Nicholas Ferrar was a 17th-century English scholar, courtier, and politician who lived from 1592 to 1637. After traveling extensively through continental Europe and serving as a Member of Parliament, he experienced significant financial losses related to the Virginia Company. In 1626, he relocated his extended family to the manor of Little Gidding in Huntingdonshire. There, they established an informal spiritual community characterized by High Anglican devotion and a disciplined daily routine of prayer. He is remembered for his devotion and for publishing the sacred poetry of his friend, George Herbert.