Henry Jacob (1563–1624) was an English clergyman of Calvinist views, who founded the first true congregational church in England.
Contemporary scholars commonly use terms such as Independents, Brownists, semi-Separatists, or Puritans to describe individuals with similar beliefs to those expressed by Jacob.
Upon returning to England in 1597, he attended a sermon by Thomas Bilson at St Paul's Cross on Christ's descent into hell as mentioned in the Apostles' Creed.
In disagreement with Bilson's teaching, Jacob wrote a pamphlet expressing his opposing views and again fled the country.
[4] In the early years of James I's reign, there was widespread efforts to challenge the king's support for the forms and practices of the episcopal church.
He advocated for congregationalism, which called for greater autonomy within the church, and proposed a second conference to address ongoing religious disputes.
[6] The views Jacob expressed within his 1604 publication Reasons taken out of Gods Word and the best humane Testimonies proving a necessitie of reforming our Churches in England resulted in his incarceration for eight months.
These congregations did not completely break away from the Church of England but rather entered into a "covenant" pledging their commitment to a religious structure aligned with biblical principles commonly taught at the time.
By his wife Sara, sister of John Dumaresq of Jersey, who survived him, he had several children, including Henry Jacob the younger.