Zacharias Hardman was probably born around 1640, although we presently don’t know where.
He was a common-born man, who entered Oxford University on 6th June 1660, and graduated in 1663, when he was ordained as a deacon on 20 Dec.
He appears to have continued studying for a while, before being ordained as a priest on 2 June 1667.
He was curate at Frodsham in 1668, and moved over to All Saints’ in 1670. He appears to have been a busy and popular man; in 1674 he was mentioned in the will of Abigail Birchill of Norton, who was buried in Runcorn Church.
“I give and bequeath unto my truly and well beloved friend in the Lord Mr Zachariah Hardman the sum of five pounds as a reward for
preaching my funeral sermon as also for all his care and pains which he was pleased still to take with me in my life by me to be paid within six months next after my decease.”
The wording of this will suggests that Hardman had been the pastoral caretaker of Abigail for some time, perhaps indicating that served in some capacity at Runcorn church.
In 1674, the Liber Cleri noted of Zacharias that “His preaching licence is lacking” which tells us that he was serving under a Bishops license and had, at some point, lost his paperwork.
On the 11 Feb 1679, he was instituted to the Parish of Clacton Magna in Essex. In the next decade his Parish grew, and by the time he died in 1688 he was the minister of St Osyth, vicar of Much Clacton & Little Holland.
