ printed by Ric. Pynson. The epigrams are addressed to contemporary personages of note, among whom are Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, Sir Thomas More, Hugh Latimer, Lilly, his old schoolmaster, and others. A brother Richard and sister Martha are also mentioned. Wood prints two as specimens, one addressed to Plaisted, the master of Byham Hall, and the other to Constable's Oxford friends. This volume hardly justifies his reputation as a poet, as the epigrams are dull and pointless, though the versification is correct. There is a copy of this book in the Bodleian Library, which formerly belonged to Robert Burton, author of the ‘Anatomy of Melancholy’ [q. v.] His other work was entitled ‘Querela Veritatis,’ but nothing is known of it except that the first words were ‘Destinavimus tibi hunc nostrum.’ There was another John Constable, his contemporary, who was dean of Lincoln 1514–28, but he belonged to the well-known Yorkshire family, being the fourth son of Sir Robert Constable of Flamborough [q. v.] (see Cooper, Athenæ Cantabrigienses, i. 35, 527).
[Wood's Athenæ Oxon. i. 27, Fasti, i. 32, 43; Pits's Scriptores Angliæ.]
CONSTABLE, JOHN (1676?–1744), jesuit, was born in Lincolnshire on 10 Nov. 1676 or 1678, and entered as a scholar at the college of St. Omer about 1689, under the assumed name of Lacey, which was perhaps the family name of his mother. He was admitted into the Society of Jesus at Watten in September 1695, and was professed of the four vows on 2 Feb. 1713–14. For many years he was priest at Swinnerton in Staffordshire, the residence of the Fitzherbert family. He was also declared rector of the jesuit ‘college’ or district of St. Chad on 16 July 1735 (Foley, Records, vii. 159). In the parish register of Swinnerton is this entry:—‘1743–4, March 28, buried Mr. John Constable, from Mr. Fitzherbert's’ (ib. iii. 207). In Oliver's opinion Constable is unquestionably entitled to rank among the ablest and best informed men in the English province.
His works are: 1. ‘Remarks upon F. le Courayer's book in Defence of the English Ordinations,’ &c., 8vo, pp. 384, no place or date (Jones, Popery Tracts, 215). 2. ‘The Stratagem discovered, or an Essay of an Apology for F. le Courayer's late work in 4 vols. entitled “Défense de la Dissertation,” &c.; wherein strong instances are produced to show that he writes “Booty,” and is only a sham defender of these Ordinations, while he very much confirms the judgment of their invalidity. By Clerophilus Alethes,’ 1727, 8vo. 3. ‘The Convocation Controvertist advised against pursuing wrong methods in his endeavours to reduce Dissenters and convince Catholics. To which is annexed a Letter in the name of the Church of England to Mr. Trapp upon his strange Libel entitled “Popery Stated.” By Clerophilus Alethes,’ 1729, 8vo. This is in reply to Joseph Trapp, D.D. 4. ‘Reflections upon Accuracy of Style. In five dialogues,’ Lond. 1734, 8vo, 1738, 12mo. 5. ‘The Doctrine of Antiquity concerning the most blessed Eucharist plainly shewed in remarks upon Johnson's “Unbloody Sacrifice.” By Clerophilus Alethes,’ Lond. 1736, 8vo. 6. ‘The Conversation of Gentlemen considered. In six dialogues,’ Lond. 1738, 12mo. 7. ‘Deism and Christianity fairly consider'd, in four dialogues. To which is added a fifth upon Latitudinarian Christianity, and two letters to a friend upon a Book [by T. Morgan] entitled “The Moral Philosopher,”’ London, 1739, 12mo (anon.)
