USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Charlestown > The history of Charlestown, Massachusetts > Part 2
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6
CHAPTER XIV.
1640 to 1650. - Commerce. - Bounty on Wolves. - Shops. - The Castle. - Harvard College. - The Tide Mills. - Town Hill. - Rate for a School. - Petition of the Ferrymen. - Customs on Wines. - Case of Witchcraft. - Town Order. - A Fire. - Johnson's De- scription of the Town.
FOR several years the town affords, in its corporate capacity, but few details for history. The civil war in England secured to the colonists the luxury of neglect, and Cromwell was their undis- guised friend. " "Tis incredible," writes Nathaniel Mather, from London, in 1651, " what an advantage to preferment it is to have been a New Englishman." 1 During this period the towns were silently laying the foundations of their prosperity.
1640. The cessation of emigration was severely felt. Hereto- fore there had been a scarcity of goods. This year " there came over great store of provisions, both out of England and Ireland," and the market was glutted. All commodities grew very cheap, and " this evil," writes Winthrop, " was very notorious, that most men would buy as cheap as they could and sell as dear." The next year, he writes again, "corn would buy nothing, a cow which last year cost twenty pounds, might now be bought for four or five pounds," 2 and the price of land declined in the same proportion.
1 Mather's Mss. in Mass. Hist. Society Archives.
2 Winthrop's Hist. vol. ii.
15
114
HISTORY OF CHARLESTOWN.
1641. The town voted, "that whosoever should kill any wolf within the Neck, or in any part of the Milch-cow Common, shall receive from the constable of the town ten shillings for each wolf killed."
1642. Liberty was granted to the deacons to build shops on " the two sides of the meeting house ;" in 1645 it was voted that the house " be floored over and two thirds to be carried on by Mr. Russell and a third by a general rate -Mr. Russell having liberty " to build shops on the outside of the house ;" in 1648 Joshua Tedd had permission to build one " on the north-east side of the east door ;" in 1652, Ensign Richard Sprague had the grant of " a place to set up a shop " near the meeting house, " also," the vote continues, " he and brother Tedd are to join, if brother Tedd will, in making the portal over the meeting house door. But if bro- ther Tedd will not join, then the Ensign to make it alone and enjoy it, provided he do neither let the shop nor portal, or that on it, nor sell any of them to any person without the Townsmen's consent." At this time the town decided that no more shops should be built on any side of the house.
1643. The town assumed a part of the expense of maintaining the Castle on Castle Island, concerning which there is much matter on the Records. Two platforms and a small fortification, built of " lime burnt of oyster shells " in 1634, had decayed; and in 1637 the General Court contemplated discontinuing this de- fence. This year (1643) six towns, Boston, Charlestown, Rox- bury, Dorchester, Cambridge and Watertown, believing they were too much exposed to an enemy, determined to rebuild the Castle, and in this, were encouraged by some of the magistrates, and the elders "in their sermons." The Court granted one hundred pounds towards maintaining it, " rather out of willingness to gratify these six towns, being near one half the Commonwealth for num- ber of people and substance " than " any confidence of safety by it." 1 A rate of 1645, to support it, assigns Charlestown £ 20.16, Boston £52. A garrison of twenty men took care of it. For many years a tax for the Castle formed a part of the expenses of the town.
This year the Colony was divided into four counties, Middlesex, Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk. There were thirty towns and plan- tations.
1 Winthrop's History, vol. ii. p. 115.
.
115
HISTORY OF CHARLESTOWN.
1644. The following vote was passed August 27. " It was agreed yt. one peck of wheat, or 12d. in money, shall be paid by every family towards the maintenance of the College at Cam- bridge. It is to be brought in to Sergeant Sprague's and Jolin Pentecost by the 21st of the 12th month next ensuing." This humble contribution continued to be made many years. In 1647, for instance, " at a general meeting of the inhabitants," voted to continue to bring in unto Ensign Sprague and John Pentecost a peck of corn upon a house as in former years." In a record of contributions of eight years, the amount from Boston was £ 84.18.7. the next highest is Charlestown, £ 37.16.2. Its prominent citizens were active in promoting this great work. Mr. Willoughby, in 1639, gave twenty-five pounds. Major Sedgwick, in 1642, gave forty pounds, and afterwards a shop. Mr. Russell gave nine pounds. Mr. Nowell was a warm friend to it.
1645. An agreement, dated December 11, between John Fow- nell 1 the miller, and Robert Sedgwick and William Stitson part owners of the Tide Mill, at the Middlesex Canal Landing, sti- pulates that the former is to have one-third part of the profit of the mill a year for his services. By law he could not take " above one-sixteenth part of the corn he ground," and was obliged to keep ready for use "mill weights and scales." The owners were to allow " two ditchfuls of corn" every time the mill was dressed ; eight gallons of lamp oil, for the use of the mill; and provide a house for the miller to reside in, or pay " thirty shillings per annum."
1646. The following vote, relating to the Town Hill, is one of the few original entries in volume second of the Records :
" At a meeting of the 7 men the 22d of the 12th moneth 1646.
" It was agreed that the ground on the top of Charlestowne Hill upon wh the windmill stands, reaching from the end of goody Shepherdsons garden pales on the one syde the highways going along forth right towards Mr. Syms his pales end, and the highway that goes along by his pales, and so along by Mr. Allen's pales in a square plot : this peece of ground to lye comon to the towne for ever, and not to be impropriated by any perticu- lar person, and if or bro : William Stitson can prove that it was given him, then hee to be payd a proportionable sume for it out of the skirts of land on the ends of the planting ground on mistick side."
1647, January 20. "It was agreed that a rate of fifteen pounds
1 The reader is requested to correct at the bottom of page 103; the name should be Fownell.
116
HISTORY OF CHARLESTOWN.
should be gathered of the town, towards the school for this year, and the five pounds that Major Sedgwick is to pay this year (for the island) for the school, also the town's part of Mistick wear for the School forever." In the margin, "allowance granted for the Town School."
1648. The ferrymen, Francis Hudson and James Heyden, state in a petition to the General Court, that the Ferry never was less productive : that contrary to law disorderly passengers would press into the boats, and on leaving refuse to pay their fare; that some pleaded they had nothing to pay, and others that they were in the country's service. And they further state, that the payment generally tendered was "usually in such refuse, unwrought, broken, unstringed and unmerchantable peag," (wampum,) at six a penny, that they lost twopence a shilling, being forced to take peag at six a penny and pay it at seven. They petition that if the Court intend " all soldiers with their horses and military furniture be fare-free," that they might be paid for it by the col- ony : that strangers, not able to pay, may be ordered to give in their names : that " the peag hereafter to us paid may be so suit- ably in known parcels, handsomely stringed, and their value as- signed, that it may henceforth be a general, current, and more agreeable pay." Probably in consequence of this petition, the Court, October 18, ordered that all "payable peag" should be "entire without breaches, both the white and black, suitably strung in eight known parcels, 1d, 3d, 12d, 5s., in white; and 2d, 6d, 2-6d, and 10s, in black." The Court also ordered that for transporting officers in the colony service, the ferryman should be allowed & 4 per annum for the past, and £ 6 for the time to come.
The General Court " farm-let the customs on wines " imported into the colony, to Robert Sedgwick, Richard Russell, and Francis Norton, of this town ; and David Yale of Boston. They agreed to pay & 120 a year for four years, and were clothed with full power to collect these duties. This year the right to retail wines in this town and Boston was sold to Robert Long and other " vint- ners" for £ 160 a year.
Margaret Jones of this town, in May, was accused of witchcraft, the first case of this nature that occurred in Massachusetts. Her offence probably suggested the following order of the General Court, May 18. "The Court desire the course which hath
.
117
HISTORY OF CHARLESTOWN.
been taken in England 1 for discovery of witches by watching them a certain time : It is ordered that the best and surest way may forthwith be put in practice to begin this night if it may be, being the 18th of 3 month, and that the husband may be confined to a private room, and be also there watched." 'The course adopted with the unfortunate woman was an effectual one. The evidence against her was, first, that she had " a malignant touch," so that persons she afflicted were seized with deafness, vomiting, and vio- lent pains : second, she practised as a physician, and though she used harmless medicines, as aniseed, liquors, &c., yet they pro- duced " extraordinary violent effects :" third, she would tell those who would not employ her that they never would be healed, and in consequence "their diseases and hurts " baffled " the apprehen- sion of all physicians and surgeons :" fourth, some things which she foretold came to pass accordingly, and she could tell other things, as private speeches, of which she had no ordinary means to come to the knowledge. There were other charges not neces- sary to detail. For such things this poor creature was condemned to suffer death, and was executed,- hanged,- in Boston, June 15.
Winthrop gravely records, that on " the same day and hour she was executed there was a very great tempest at Connecticut, which blew down many trees, &c." And several days later (June 28) that "the Welcome of Boston, about 300 tons, riding before Charlestown, having in her 80 horses and 120 tons of ballast, in calm weather, fell a rolling, and continued so about twelve hours." The husband of the witch desired a passage in her to Barbadoes. The magistrates, on hearing of it, sent a warrant to apprehend him, when the ship ceased its diabolical rolling, and after Jones was in prison "moved no more." 2
1649. The following order, - to be found among the original documents of this period, - is copied as a specimen of the earliest by-laws of the town. The date is Jan. 22, 1649.
"At a meeting of the selectmen the 22d of the 11th moneth, 1648 :-- In regard of the great damage that hath come, not only unto perticular
1 There is nothing on the Town Records relating to this case of witch- craft. In England, where thirty thousand witches have been executed, the practice was various. The town of Lynn, England, voted, May 11, 1646, " that Alderman Thomas Rivett be requested to send for Mr. Hop- kins, the witch-discoverer, to come to Lynn, and his charges and recom- pense to be bourne by the town." Richard's Lynn, vol. ii. p. 724.
2 Winthrop's History, vol. ii. p. 326.
118
HISTORY OF CHARLESTOWN.
persons, but to the whole towne by swine, through the multitude of them, and there not being sufficiently youkt and runge according untoo former orders : It is therefore ordered by the selectmen that no inhabitant of this towne shall keep above twoo swine abroad eyther upon the comon or in the towne : also that all swine shal bee shutt up every night, and on the Lords dayes : and that all swine that doe goe abroad shalbee suffi- ciently youkt and runge, that is each swine above a year ould their youks to bee twoo foot long, and every youk is to have a pick upward of six inches high : and every swine which is found defective the owner is to forfeit twelve pence for each defect : and all the swine that goe abroad are to be runge by the 28th day of the 11th moneth 1648 : and youkt by the 10th day of the first moneth 1649."
1650. Johnson relates that there was " a terrible fire" in this town in the depth of winter. The wind was violent, and it " con- sumed the fairest houses of the town." He devotes one of his metres to this calamity :
" Thy houses were consumed with much good store, By fearful fires, which blustering winds blew o're."
This writer also takes this occasion to sum up other calamities, as the manifestation "of the rod of God" towards the colonists : in Charles River the Mary Rose blew up and "sunk in a moment with about thirteen men slain therein :" " many men, under pre- text of being unequally rated, murmured exceedingly, and with- drew their shoulders from the support of government;" "pride and excess of apparel were frequent," and " far worse," spiritual pride delighted " in new-fangled doctrines."
Johnson also furnishes the following description of Charlestown, which will as well apply to this year as to any other. "This town of Charles is situated on the north side of Charles River, from whence it took its name, the river being about five or six fathom deep. Over against the town (are) many small islands lying to the seaward of it, and hills on either side. By which means it proves a very good harbor for ships, which hath caused many seamen and merchants to sit down there. 'The form of this town in the frontispiece thereof, is like the head, neck and shoulders of a man, only the pleasant and navigable river of Mistick runs through the right shoulder thereof, and by its near approach to Charles River, in one place, makes a very narrow neck, by which means the chief part of the town, whercon the most buildings stands, becomes a Peninsula. It hath a large market-place near
1 The General Court, May 5, 1650, remitted to those who had their houses destroyed, £ 7.16 due by them for taxes.
119
HISTORY OF CHARLESTOWN.
the water side built round with houses, comely and fair, forth of which there issue two streets orderly built with some very fair houses, beautified with pleasant gardens and orchards. The whole town consists in its extent of about one hundred and fifty dwelling houses. Their meeting house for Sabbath assembly stands in the market place, very comely built and large. The officers of this church are at this day one pastor, and one teacher, one ruling elder and three deacons, the number of souls are about one hundred and sixty. Wonderful it is to see that in so short a time such great alterations Christ should work for these poor people of his. Their corn land in tillage in this town is about twelve hundred acres : their great cattle are about four hundred head; sheep near upon four hundred. As for their horse, you shall hear of them, God willing, when we come to speak of their military discipline." 1
1 Wonder Working Providence, chapter 18. This history purports to come down to 1652, and was printed in 1654.
WARREN SCHOOL HOUSE. BUILT 1840.
120
HISTORY OF CHARLESTOWN.
CHAPTER XV.
1650. - Mistick Side. - Settlements. - Malden Incorporated. - Church Gathered. - Marmaduke Matthews - his Ordination. - Congrega- tionalism. - Matthews accused - his Defence - his Confession - his Fine. - Petition in his Behalf-his Confession to the Court. - Malden Church Arraigned - its Defence - its Fine .- Submission of the Church. - Departure of Matthews. - Malden Ministers.
THE grant of the land, now Malden, to Charlestown, with the first division of it, has been already noticed. 1 In 1638, April 6, the town voted to reserve a large part of it " for such desirable per- sons as should be received in," or for "such as may come with another minister ;" which is described as lying " at the head of the five acre lots " and " running in a straight line from Powder Horn Hill to the head of North River, together with "three hundred acres above Cradock's Farm." With this exception, the greater portion of the tract which, until 1724, was Malden, was divided, April 23, 1638, among the inhabitants of Charlestown.
Before the year 1640, a few of the inhabitants had settled at Mistick side. In a few years, from 1641 to 1648, there are re- cords of highways having been made, commonage provided, and the public fields rented. In 1649, January 1, a large committee was chosen from the inhabitants residing on this side of the river, "to meet three chosen brethren on Mistick side," to agree upon the terms of a separation, and the boundaries of a new town. This committee made an elaborate Report beginning : "To the end the work of Christ, and the things of his house there in hand, may be more comfortably carried on, it is agreed as followeth :" that the Mistick side men should be a town by themselves. Among the conditions, were these, that Charlestown should retain Nowell's and Wilson's farms, that it should have liberty to water cattle at the North Spring until harvest time, and that Malden should bear a part of the bur- den of maintaining the Battery of this town and the Castle. The remaining clauses, with one exception, relate to commonage, landing places, and highways. The tenth condition reads thus : " For further encouragement of the work aforesaid we acquit the
1 See page 52.
.
121
HISTORY OF CHARLESTOWN.
inhabitants within the line of Charlestown from church charges for three years next ensuing and no more."1 In all these proceed- ings there appears to have been remarkable harmony,- the Mal- den people being generally mentioned as "our brethren," and "our friends." The town was soon incorporated ; the Colony Records say, May 2, 1649 ; " upon the petition of Mistick side men, they are granted to be a distinct town, and the name thereof to be " Maulden." 2
During this period, or until 1650, the " Mistick side men," although they had probably gathered a church, had no ordained minister ; and Mr. Sargeant "a Godly Christian," and " some young students from the College," " broke to them the seals." In 1650 they invited Rev. Marmaduke Matthews to settle with them. 3 He was born in Swansea, graduated at Oxford February 20, 1624, at the age of eighteen ; arrived in this country Septem- ber 21, 1638; and, with his wife Catharine, united with the Bos- ton Church February 6, 1639.4 He settled first at Yarmouth ; and afterwards, it is supposed in 1644, removed to Hull.
Mr. Matthews was very zealous in his profession, a decided spir- itualist, and had many peculiarities of character. His style of preach- ing, and his opinions on doctrinal points, differed from those of his contemporaries ; and this lost him the "approbation of some able understanding men, among both magistrates and ministers." Among other things, he held the "Scriptures to be the foundation of a dogmatical and historical faith, but not of a saving faith." 5 To-day he would probably be classed as of the transcendental school of divines. In his time, so exceptionable were his views, that the General Court, as early as 1649, judged him guilty of uttering expressions, some of which were " erroneous," and others " weak, inconvenient and unsafe ; " and ordered Governor Endicott, in its name, to admonish him." 6
1 Charlestown Records.
2 Colony Records. Malden is the name of a parish in the county of Surrey, England. It was written Mældune by the Saxons, being composed of two words mæl, a cross and dune, a hill. In the Conqueror's Survey it is spelt Meldone ; in subsequent records it is written Meaudon, Mauden, Maldon and Malden. - Lyson's Environs of London, vol. i. p. 241. Mal- don is the name of a market town in Essex county.
3 Wonder Working Providence, book iii. chap. 7.
4 Hon. James Savage.
5 Mass. Hist. Col., vol. xxxi. p. 31.
6 Colony Records. Mr. Matthews appears to have left Hull in 1649, 16
122
HISTORY OF CHARLESTOWN.
When such was the standing of Mr. Matthews, it was natural that his preaching should be narrowly watched, and that the jealous should find in its peculiarities, more " unsafe and un- sound" expressions. Hence two churches, Charlestown and Roxbury, wrote to their Malden brethren not to ordain him as their minister. The latter, in reply, requested that any " sin " in their pastor elect might be pointed out, and they would consider it. No reply was received from Roxbury, previous to the ordination, and only the views of Mr. Nowell from Charlestown ; but whether in behalf of the church or as a magistrate, is not stated. Mr. Matthews was ordained; "although some neighbor churches," Johnson says, "were unsatisfied therewith :" "without," Hub- bard writes, " the approbation of neighboring churches and allow- ance of the magistrates, if not against the same."
At this period the ecclesiastical polity of the Colony, though settled by the Cambridge Platform, had not been practically defined. There appear to have prevailed two opinions relative to the rights of the churches. One was, that congregationalism was sub- stantial independency ; or a right and capacity in each church to maintain a pure worship, elect and ordain its officers, and manage its affairs .? The other was, that congregationalism was consistent with a hierarchy, of which the State was the proper head; and as such, that it was the duty of the civil power to protect the churches from heresy and schism. The Malden church took the former ground, and hence proceeded independently of the advice of other churches, or of the magistrates. For this, it was accused before the General Court, which took this occasion to define its authority over the churches. It is their connection with this principle, that makes the details of this controversy as important as they are curious.
The Court dealt first with Mr. Matthews, who was cited to ap- pear before it ; and, June 18, 1650, granted " time to give satisfac- tion." Besides failing to do this, he gave new offence at Malden ;
as this town petitioned the Court to encourage him "to return to them." The Court, May 2, 1649, thought it " no way meet " to grant this request.
2 The Cambridge Platform (1648) claimed for the churches, as their right, the power of ordaining their officers, which was defined "the solemn putting a man into his place and office in the church, whereunto he had rights before by election."- Chap. xi. 2. 4. See an excellent note on this point in American Quarterly Register, vol. xii., by the Rev. Samuel Sewall.
123
HISTORY OF CHARLESTOWN.
for, a year later, 1651, May 7, he was again summoned be- fore the same tribunal to answer concerning " former and later miscarriages." On the 15th the passages he had delivered in his sermons were read by his accusers; which, " though he owned them not," were proved upon him, under oath, by depositions from such citizens as Thomas Lynde 1 and John Hawthorne. Mr. Matthews replied to them in detail, commencing as follows ; -
" To ye accusations exhibited against Marmaduke Mathewes before ye general court at Boston ye 15 of ye 3 month 1651. In his name and pre- sence whose I am, and whom I desire to serve, and yt wth Child like frame, - as also forevermore to rejoice in, and yt with christian trembling, I ye sayd accused, M. M. thinke good thus to answere."
This paper, dated May 26, is an elaborate document, that would occupy several pages of this type.2 One accusation, with a part of the answer to it, will serve as a specimen of the theology of the day :
" 8 Accusation. That the saints have more varieties of righteousness than Christ, for Christ hath only a double righteousness, and the saints have a trebble.
"Answer. Tis true that having treated about the freeness of Christs grace to sinners according to what was expressed in the point of Christs pur- pose towards the rebellious, my scope then was to treat also of the fulness of his grace to his saints, which I did dispatch by the only explaining of one word as tis in the original ( 1 ) righteousnesses in -, 45. 24, tis ren- dered truly righteousness in the margin of many Bibles: implying that Christ is not only very free but also very full of grace to his believing servants, in that he affords unto them not only a single righteousness, or a righteousness of immitation, for the resembling of righteous ones in respect of outward conversation, which was all the righteousness that the Pharisee had, or civil honest persons have for to shew, but comes short of qualifying for the Kingdom of Heaven - witness Christs words Mal. 5, 20 - nor meerly a double righteousness, or a righteousness of infu- sion, both which were all the righteousnesses that Adam in Paradise had, or the elect Angels in Heaven have, as the blessed angels have no more, so believing sinners have no less, witness Eph. 9. 20., but a trebble righteousness or a righteousness of imputation, witness 2 cor. 5,21 : Phil. 3. 10, which is more than Christ himself either hath or doth need to make himself righteous. Twas far from me to either to say or suppose that Christ Jesus doth give to others more than he hath to give, as twas both ingeniously and publickally reported in the presence of many hun- dreds of men.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.