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Rh his acquaintance with John White, whose daughter he married in after years. But before settling at Cliffe he had espoused a young wife, who bore him a son, named Samuel after his father. She died, and was buried in the chancel of the church where her husband officiated, and her little boy survived her only four years, and was buried there in 1653. Dr. Annesley was much opposed when he first went to Cliffe, for the people were tarred with the same brush as their previous vicar, and received the new one with spits, pitchforks, and stones. Nothing daunted by this, he assured them that he was the last man to be frightened away from his post, and he should stay at Cliffe till they were prepared by his means for the ministry of someone better. He was as good as his word, and had the pleasure of seeing great improvement among them before he was called elsewhere.

In 1648 a solemn national fast day was proclaimed, and Dr. Annesley sent for to preach a sermon before the House of Commons. His sermon won him much favour and was printed by command: it contained a passage very acceptable to the Parliament in its then temper, but which gave great offence to the Royalists, who justly regarded it as a reflection on the King, who was at that moment imprisoned at Carisbrooke Castle. According to the young divine's own account, which is still to be found in the State Paper Office, when the King was executed the following year he publicly asserted his conviction that it was a "horrid murder," spoke against Cromwell as "the arrantest hypocrite that ever the Church of Christ was pestered with," and said other disrespectful things of the ruling powers, which, being repeated, led to his leaving Cliffe, or