William Nicholls (theologian)

William Nicholls (1664–1712) was an English clergyman and theologian, known as an author on the Book of Common Prayer.

He was educated at St Paul's School under Thomas Gale, and went up with an exhibition to Magdalen Hall, Oxford, where he matriculated as a commoner on 26 March 1680.

[1] Nicholls's major work was the Comment on the Book of Common Prayer, and Administration of the Sacraments, London, 1710, with a Supplement published separately in 1711.

The book was meant to attract attention of foreigners to the formularies of the English church, and Latin copies were sent to the King of Prussia and to scholars on the continent.

Correspondence resulted including letters from Daniel Jablonski, Benedict Pictet, Jean le Clerc, Johann Jacob Wettstein and others.