Thomas Stanley is the Puritan pastor who presided over Eyam during Anna’s youth. When Charles II returned to England, bringing Anglicanism with him, Stanley was ousted from his job and forced to live at the edge of the parish. Stanley and Michael Mompellion get along unusually well for members of competing sects. However, Stanley’s presence in the village and dissenting views demonstrate the tensions lurking beneath Eyam’s supposed religious homogeneity.
Thomas Stanley Quotes in Year of Wonders
The Year of Wonders quotes below are all either spoken by Thomas Stanley or refer to Thomas Stanley . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 2: Among Those That Go Down to the Pit
Quotes
For Mr. Stanley had commenced to attend Mr. Mompellion’s services….and in the weeks since the Billings family and some others from among the nonconformists had begun to come as well. They did not join in all the hymns, nor did they follow the words of the Book of Common Prayer, but that they gathered with us at all was a wonder.
Related Characters:
Anna Frith (speaker), Michael Mompellion , Thomas Stanley
Related Themes:
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Explanation and Analysis:
Part 2: A Great Burning
Quotes
To be sure, our stocks were nothing so fearful as the Bakewell pillory. In that market town, where people came and went without deep ties to another, to be pilloried was to be a target of rotten fruit or fish heads or any noisome thing the mob could lay a hand to. […] Even Reverend Stanley seldom called for sinners to be stocked, and Mr. Mompellion had actively discouraged it.
Related Characters:
Anna Frith (speaker), Michael Mompellion , Aphra Bont , Thomas Stanley
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Thomas Stanley Character Timeline in Year of Wonders
The timeline below shows where the character Thomas Stanley appears in Year of Wonders. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 2: Venom in the Blood
...been working diligently all week, as well as conferring with the old Puritan pastor, Thomas Stanley. Refusing to use the Anglican Book of Common Prayer after Charles II returned to England,...
(full context)
...vested interest in preventing contagion. The entire village confers in the church, with Mompellion and Stanley making their case to individuals. Although some, Josiah and Aphra, reluctantly agree only because it...
(full context)
Part 2: Among Those That Go Down to the Pit
...the Plague’s ravages.” However, to show solidarity in the face of catastrophe, the Puritan Thomas Stanley begins attending services, as well as Eyam’s few non-conformist families. Moreover, Elinor invites Anna to...
(full context)
...congregation almost revolts, and the strain of calming them causes Mompellion to faint. However, Mr. Stanley steps forward and scolds the congregation for clinging to superstitions, reminding them that God will...
(full context)
Part 2: A Great Burning
...why even among families, the plague strikes some people and not others. Anna references Mr. Stanley, why believes that the fate of each victim is part of God’s plan, and that...
(full context)
Part 3: Apple-Picking Time
...is buried in the churchyard, the novice mason misspelling her name on the tombstone. Mr. Stanley presides over the funeral, since Mompellion is incapacitated by grief.
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Anna asks Mr. Stanley to console Mompellion, but Stanley is agitated after their interview. He says that Mompellion laughed...
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