John Garbrand (writer)

John Garbrand (born 1646 or 1647), was an English political writer. Garbrand was born at Abingdon, Berkshire. His father, Tobias Garbrand, M.D., of Oxford, was principal of Gloucester Hall (afterwards Worcester College), Oxford, under the parliamentary régime from 1648 to 1660, when he was expelled. He retired to Abingdon, practised medicine, and died 7 April 1689 (Wood, Fasti, ed. Bliss, ii. 115). Another Tobias (1579–1638), probably the grandfather of the subject of this memoir, was demy of Magdalen (1591–1605), B.A. 1602, M.A. 1605, fellow 1605–19, vice-president 1618, vicar of Finden, Sussex, 5 March 1618–19, till his death in 1638 (Bloxam, Reg. Magdalen College, iv. 232). This Tobias was grandson of Garbrand Herks, a Dutch bookseller of Oxford [see under Garbrand, John, 1542–1589]. John became a commoner of New Inn Hall, Oxford, in Midsummer term 1664, and proceeded B.A. on 28 Jan. 1667. He was afterwards called to the bar at the Inner Temple. He wrote: 1. ‘The grand Inquest; or a full and perfect Answer to several Reasons by which it is pretended his Royal Highness the Duke of York may be proved to be a Roman Catholic,’ 4to, London [1682?]. 2. ‘The Royal Favourite cleared,’ &c., 4to, London, 1682. 3. ‘Clarior è Tenebris; or a Justification of two Books, the one printed under the Title of “The grand Inquest,” &c.; the other under the Title of “The Royal Favourite cleared,”’ &c., 4to, London, 1683. ‘By the writing of which books,’ says Wood, ‘and his endeavours in them to clear the Duke of York from being a papist, he lost his practice, and could get nothing by it.’