USA > New York > New York City > A history of the parish of Trinity Church in the city of New York, pt 1 > Part 5
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The proprietor began by sending out a commission to New England, consisting of Col. Richard Nicolls, Sir Robert Carr, Col. George Cartwright, and Samuel Maver- ick, the first three being officers in the Royal Army .?
1 The original Patent is in the State Library at Albany. See copy in Brodhead, ii., 651, and also Doc. Col. Hist. N. f., series I, vol. i., 3.
9 On Maverick, one of the early settlers of Boston, see Sumner's History of East Boston, 155, and Drake's History of Boston, 57 et seq.
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History of Trinity Church
[1664-
They were directed under general and special instructions, to visit the several New England Colonies, to hear and determine complaints and appeals, to take such order as might be necessary for the peace and well-being of the country, and, in view of the fact that their mission brought them in contact with suspicious and bitter persons in- tensely hostile to the established Church of England, they were counseled to exercise the utmost moderation and consideration for the religious prejudices of that diffi- cult class of people. On that point the instructions, dated at Whitehall, April 23, 1664, were precise ; they were dictated by policy, and probably also to some extent by indifference ; at all events there is not a trace of a design to force the Church of England on the colonists, but simply to compel them to leave off ostracising and annoy- ing churchmen, as it was the habit of the intolerant com- munities of New England to do. It is stated, that there is no intention to abridge or restrain the privileges or liberties previously granted and then enjoyed, nor in any way to interfere with the free exercise of the religion of the people; but the Commissioners are to insist that all who dissent from "the most rigid Presbyterian Govern- ment" which then existed in those parts, shall have the like liberty without undergoing any disadvantages with reference to their civil interest, but enjoy the same privi- lege with the rest; and especially they are required to see that
"such who desire to use ye Book of Common Prayer may be per- mitted soe to doe wthout incurring any penalty reproach or disadvan- tage in his interest, it being very scandalous that any man should be debarred ye exercise of his religion, according to ye laws & custome of England, by those who by ye indulgence granted have liberty left to be of what profess" in religion they please : in a word that persons of good & honest conversation who have lived long there may enjoy all ye priviledges ecclesiasticall & civill wch are due to them, and
41
Freedom of Worship Enjoined
1685]
wch are enjoyed by oth's, as to choose and be chosen into places of government & the like ; and that differences in opinion doe not lessen their charity to each other, since charity is a fundamental in all re- ligion." 1
Private instructions were at the same time given to the Commissioners, in substance as follows : That they should be very careful neither to say nor to do anything from which the colonists might imagine that there was a design to alter their church government or to introduce among them any other form of worship than that which they had chosen; on the other hand, they were to be made to understand that exception was justly taken to their own intolerant temper and that they could not be permitted to deny to others, and especially to members of the Church of England, the liberty they claimed for them- selves ; that in order to avoid giving them offence, and to quiet their suspicions, the Commissioners should fre- quent their churches and be present at their devotions, while, at the same time they should carry with them a learned and discreet chaplain, who, in their own house- hold, should perform divine service according to the order of the Book of Common Prayer and the forms of the established Church of England, excepting only in wearing the surplice,
" which haveing never bin seen in those countryes may conveniently be forborne att this tyme, when the principall busynesse is, by all good expedients, to unite and reconcile persons of very different judgments and practice in all things, at least which concerne the peace & pros- perity of those people and their joint submission and obedience to us and our government." ?
The policy of the home government is made still clearer by the instructions to the Commissioners in the case of persons, who under a pretence of attachment to the
1 N. Y. Col. Hist. Documents, vol. iii., 54.
> Ibid., iii., 58.
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History of Trinity Church
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Church of England, might endeavor to make trouble. They were directed to be wary of such persons; neither to repel nor to encourage them ; but to test the truth of their religious character and the sincerity of their state- ments, and to promise them nothing more than security from persecution ; all which is very characteristic, for the State does not like too great religious zeal in any of its subjects. All this was done in 1664, four years after the Restoration ; and the design of the government seems to have been simply to secure to members of the Church of England that religious freedom which, under Puritan domination, it was impossible for them to enjoy, and at the same time to test and try the temper of those zealots whose peculiar institutions formed a barrier to the remoter projects of the Duke.
Within six months after the delivery of these instruc- tions to the Duke's Commissioners, the fate of New Amsterdam was sealed. Colonel Richard Nicolls appeared on the coast, with a fleet of four ships of war and five hun- dred troops, and an appointment as Governor. The fleet touched first in New England, and the Commissioners, proceeding to Boston, proclaimed civil and religious lib- erty. On the 19th of August the squadron entered the bay of New York, and coming to an anchor at the Nar- rows, sent up a summons for the surrender of the town. Resistance was useless. Nicolls landed his troops on the opposite shore of Brooklyn, where they were joined by the English, who were impatient to throw off the yoke of the Dutch and enjoy a quiet and orderly rule. Domine Megapolensis appeared as a peace-maker, "protesting against any further opposition to the will of God," and on the 6th of September the terms of surrender were arranged. They were, perhaps, the most favorable ever granted by a conqueror. Nothing seems to have been
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The Surrender to the English
1685]
hurt, except the pride of the honest Hollanders. Their little garrison marched out with drums beating and colors flying, and embarked in their ships for Amsterdam, while an English guard took possession of the fort, and the Royal commissioners entered the town ; the flag of Eng- land was hoisted on "Fort James," and the Burgomasters proclaimed Nicolls governor. The liberties of the Dutch were fully secured to them; even their old church of "St. Nicholas," inside the fort, was secured to their per- petual use.' Church discipline, laws of inheritance, rights and customs, all remained as of old ; the domines, the schoolmasters, and the city officers came in and went out as usual ; the prejudices of the people were tenderly regarded ; in a word they remained substantially as free under the new régime as under the rule of the West India Company ; and, as a conquered people, in addition to the enjoyment of all guaranteed rights, they were entitled to be governed by their ancient laws, which remained in force until changed by the actual authorities of the Province .?
Among the old Dutch laws and customs thus scrupu-
1 It was a little stone edifice, 72 feet long by 52 wide and 16 high, built in 1642 by Governor Kieft to replace a wooden structure, which had fallen to pieces. A square stone set in the wall bore an inscription, translated as follows : " Anno Domini 1642, William Kieft, Director General, hath the Commonalty caused to build this Temple." Brodhead's History, vol. i., 336.
In it the service of the Church of England was performed for the first time by the chaplain of Governor Nicolls, October, 1664.
" The articles of capitulation expressly declared that all public buildings should continue in their previous uses, and that the Dutch should enjoy their accustomed divine worship and church discipline. Provision was accordingly made by the burgomasters and schepens for the due support of the Domines Megapolensis and Drisius until the Governor should make farther arrangements. The chaplain of the English forces had, however, no proper place in which to celebrate divine service except in the Dutch Church in the fort. It was very cordially arranged that after the Dutch had ended their own morning worship in their church, the British chap- lain should read the Church of England service there to the governor and garrison." Brodhead's History, vol. ii., 44.
' For an entertaining and graphic account of those laws and their peculiar admin- stration, see The Old Stadt Huys of New Amsterdam by James W. Gerard.
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History of Trinity Church
[1664-
lously respected were those which related to the edu- cation of the young. No private school teachers were permitted to follow their vocation without a license from the civil and ecclesiastical authorities ; public education was conducted by the permission and under the joint oversight of State and Church. There were schools in almost every town and village in New Netherland, and in New Amsterdam there was a high school, dispens- ing education gratuitously, the teachers being approved by the Consistory and receiving their compensation as well as their appointment from the constituted authorities. The laws of New Netherland enacted that all children should be instructed in reading, writing, and arithmetic,
"but especially and chiefly in the principles and fundamentals of the Reformed religion," and they "required and commanded the school masters to appear in the church with the children committed to their care and entrusted to them, on Wednesday before the commencement of the sermon, in order, after the conclusion of Divine service that each may, in the presence of the Reverend Ministers and the Elders who may be present, examine his scholars as to what they have com- mitted to memory of the Christian Commandments and Catechism, and what progress they have made. After which performance the children shall be dismissed for that day, and allowed a decent recreation." 1
So stringent were the regulations concerning the educa- tion of the young; and these ordinances, with others, continued in force.
With the English garrison came an English chaplain who ministered to soldier and civilian alike,2 though his
1 Laws of New Netherland, Albany Records, xxii., 100.
? Hunter's friends, in 1714, state that "When this Province was taken by the English in the year 1664, there was left in it a small garrison of English Soldiers who had a chaplain allow'd upon the establishment ; in the fort at New York (the seat of our Governours) was a large church wherein the Dutch inhabitants in their own way and language performed their worship, that ended, the Chaplain read Divine service according to the Liturgy of the Church of England, and this is all the footing that the Church of England as by law established had in this Province
45
"The Duke's Laws"
1685]
name does not appear to be known. The English shared with the Dutch the use of the chapel inside the fort. It is generally stated that these were the first services of the Church of England ever celebrated in the city or province, but of this there is no proof. During the Dutch period the English were on the ground in considerable strength, and, for aught we know, the Book of Common Prayer may have been used.
It is to be remembered that Long Island did not belong to the Dutch province ; Connecticut claimed it as part of her domain ; the inhabitants were English, and alien to the laws and customs of New Netherland. With respect to the laws of the Province, it is said that there was an understanding to the effect that the Dutch laws should continue in force for six months, and Nicolls was urged to take action, as the period was expiring, with reference to a change. He hesitated with respect to the City of New York, but proceeded with reference to the English on Long Island. At a convention held, by his order, February 28, 1664 (O. S.), at Hempstead, he presented a body of laws which, with the assistance of the Court of Assizes, he had compiled after consulting and comparing the laws of other colonies which were most accessible. With some amendments the code was agreed to, and an address to the Duke of York was adopted expressing the "cheerful submission" of the people, and declaring that they would forever maintain his rights under the King. The code, known as "the Duke's Laws," continued in force until the year 1683.1
until 1693." This statement has generally been referred to as proving that no other services of the Church of England were known in the Province, whereas it seems to refer to official recognition as a part of the State establishment. It is found in a letter addressed to the Bishop of London, N. Y. Doc. Hist., iii., 265.
1 (See Bolton's History of the Church in the County of Westchester, Introduc- tion, x.)
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History of Trinity Church
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No attempt was made to give the Church of England the precedence, as the situation both in New York and New England was embarrassing. King Charles, who instructed the Commissioners, saw that the people were inclined to rebellion in the latter province, while the Church element was feeble among the Dutch. The Duke of York took the prudent view of the King ; and being a Romanist in need of toleration himself, he counselled general toleration, and the division of the people into sects, hoping very likely that, by means of this division, he might eventually conquer. The only restriction on religious liberty is found in the provision requiring that all ministers " admitted to officiate " should receive ordi- nation from some " Protestant Bishop or Minister " within the dominion of a Protestant king or prince.1
1 The Laws were " published " March 1, 1664-5. The following are the portions relating to ecclesiastical matters :
I. That in each Parish within this Government a church be built in the most Convenient part thereof, Capable to receive and accommodate two Hundred Persons.
2. That For the making and proportioning the Levies and Assessments for build- ing and repairing the Churches, Provision for the poor, maintenance for the Minister ; as well as the more orderly managing of all Parochiall affairs in other Cases exprest, Eight of the most able Men of each Parish be by the Major part of Housholders of the said Parish Chosen to be Overseers out of which Number the Constable and the aforesaid Eight Overseers shall yearly make Choice of two of the said number, to be Church wardens and in case of the Death of any of the said Overseers and Church wardens ; or his or their departure out of the parish The said Constable and Overseers shall make Choice of another to Supply his Room.
3. Every Overseer is to take the Oath of Allegiance at the time of his Admittance into his Office in the Presence of the Minister Overseer and Constable of the parish, besides the Oath of his office.
4. To prevent Scandalous and Ignorant pretenders to the Ministry from intruding themselves as Teachers ; No Minister shall be admitted to Officiate, within the Gov- ernment but such as shall produce Testimonials to the Governour that he hath Re- ceived Ordination either from some Protestant Bishop, or Minister within some part of his Majesties Dominions or the Dominions of any foreign Prince of the Reformed Religion, upon which Testimony the Governour shall induce the said Minister into the parish that shall make presentation of him, as duely elected by the Major part of the Inhabitants housholders.
5. That the Minister of every Parish shall Preach constantly every Sunday, and shall also pray for the Kinge, Queene, Duke of Yorke, and the Royall family. And
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English Municipal Corporation
1685]
The Duke's Laws were not pressed upon the Province at large. At the end of ten months, however, Nicolls took action respecting the city, appointing Thomas Willett, of Plymouth, Massachusetts, Mayor, and by proclamation declaring that in the future the government should be known by the " name and style of Mayor, Alderman and Sheriff, according to the custom of England in other his Majesty's corporation." The new government comprised three Englishmen and four Hollanders.
At the meeting of the general Assize, October, 1665, the provisions of the Long Island Code not being rec- ognized, it was decided that a town rate tax should be levied for the support of worship, and Nicolls declared for liberty of conscience, while the authorities assisted the
every person affronting or disturbing any Congregation on the Lords Day and on such publique days of fast and Thanksgiving as are Appointed to be observed. After the presentment thereof by the Churchwardens to the Sessions and due Conviction thereof he shall be punished by fine or Imprisonment according to the merritt and Nature of the offence, And Every Minister shall also Publiquely Administer the Sac- rament of the Lord's Supper once every Year at least in his Parish Church not deny- ing the private benefit thereof to Persons that for want of health shall require the same in their houses, under the penalty of Loss of preferrment unless the Minister be restrained in point of Conscience.
6. No Minister shall refuse the Sacrament of Baptism to the Children of Christian parents when they shall be tendered under penalty of loss of preferrment.
*
* * * * * *
10. That no Congregations shall be disturbed in their private meetings in the time of prayer preaching or other divine Service Nor shall any person be molested fined or Imprisoned for differing in Judgment in matters of Religion who profess Christianity.
II. No Person of Scandalous or Vicious Life shall be Admitted to the holy Sac- rament who hath not given Satisfaction therein to the Minister.
CHURCH WARDENS.
That Church wardens shall twice every year (viz.) on the Second day of the Sessions, to be held in June ; and on the Second day of the Sessions to be held in December, In open Sessions deliver a true presentment in writing of all such misde- meanours as by their knowledge have been Committed and not punished whilst they have been Churchwardens. Namely, "Swearing, prophaness, Sabbath breaking, Drunkenness, fornication, Adultery, and all such abominable Sinnes." Under "Charges Publicke," it was ordered that " Every Inhabitant shall Contribute to all Charges both in Church and State, whereof he doth, or may receive benefit according to the equal proportion of his Estate."-Col. N. Y. Hist. Soc., 1809, vol. i., 332. .
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History of Trinity Church [1664-
ministers in obtaining what was due them. The Gov- ernor,1 acting impartially, did all in his power to carry out the spirit of the law .?
We must pass rapidly over the history of these early days of the English regime. Colonel Nicolls was relieved of the command of the Province in the month of August, 1668. On his departure for home, he received every de- monstration of respect and regard. In a letter from Samuel Maverick written from New York to Lord Arlington, the Foreign Secretary, these expressions occur :
" After his abode here foure yeares (where hee hath lived with great reputation and honour) hee is now returning home. I must needs accompany him with this character, that hee hath done his Matie & his Royall Highnes very considerable service in these parts, haveing by his prudent management of affaires kept persons of different judgments and of diverse nations in peace and quietnes, dureing a time when a great part of the world was in warrs. And as to the severall nations of the Indyans, they were never brought into such a peaceable posture & faire correspondence, as by his means they now are." $
Governor Nicolls was succeeded by Col. Francis Love- lace, who, by appointment from the Duke of York, en- tered upon his administration August 28, 1668. He is described as a man of a generous, upright, and noble mind. He brought with him the Duke's approval of the laws as amended ; his general instructions were similar to those of Nicolls, whose policy he followed. The Dutch Churches throughout the Province retained their freedom and the full enjoyment of their ancient rights and discipline, re-
1 Hist. Mag., 1867, 321.
* At this time there was a small number of Presbyterians in the Province ; seeing that the Dutch Church was recognized, they, in common with the Lutherans and French, applied for a charter. Their fifth application, in 1667, was denied by the Lords of Trade, who probably felt that they had no need of charters, though as a matter of justice they were entitled to them, and perhaps would have been granted, if the home authorities had not held insufficient views of the religious condition of the Province.
3 N. Y. Col. Doc., vol. iii., 174.
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The Lovelace Administration
1685]
maining under the direction of the Classis of Amsterdam ; nay, if there was any change, it was to their advantage, for the Consistory were authorized by an order in Council to levy taxes on the congregation for the support of their ministers and the relief of their poor, and were even granted moneys out of the public revenues for the support of their worship. Mr. Brodhead claims, on the strength of these enactments, that " the Reformed Dutch Church was virtu- ally established in New York by its English rulers."
Lovelace appears to have taken a general interest in whatever concerned the welfare of the people. He was anxious to have the printing press introduced, especially with reference to the printing of an Indian Catechism, and he issued a proclamation reproving swearing, intemper- ance, and impiety. Families from Boston were induced to buy houses, and other Englishmen came from Bermuda and Barbadoes. Denton gives a pleasing description of the place as it appeared at this period, being "compact and oval, with very fair streets and several good houses," the rest being built " much after the manner of Holland, to the number of about four hundred houses."
But, notwithstanding the tolerant and prudent charac- ter of Governor Lovelace's administration, it terminated in disaster to himself. In 1673 war broke out between England and France on the one hand and Holland on the other ; and the Dutch availed themselves of the oppor- tunity to regain possession of their transatlantic settle- ment. On the 28th of July in that year a Dutch fleet of twenty-three ships, with 1600 troops on board, under com- mand of Commodore Cornelis Evertsen, sailed into the bay, and took possession of New York on account of the States General. Lovelace was at New Haven and the English were helpless. The unlucky Governor, on re- turning to England, was found guilty of carelessness and
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History of Trinity Church
[1664-
incapacity ; he was reprimanded and disgraced ; and his property was declared confiscated to the Crown.1
Great were the rejoicings of the Dutch over the re- covery of New Amsterdam ; great, though brief. The name of the place was changed from New York to New Orange; Anthony Colve was appointed Governor, and the Reformed Dutch Church was formally established, an order being passed requiring the local magistrates to "take care that the Reformed Christian Religion be maintained in conformity to the Synod of Dordrecht, without permit- ting any other sects attempting anything contrary thereto." The magistrates were also to be of that religion, or at least well affected toward it. What more might have been done remains a subject of conjecture ; for the time was short. On the 16th of February, 1674, peace was con- cluded between England and the States General; the town was given up to the English, and so the Dutch domination ended forever.
Among the possessions of Lovelace was a piece of ground which has become notable in the history of Trinity Parish, in connection with a remarkable popular delusion, influencing many minds even at this distant day. There was on the island of Manhattan a tract of some sixty-two acres of land, adjoining the old West India Company's farm. It was owned by the Dutch Domine Everardus Bogardus and his wife, Anneke Jans. When New Am- sterdam was captured in 1664, the farm of the West India Company was confiscated and became the property of the Duke of York ; but the "Domine's Bouwery," as it was called, being private property, was left in the possession of its owners, to whom and to their heirs the title was con- firmed by Governor Nicolls, A.D. 1667. Upon the death
1 Brodhead's Hist. of N. Y., vol. ii., 269 ; N. Y. Col. Docs., vol. iii., 198-9 and 226.
5I
Governor Andros
1685]
of Mrs. Anneke Jans Bogardus, and in compliance with the directions of her will, this farm was sold in 1671, the purchaser being Governor Lovelace. But when he was disgraced, as aforesaid, and his property was confiscated, the title vested in the Duke of York, and thereafter in the Crown. For the further history of this piece of ground the reader is referred to a later chapter of this work. The farm became the property of the English Church, and has been held as church property to the present day.1
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