Slade, Matthew (1569 -1629)

Matthew Slade was born in South Perrot, Dorset, the second child of rector John Slade, and Joan Owlsey, daughter of John Owsley of Misterton, Somerset. Between 1585 and 1589 he studied at Oxford, graduating in 1589,  before becoming a teacher in Devon. He married Alethea, daughter of Sir Richard  Kirford, and had two children.  Slade joined a community of Brownists, a group of English Separatists and moved to Amsterdam. He was eventually excommunicated because of his close association with the Dutch Reformed Church. In 1598 he was appointed rector of the Latin school on the Oude Zijde, and in 1601 rector. His wife died in 1608, after which he married secondly Suzanna de Kempenaer, with whom he had four children, thirdly Catharina van der Veeken, and fourthly Sara Clerq of Middelburg.  Slade had a reputation for being quarrelsome and sometimes violent. He was well versed in Hebrew and Arabic, as well as Latin and Greek.

The Bodleian library possesses two books with marginalia by Slade. The Municipal Library of Amsterdam compiled two catalogues of Slade’s library, in 1612 and 1622,