USA > Rhode Island > Bristol County > Barrington > A history of Barrington, Rhode Island > Part 12
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It is of interest to note in the Acts of the Plymouth Court the following order under date of July 2, 1667, which may have hastened the action of the people of Sowams and Wan- namoisett, relative to the formation of a new town. It will be remembered that Mr. Myles, Mr. Brown and others had set up their new meeting-house and held worship therein in 1663. The Court takes knowledge thereof by the following order :
" Mr. Myles and Mr. Brown for theire breach of order in setting up of a public meeting without the knowledge and
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GRANT OF NEW SWANSEA.
approbation of the Court, to the disturbance of the peace of the place, are fined, each of them, the sume of five pounds, and Mr. Tanner the sume of twenty shillings."
The acquaintanceship which had sprung up between Rev. John Myles, Capt. Thomas Willett, Mr. John Brown, and others of the settlers at Sowams and Wannamoisett had ripened into close friendship, and the proposition was enter- tained between them of securing from the Plymouth Court the grant of a new township, south of the Rehoboth limits, including ancient Sowams. To this end, an application was. made for a separate corporation under the name of New Swansea. The name was suggested by Mr. Myles, in remem- brance of his former home in Wales, and its original orthog- raphy indicates that the waters of the bay near the town were the favorite resort of the swan, and was called the Sea of Swans, or Swansea. This word has been corrupted to Swanzea, Swansey, Swanzey, Swansy, and Swanzy.
The application for a new town was successful, as will be seen by the following :
GRANT OF NEW SWANSEA.
"A true copy of the grant of this township of New Swan- sea, lying on Record at the Court of New Plymouth, 1667.
WHEREAS, libertie hath bine formerly graunted by the Court of the jurisdiction of New Plymouth, unto Captaine Willett and his naighbors att Wannamoisett, to become a township there if they should see good ; and that lately the said Capt. Willett and Mr. Myles and others theire naigh- bors have requested of the Court that they may be a town- ship there or neare thereunto, and likewise to have granted unto them such parsells of land as might be accommodate thereunto not desposed of to other townships; this Court have graunted unto them all such lands that lieth between the salt water bay and coming up Taunton River, viz. : all the land between the said salt water and river, and the bounds of Taunton and Rehoboth, not prejudiceing any
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THE HISTORY OF BARRINGTON.
man's particular interest, and for as much as Rehoboth hath medow lands within the line of Wannamoisett, and Wanna- moisett hath lands within the line of Rehoboth, lying near the south line of Rehoboth ; if the two townships cannot agree about them amongst themselves, the Court reserves it within theire power to determine any such controversy. 1667, Oct. 30, Prence, Gov"."
Four months later, the Court at Plymouth passed the fol- lowing orders as to the new town, Swansea :
. "The Court doe alow and approve that the township graunted unto Captaine Willett and others, his naighbours, att Wannamoisett and places adjacent, shall hensforth be called and knowne by the name of Swansey.
The Court have appointed Captaine Willett, Mr. Paine, Senir., Mr. Browne, John Allin and John Butterworth to have the trust of admittance of towne inhabitants unto said towne, and to have the disposall of lands therein, and order- ing of other the affaires of the said towne.
The Court have graunted unto Captaine Willett to pur- chase what lands he can in the behalfe of the Court within the township of Swansey soe as hee doe not to much straiten the Indians.
The Court have declared that soe farr as in them lyeth they are willing that for such stronge liquors as are or shalbe brought into the said towne by forraigners in the way of trad, it shalbe costom free soe as it be not retailed ; and the libertie to continew for the tearme of seven yeares from the date heerof.
It is further ordered by the Court that the towne of Swan- sey, shall send downe one to serve in the office of a cons- table for that constablericke, and one for a deputie, and a grand jury man, unto the next June Court to take office to serve in theire respective places and offices for that towne.
Plymouth, 5, March 1667-8.
PRENCE, Govr."
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CAPTAIN WILLETT'S PROPOSALS.
The first officers elected under the last order in the year 1668, were Deputy, John Allin; Constable, Nathaniel Pecke ; Grand Jury, John Rogers.
In this township grant of Swansea, the remarkable feature is that the Plymouth Court simply defines the boundaries of the new town, making no conditions as to its settlement or government, except as to possible differences as to lands lying in Swansea and Rehoboth. Swansea thereby becomes an independent township or colony under the general govern- ment of England. The grant goes so far as to give to Thomas Willett and his associates on the committee the power to fix the qualifications of the inhabitants of the town. How he uses his power we shall see by reading the following proposals, made by Mr. Willett, (who was probably a Pedo- baptist), which have made the history of the old town so unique, and the character of her population so worthy of commendation.
CAPTAIN WILLETT'S PROPOSALS.
" Whereas, Capt. Thomas Willett, shortly after the grant of this township, made three following proposals unto those who were with him, by the Court at Plymouth, empowered for the admission of inhabitants, and of granting lots.
I. That no erroneous person be admitted into the town- ship as an inhabitant or sojourner.
2. That no men of any evil behavior, as contentious per- sons, &c., be admitted.
3. That none may be admitted that may become a charge to the place."
These proposals were first submitted to the church and of the church's action we have the following record :
"The Church here gathered and assembling did thereupon make the following address unto the said Capt. Willett and his associates, the Trustees aforesaid :
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هاصعود ملو العـ
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THE HISTORY OF BARRINGTON.
REPLY OF THE CHURCH TO CAPTAIN WILLETT'S PROPOSALS.
" We being engaged with you (according to our capacity) in the carrying out of a township, according to the grant given us by the honored Court, and desiring to lay such a foundation thereof, as may effectually tend to God's glory, our future peace and comfort, and the real benefit of such as shall hereafter join with us herein, as also to prevent all future jealousies and causes of dissatisfaction or disturbance in so good a work, do in relation to the three proposals made by our much honored Capt. Willett, humbly present to your serious consideration (before we further proceed therein) that the said proposals may be consented to and subscribed by all and every town-man under the following explications :
"That the first proposal relating to non-admission of erroneous persons may be only understood under the expli- cations following, viz. : of such as hold damnable heresies inconsistent with the faith of the gospel, as to deny the Trinity or any person therein ; the Deity, or sinless human- ity of Christ, or the union of both natures in Him, or His full satisfaction to the divine justice by His active and pas- sive obedience for all His elect, or His resurrection, ascen- sion to Heaven, intercession, or His second personable com- ing to judgment ; or the resurrection of the dead, or to maintain any merit of works, consubstantiation, transsub- stantiation, giving divine adoration to any creature or any other anti-christian doctrine, thereby directly opposing the priestly, prophetical, or kingly office of Christ, or any part thereof ; or secondly such as hold such opinions as are inconsistent with the well-being of the place, as to deny the magistrate's power to punish evil-doers, as well as to encour- age those that do well ; or to deny the first day of the week to be observed by divine institution as the Lord's or Chris- tian Sabbath, or to deny the giving of honor to whom honor is due, or to offer those civil respects that are usually per- formed according to the laudable custom of our nation, each
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SWANSEA CHURCH PROPOSALS.
to the other, as bowing the knee, or body, etc., or else to deny the office, use, or authority of the ministry, or the comfortable maintenance to be due them from such as par- take of their teaching, or to speak reproachfully of any of the churches of Christ in the country, or of any such other churches as are of the same common faith with us and them.
" We desire also that it may be understood and declared that this is not understood of any holding any opinion dif- ferent from others on many disputable points yet in contro- versy among the godly learned, the belief of these not essen- tially necessary to salvation, such as pedo-baptism, anti- pedo-baptism, church discipline or the like; but that the minister or ministers of the said town may take their liberty to baptize infants or grown persons as the Lord shall per- suade their consciences, and so also the inhabitants to take the liberty to bring their children to baptism or forbear.
" That the second proposal, relating to the non-reception of any of evil behavior, such as contentious persons, &c., may be only understood of those truly so called, and not of those who are different in judgment of the particulars last men- tioned, and may be therefore accounted contentious by some though they are in all fundamentals of faith, orthodox in judgment, and excepting common infirmities blameless in conversation.
" That the proposal relating to the non-admission of such as may become a charge to the town, be only understood so that it may not hinder any godly man from coming amongst us whilst there is accommodation that may satisfy him, if some responsible townsman will be bound to save the town harmless.
" These humble tenders of our desires we hope you will without offence receive, excusing us therein, considering that God's glory, the future peace and well-being, not only of us and our posterity who shall settle here, but also of those several good and peaceably minded men whom you already know are liked, though with very inconsiderable out-
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THE HISTORY OF BARRINGTON.
ward accommodation to come among us are very much con- cerned herein. Our humble prayer both for ourselves and you, is that our God would be pleased to cause us to aim more and more at his glory, and less to our own earthly concernment, that so we may improve the favors that hath been handed to us by our honored nursing fathers to the advancement of the glory of God, the interest of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the common benefit both of the Town- ship and Colony, wherein he hath providentially disposed of us to serve our generation.
Your brethren to serve you in Christ.
Signed in behalf and in the name of the church meeting at Swansea, by
JOHN MYLES, Pastor. JOHN BUTTERWORTH."
The original records of the town, from the year 1667, are still in good preservation. The first record therein is a copy of the grant of the town. The " three proposals " of Captain Willett, with the " explications and reservations" of Mr. Myles and Deacon Butterworth, follow in natural order. The mutual assent of the town and church to these articles is stated as follows :
"The foregoing proposals, being according to the desire of the church aforesaid, fully and absolutely condescended to, concluded and agreed upon by and between the said Captain Thomas Willett and his associates aforesaid and the said church, under the reservations and explications above written, and every one of them, it was some time afterward propounded at a meeting of the said town, lawfully warned on the two and twentieth day of the twelfth month, 1669 that the said agreement be by the whole town ratified and confirmed, and settled as a foundation order to which all that then were, or afterwards should be admitted inhabitants, and to receive lands from the town, should manifest their assent by subscription thereunto, whereupon the following
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SWANSEA ADOPTS PROPOSALS.
order, (the said Captain Willett and his associates aforesaid being present,) was freely passed by the whole town, nemine contradicente.
"At a town meeting lawfully warned on the two and twen- tieth day of the twelfth month, commonly called February in the year of our Lord 1669, it is ordered that all persons that are or shall be admitted inhabitants within this town, shall subscribe to the three proposals above written ; to the several conditions and explanations therein expressed, before any lot of land be confirmed to them or any of them.
"We whose names are hereunder written do freely upon our admission to be inhabitants of this town of Swansea, assent to the above written agreement made between the Church of Christ now meeting here at Swansea, and Captain Thomas Willett and his associates, as the said agreement is specified and declared in the three proposals aforewritten, with the several conditions and explanations thereof, con- cerning the present and future settlement of this township.
In witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed :
Thomas Willett,
Caleb Eddy,
John Myles,
John Myles, Jr.,
John Allen,
Thomas Lewis,
James Brown,
Joseph Carpenter,
Nicholas Tanner,
Robert Jones,
Hugh Cole,
Eldad Kingsley,
Benjamin Alby,
John Martin,
John Browne,
John Cole,
Joseph Wheaton,
Samuel Wheaton, Thomas Barnes,
Nathan'l Paine,
Thos. Estabrooke,
Stephen Brace.
Richard Sharpe, Wm. Ingraham,
John Dickse, Wm. Bartram,
Thos. Manning,
Joseph Kent,
Wm. Cahoone, Geo. Aldrich,
Sam'l Woodbury,
Nehemiah Allen,
Nathan'l Lewis, 10
Gideon Allen,
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THE HISTORY OF BARRINGTON.
John Thurber,
Sampson Mason,
Jona. Bosworth,
Job Winslow,
Joseph Lewis,
Obadiah Bowen, Jr.,
Wm. Hayward,
Richard Burgess,
Jno. Thurber, 2d.,
Jno. Butterworth,
Gerard Ingraham,
John West,
Zach. Eddy,
Thos. Elliott,
Hezekiah Luther,
Timothy Brooks,
John Paddock,
Nathan'l Toogood,
Samuel Luther,
Jere. Child,
Obadiah Brown, Senr."
The leaders in the settlement of old Swansea were thus careful in the admission of persons to the privilege of citi- zenship, and to this intelligent care is traceable the past and present prosperity and virtue of our communities. Men who could subscribe to the articles referred to were law-lov- ing and God-fearing, and their descendants cherish a similar adherence to the principles of their fathers. In order to secure a more effectual application of the "three proposals," it was voted Feb. 12, 1670, " To prevent the bringing in of such persons to be inhabitants as may be to the prejudice of the town ; it is ordered that whosoever hath taken or shall take up any lot therein, and shall let out, give, or sell the same, or any part thereof, to any person or persons whatso- ever, without the consent of the town, or at least the com- mittee that are or shall be chosen for the management of the prudential affairs of the town at any time hereafter; then the person or persons that shall so let out or sell as afore- said, shall forfeit their whole right in such lot and buildings thereon, from them, their heirs and assigns, to the use of the town forever."
أصرت لجبر
الجمعة الأسبق
CHAPTER XI
EARLY EDUCATION IN SWANSEA
Plymouth Colony Encouraged Free Schools - Orders of 1658 and 1673 - Aid to Towns - First Free School in Swansea - Rev. John Myles, First Schoolmaster.
DLYMOUTH was behind her sister colony of the Bay in P
providing by law for common schools. The first pub- lic act on record concerning schools was passed by the Gen- . eral Court at Plymouth, in 1658, when it was "proposed by the Court unto the several Townshipes of this Jurisdiction as a thinge they ought to take into their serious considera- tion that some cowrse may be taken that in every Towne there may be a schoolmaster sett up to traine up Children to reading and writing."
Massachusetts Bay Colony had taken similar action in the celebrated ordinance of 1647, although private or tuition schools had existed in Boston, Dorchester and other towns as early as 1635 or thereabouts. The Boston Latin School dates to 1638. Muddy Brook or Brookline had a school appropriation in 1637, and Dorchester claims a free town school in 1639. Lord Macauley called the attention of Par- liament and all England to this noble document of Universal Compulsory Education of Massachusetts of 1647, declaring it to be worthy of the wisest men of any age.
In 1673, Plymouth ordered that " the charge of the free scools, which is three and thirty pounds a year, shall be defrayed out of the proffits ariseing by the fishing att the Cape," In 1674, it was voted that " the proffits of the fish- ing at Cape Code granted by the Court for the erecting and maintaining of a scool be still continewed for that end if a competent number of Scollars shall appear to be devoated
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THE HISTORY OF BARRINGTON.
thereto, which the Court judges not to be less than eight or ten," with the added provision that the Court would grant no further aid. In 1677, Plymouth passed an act which made the schools supportable in part by taxes on all the property of the towns ; in part by voluntary contributions, and in part by the fisheries at Cape Cod.
As evidences of the purposes of the fathers and founders as to public education, the main portion of the act is here quoted : "fforasmuch as the Maintenance of good littera- ture doth much tend to the advancement of the weale and flourishing estate of societies and Republiques ;
"This Court doth therefore order, That in whatsoever Town- shippe in this Government consisting of fifty families or up- wards ; any meet man shall be obtained to teach a Gramer scoole such townshippe shall allow att least twelve pounds in currant merchantable pay to be raised by rate on all the in- habitants of such Towne and those that have the more immediate benefitt thereof by theire childrens going to scoole with what others may voulentarily give to promote soe good a work and generall good, shall make up the resedue Necessarie to maintaine the same, and that the proffitts arising of the Cape ffishing, heretofore ordered to maintaine a Gramer scoole in this collonie, be destributed to such Towns as have Gramer scooles for the maintainance threof," etc., etc.
No better evidence is required of the crying need of some kind of schools than the above act establishing the grade called " Gramer scooles."
By this act any town not establishing a Grammar School was required to pay an annual tax of five pounds to the adjoining town which had such a school. 1
The first legislation of Swansea on schools was made December 19, 1673, by which a Grammar School was "set up" under the following order.
" It was voted and ordered, nemine contradicente, that a school be forthwith set up in this town for the teaching of Grammer, Rhetoric, and Arithmetic, and the tongues of
العدد اليد براحة
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REV. JOHN MYLES, SCHOOLMASTER.
Latin, Greek and Hebrew, also to read English and to write, and that at a salary of £40 per annum in currant country pay, which passeth from man to man, be duly paid from time to time, and at all times hereafter to the schoolmaster thereof, and Mr. John Myles, the present pastor of the Church here assembling, be the schoolmaster, during the said pastor's life and from and after his decease that the school and salary thereto belonging during their respective natural lives ; pro- vided, nevertheless, that the said school and forty pounds salary aforesaid shall be continued to the said John Myles, and to the said successive pastors for and during such time as he or they, and every one of them shall be contented to take their ministerial maintenance by weekly contribution and no longer.
"It is further ordered that said school shall be only free to such children whose parents pay any rates towards the said school, and to none other, and that the schoolmaster and successive schoolmasters thereof for the time being shall have liberty to take in any other scholars they think fit, to be educated there, and every scholar at first entrance shall pay twelve pence in silver towards buying of books for the said school."
The proprietors of Swansea had made some provision for education in setting apart certain lots, the use or income of which was for the benefit of the school. The same pro- vision was made by the town in 1672, when such lots were laid out with the privilege of the second rank.
By the act of Swansea, 1673, the pastor, Rev. John Myles, was made schoolmaster for life at a salary of forty pounds a year. This caused trouble, for some of the people understood that the salary was for his services as pastor and schoolmas- ter, while others considered it as payment for his school work, but not for his pastoral labors. The discussion was ended by the following order of the town, passed May 19, 1675 :
"Whereas there hath been a former order concluded con- cerning the maintenance of a free school, and to give encour- agement to the ministry of the church, since which time
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THE HISTORY OF BARRINGTON.
several have withdrawn their part of payment thereto, some objecting against the school and some against the ministry, now it is voted, and ordered to be understood, that the above said maintenance shall be for both, and to be paid in beef, pork, or provision, as corn, butter, etc."
In the town legislation of 1673 are found the rudiments of a thorough education in good earnest, for, in addition to the three Rs of modern times, we have Rhetoric, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. What say you, schoolmen within the limits of Old Swansea, are these ancient tongues taught in your graded grammar schools of 1897, or has the English tongue, as such, a place in your modern course of studies? And what say you, teachers of Wannamoisett or Kickemuit, do your certificates of qualifications embrace the ancient classics and the higher English studies ? or shall we yield to the ancient dwellers on the Sowams a higher standard of education than now prevails in the same quarters ? Parson Myles, the pastor and teacher, now becomes John Myles, the schoolmaster and pedagogue, and with his saddle-bags across his horse's back he starts for Captain Willett's, to commence his two months' school service in that section. Board and lodgings for man and beast are a part of the schoolmaster's salary, and as there are no school- houses, he rides up on Monday morning to the hospitable door of his old friend Brown - the scene of his future labors. A group of boys and misses is gathered to pay their deference to their future teacher, and with bows and courtesies they welcome him whom they have been taught to reverence as their spiritual guide. The student and the rogue are there, and the latter scans, with mischievous eyes and with proph- etic spirit, the ferule, and Solomon's rod, which are to form a part of the school furnishings of our ancient school-room. The saddle-bags contain the little library of text-books, which are to be the common stock for instruction and study. The spelling, the grammar, the arithmetic, and the classical books have all been thumbed in English and Welsh homes, across the Atlantic, and are now made to bear tribute to the educa- tional needs of this early civilization. Our school-room is an
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THE MASTER AND SCHOOL.
upper chamber, with a long, rough table in the centre of the rcom, and rude benches ranged around its sides, and elevated according to the size of the boys and girls who are to occupy them. The master holds the key of the storehouse of knowl- edge in his hands, and with wise care unlocks and brings out his treasures as his pupils seem to need. The ciphering book is their slate, their black-board, and their writing-book, and the good, round, full hand of that elder day, and the artistic skill of those early performers in penmanship often put in the shade the efforts of more favored ones to-day. For six days in the week the master and pupils ply their school tasks, and we may well wonder when and where our good parson finds time and strength to prepare the manna for feeding his flock on Sunday, unless he has already learned that there are two ends to every sermon barrel. From Captain Willett's, when his service ends, he rides to Kickemuit, to Hugh Cole's, where a similar two months of labor in teaching follow, and from thence back home to New Meadow Neck, where he finishes his annual round, and draws on the raters of the town for his well-earned salary. Some of his parishoners, however, think this forty pounds a full equivalent for his ministerial as well as pedagogical services, and when the con- tribution box comes round on Sunday morning, they some- how fail to feel the force of its persuasive presence. Suffice to say, good Parson Myles, like many other pastors and pedagogues, did not grow rich from his people. But in that itinerant school were taught and learned the graces of good manners, the master forgetting not the sage advice of an ancient sage who spoiled the rod to spare the child.
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