USA > Rhode Island > The "Old Stone Bank" history of Rhode Island, Vol. IV > Part 2
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What of the neighborhood around the. home of Roger Williams during his boy- hood? On the same street, or lane, where his father maintained a tailoring business, shops may have been kept by other classes of tradesmen such as printers, coach- makers, curriers, hatters, ironmongers and scriveners, and, if not on the same street, such popular services were available not far away. At the foot of Cow Lane was a public watering place, either a well or a spring, and there the neighbors would
ROGER WILLIAMS FOUNDER OF PROVIDENCE
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come often to procure water for their homes, and also to tarry awhile for a bit of late gossip. Inns and public water supplies have always been favorite gather- ing spots for loungers and talkers, and, no doubt, young Williams heard much about wars, kings, taxes, scaffolds and mutinies from the lips of the worldly informed who loitered around Lamb's Conduit.
Smithfield (Smyth Field) lay one half mile inland from the Thames, at the north- west corner of the wall of London, and there, outside the ancient enclosure, Wil- liams found many exciting attractions. For hundreds of years, Smithfield had been the great trading place for horses, cattle, sheep and swine, and also for hay and farm implements. Friday was the day for the weekly horse fair; Tuesday, Thurs- day and Saturday were the days for the hay market at Smithfield. Every Friday, along Cow Lane, leading to Smithfield from Holborn, the open country, would be driven all types of steeds for the bidding at the fair, prancers, draft horses, hacks and charging stallions. No small boy could resist tagging after these processions to the level open spaces of Smithfield where earls, dukes, knights and tradesmen would assemble to view, barter, bargain and buy, and where any kind of horse might be purchased, from a trotter for an esquire to an ambling mare for a maid-in- waiting.
Although Williams was born too late to witness the Smithfield spectacles of Queen Elizabeth's time, when elaborate shows of royal pomp and military display were exhibited there, he did know the Smith- field of fame up until his twelfth year when King James I ordered that the whole area be cleared out and subjected to mod- ern improvement. Cobble stones were laid, sewers installed, walks paved, fences and rails built, transforming the ancient scene of joustings, duels, horse fairs, pag- eants, parades, midway shows and com- mon fighting into a respectable, well- ordered, peaceful market place.
Despite all the royal streamlining and modernizing, Smithfield continued to be the playground for the youth of the neigh- borhood. On Sundays, during Lent, the young bloods would meet there with lances and shields to engage in sham battles, and,
if a king happened to be traveling that way the sons of earls, dukes and other nobles would seek advancement in rank by showing off their skills with sword or halberd to impress his Majesty. Horse
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MAP OF THE OUTSKIRTS OF LONDON IN ABOUT 1610, SHOWING COWE AND COCKE LANES AND NEIGHBORHOOD IN WHICH ROGER WILLIAMS SPENT HIS YOUTH.
Pool stood in the middle of the market place, and, during the Easter season, targets were set up in this pond to test the skill of archers and lance throwers. On summer evenings, the smaller boys of the neighborhood would assemble at Smithfield, where they would run, leap, wrestle and cast the stone (put the shot) and, sometimes, they fought each other with toy bucklers, swords and arrows. A large audience of amused and idle spec- tators would invariably be on hand to watch the fun - in this respect, times never change.
It can be imagined that Williams, living the life of a normal, healthy boy, playing, helping with the family chores, running errands for his father, may have found
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CHURCH OF ST. SEPULCHRE, LONDON. ROGER WILLIAMS' PARENTS WERE MEMBERS OF THIS PARISH.
opportunities for sight-seeing excursions as he grew older - most boys have. If so, he probably became familiar with the grim exteriors of such famous prisons as Fleet, Newgate, Ludgate and the Tower of Lon- don, and also with such landmarks as St. Paul's and other great cathedrals of the metropolis. It may be that his private explorations took him down Shoe Lane, across Fleet Street and along Water Lane to the banks of Thames where he could view with wonder, London Bridge, West- minster Abbey and the bustling quays where huge square-rigged ships were moored, waiting to sail again to the far- away East Indies or to the place called Virginia, in America, about which so much was being related at that particular time.
Certainly, he must have acquired a small boy's interest in Virginia when he attended church school at St. Sepulchre's, located very near Cow Lane, for there he met and heard tales told by Captain John Smith whose exploits in the New World had made him a figure of great prestige
and reknown throughout London. The Church of St. Sepulchre's, directly across from Newgate prison in the old Bailey, was then a Puritan stronghold, and that undoubtedly accounted for some of the convictions and motives that led Williams to leave his native land later and seek greater opportunities for the expression of his liberal theories. St. Sepulchre's is still in existence; his family attended services there regularly; his father and mother were buried there, and left money in their wills for the poor of the parish. Although the edifice was badly damaged in the Great Fire, repairs were made allow- ing for the preservation of some of the original structure which dates back to the twelfth century.
As a youngster, Williams began to show evidences of the zeal which characterized the remarkable achievements of his later life. He became interested in stenography, or shorthand, and immediately sought to perfect himself in the art, by transcribing the weekly sermons of his rector. Short-
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hand may be regarded as a comparatively modern practice, although the records reveal that John Willis of London pub- lished the first edition of his "Art of Stenographie" in 1602, and a revised edition by Edmund Willis appeared in 1618. Apparently then, Roger Williams must have been one of the pioneer writers in stenography unless the art was dis- covered before John Willis wrote his book.
At any rate, the youth's accomplish- ment was observed by Sir Edward Coke, at one time Chief Justice of England, and who was also a distinguished member of the Williams' family church. The jurist's astonishment at the ability of young Wil- liams opened the way to a closer acquain- tance, finally resulting in Sir Edward's de- termination to help the tailor's son secure an education. Few boys in those days had the advantages of schooling. Most of them, especially in the class of society to which the Williams family belonged, be- came apprentices and learned a trade. Sidrack, Roger's brother, first followed
·
SIR EDWARD COKE, THROUGH WHOSE INFLUENCE ROGER WILLIAMS ATTENDED THE CHARTER HOUSE SCHOOL.
the trade of tailoring, but later became a cloth merchant with foreign connections
CHARTER HOUSE SCHOOL, WHERE ROGER WILLIAMS RECEIVED HIS EARLY EDUCATION.
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PEMBROKE COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND, FROM WHICH INSTITUTION ROGER WILLIAMS GRADUATED IN 1626.
in Turkey. Through the kindly assistance of Sir Edward Coke, Roger Williams, at the age of seventeen, was elected a scholar of Charter House School, an exclusive pri- vate school, established in an early Char- treuse Monastery. At Charter House, located on the other side of Smithfield from his home, Williams proved to be a bright student whose keen mind had not been entirely neglected. By his wit and ambition, he had acquired for himself as a patron one of the most influential intel- lectuals of his day. Sir Edward Coke was then a member of the House of Commons, after a long absence therefrom, and on his way to become a strong political leader of the Puritans. From his patron, Williams received not only good counsel and guid- ance, at an important stage of his career, but also, the broad simple truths of human
relationship which he was destined to expound and demonstrate with far-reach- ing effect, many miles from the scenes of his boyhood.
Roger Williams went from Charter House to Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he had received a fellowship. Tra- dition has it that he first studied law, hop- ing to follow the profession of his patron, but that religion gradually drew his entire interest and affection. His final years of higher education were devoted to the study of theology, and not long after his graduation, in 1626, he was ordained to the ministry. However, his earlier courses in common law and jurisprudence were to be found valuable and practical in later years. His first appointment in his pro- fession was as a private chaplain to Sir William Masham at Otes, in Essex.
JANE AND MARY
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record of the past as a true life narrative has become so universally popular that even the school text-books of the future may place as much relative emphasis upon
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a general's, or a dictator's, romances as formal history texts have always placed upon speeches, battlefields and laws. Conquests of hearts and conquests of nations have their relatively significant places in the records of the past - neither should be left out in the telling of what has happened to individuals and to com- munities of people up to the present.
Early in February, 1629, Roger Wil- liams was residing at a place called Otes, in Essex, England, where he served as a chaplain on the family estate of Sir Wil- liam Masham. Williams received his A.B. degree from Pembroke College, Cambridge, in January 1626, and had taken holy orders in the Church of England one year later. In those days, on an estate that main- tained a large retinue of servants, includ- ing everything from game-keeper to bailiff, a domestic chaplain's duties were princi- pally spiritual, serving both the family and the help, although the chaplain dined in the servants' hall, leading prayers, saying grace, keeping order, etc.
The young Reverend Williams enjoyed his appointment with the Mashams, not only because of the social contact oppor- tunities afforded him by the position, but also because he happened to be associated with a family that held views concerning burning issues of the day, common unto his own. The Mashams were Puritans; in fact, Sir William himself had already served a sentence in prison for the part he had taken in the political struggle against the king. At the Mashams assembled society of the better sort - not that of the gay and profligate Court, but of the higher type of the landed proprietors holding Puritan sympathies and inde- pendent political views. The leading class in England was composed of the landed gentry, or squires, and some of the most notable men of this class were to be met, on occasions, at Otes. Lady Masham was the daughter of Lady Joan Barrington, widow of Sir Francis Barrington, of Hat- field Priory, Barrington Broad Oaks, located just a few miles from Otes. Inci- dentally, Sir Francis Barrington died, in 1628, from the effects of prison confine- ment; he had dared to defy His Majesty by openly professing Puritan views. Two of Lady Barrington's sons were members
of Parliament, and both Oliver Cromwell and John Hampden were her nephews. Living with this distinguished neighbor at the time Roger Williams was holding services in the Masham private chapel, presiding over the servants' dinner table, helping with the accounts, visiting the sick and performing many other services, was Lady Barrington's niece, Jane Whal- ley, sister of Edward Whalley, one of the plotters of the king's death.
It just happened that Roger Williams had occasion to spend a few days in Lon- don, early in 1629. While there he met Robert Barrington, member of Parliament and son of Lady Barrington. Knowing that his mother would be anxious to learn of the latest news, both social and politi- cal, Robert wrote her a letter in which he referred to foreign and domestic affairs, especially the quarrel between Parliament and King Charles. He requested the chaplain of Otes to deliver the letter in person. Roger Williams carried out the request by calling at the Barrington estate shortly after his return from London, and there he was received most graciously.
· Several days of walking the streets of London, visiting the public places and clubs where the latest gossip was passed from one to another, and a few intimate chats with political leaders, had given the young chaplain a fair insight into what was going on at the time, so he courteously supplemented the contents of the personal letter with a first-hand report of social high-lights, and of back-stage goings-on in Parliament. Lady Joan listened in- tently to the description of stirring events and to intimate remarks and observations involving important people, and so did her attractive young niece, Jane Whalley. But, while Jane's head was busy taking in the latest news brought from headquarters by a handsome neighbor whom she had not met before, her eyes and heart were also doing a bit of taking-in, and long before time for tea and the end of the social call. What Roger Williams thought of Jane at their first meeting can only be surmised. At any rate, he found it neces- sary to call at Broad Oaks quite fre- quently thereafter, and, it was but a short time before folks began to talk, as they usually do. Would that there were some
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recorded reference in history to this pleas- ant acquaintance that moved rapidly into the courtship stage, but, all that is known is the fact that Roger Williams and Jane Whalley fell in love. The Mashams ap- proved of the match, but Lady Barrington disapproved, and so did mother Williams, for some unexplained reason.
Williams was then about twenty-six years old, as nearly as can be estimated, and it was Spring. The couple had been meeting often and, then, suddenly, be- cause of Lady Barrington's positive and persistent opposition, Roger ceased calling at Broad Oaks. In the meantime, he made up his mind to plead his case in writing. His plea for the hand of Jane Whalley proved to be a masterpiece of flowery compliment and eloquent courtesy. Frankly admitting that his financial out- look was not particularly promising, he did, however, mention the fact that he had received offers for his services from New England, and that his prospects for success in life were good. Evidently, Lady Barrington was not moved by the petition since a second was received by her early in May. The second and final appeal, bitterly acrid and poetically sarcastic, reveals the cause of the rebuff. Williams was too poor and of a lower social class. Thus is disclosed an experience in the
early life of this man which, no doubt, strengthened his belief in equality among all men, and in the sovereignty of the people.
Roger Williams loved Jane Whalley, and she loved him. They would have been married with the blessings of many who knew them. But, Fate stepped in, in the form of a social barrier, and, as it often happens, things turned out for the best in the end. Jane's marriage was promptly arranged by her aunt to William Hooke, who possessed both fortune and rank, and, in 1639, the Reverend and Mrs. Hooke came to Taunton, Massachusetts. From 1644 to 1656, Mr. Hooke preached in New Haven. Jane returned to England, in 1654, and her husband followed two years later to become private chaplain to his wife's cousin, Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of England. If matters had been other- wise, Roger Williams might have been Cromwell's spiritual adviser although, as it happened, the relationship between the Lord Protector and the future founder of Providence was destined to have far greater significance in world history.
What happened to the rejected suitor at Otes, in Essex? There were other women in the Masham household besides Lady Masham. She had been married previously to Sir James Altham, and had
BARRINGTON HALL AT HATFIELD BROAD OAKS IN ESSEX, WHERE ROGER WILLIAMS UNSUCCESSFULLY COURTED JANE WHALLEY.
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CHURCH AT HIGH LAVER, ESSEX, ENGLAND, WHERE ROGER WILLIAMS AND MARY BARNARD WERE MARRIED.
a daughter Joan Altham as well as a daughter Joan Masham. To differentiate between the two bearing the same given name, the elder of the pair, Joan Altham, was nicknamed "Jug." It was the custom in those days, and it remains to the pres- ent in English society, to a certain degree, for a young lady of rank to have as com- panion, or lady's maid, a girl in rank gen- erally below that of her mistress. Ladies of high nobility were waiting maids for the queen, and so on down through the various gradations of social caste. Mary Barnard happened to be lady's maid to Joan "Jug" Altham.
Roger Williams was taken seriously ill following the mental strain of his love affair disappointments, and, during this illness he was cared for by two attractive young ladies of the household, Jug Altham and her companion, Mary Barnard, both near his own age. The girls brought him books, conversed with him at length, and performed other little courtesies usually
appreciated by one sick of body and of heart. Both were of marriageable age, although "Jug" was not for Williams. In the long, lingering days of recovery, it all happened; Roger Williams fell deeply in love with Mary Barnard.
In the parish church of High Laver, County Essex, a few miles from Otes, can now be found the following entry on the church records: "Roger Williams, clergy- man, and Mary Barnard were married the 15th day of December, anno domini, 1629." Just about one year later, Roger Williams and his wife, Mary, embarked on the ship Lyon, under Captain Pierce, from Bristol, England. For two months, in the dead of winter, the vessel battled gales and sleety storms before anchoring safely at Nantasket, near Boston. As the years went by, Mary Williams proved to be a faithful companion and loyal wife, and a woman of intelligence, courage, and practi- cal foresight. Luckily, it was Mary and not Jane who became Mrs. Roger Williams.
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TROUBLE IN MASSACHUSETTS
R OGER WILLIAMS and Mary, his bride of one year, arrived in Boston on the ship Lyon, February 9, 1631. The voyage, in the dead of winter, had taken more than two months and it must have been a cold and uncomfortable experience for the twenty passengers and the small crew. Furthermore, the first glimpse of the shores of Massachusetts at that time of the year could not have been very heart- ening to these chilled, travel-weary new- comers. But, the frozen shores and snow- covered hills held eagerly-sought oppor- tunities for the ship's passengers, accord- ing to their several hopes and ambitions. Some sought plain adventure, others came to join relatives who had crossed the Atlantic before; a few planned business enterprises as pioneers in an undeveloped country ; and several, like Roger and Mary Williams, had journeyed afar to enjoy that which had been denied in England, the right of absolute freedom of religious beliefs for every man, without interfer- ence from Church or State. Roger Wil- liams was not long in finding out that the Massachusetts Bay Colony offered no more opportunities for freedom of religious belief than did England; in fact, he found the land of his adoption even more intol- erant than had been the mother country.
The young couple received a cordial reception in Boston and Roger Williams became intimately acquainted with Gov- ernor Winthrop; they were fast friends to the end of their lives. Rev. John Wil- son, the pastor at Boston, and who had no assistant, was about to leave for a visit to England and the charge of his duties was offered to Roger Williams, who sur- prised the Colonists by refusing. His reasons are expressed in his own words written some years afterward. He said: "Being unanimously chosen teacher at Boston, I conscientiously refused and with- drew to Plymouth; because I durst not officiate to an unseparated people, as upon examination and conference I found them to be." In brief, Roger Williams had become thoroughly imbued with Sepa- ratist principles before leaving England,
and when he found that the settlers at Boston were still followers of the orthodox English Church he wasted no time in stating his personal opinions, hence his flat refusal to accept any religious office, regardless of the good intentions and well wishes of his new associates.
Two months later he received a second offer, this time from nearby Salem where his services were solicited as teacher in the local church, said to be more tolerant than the Boston church. But, the Court at Boston, hearing of this offer, wrote to the Salem authorities calling attention to the fact that Roger Williams had refused to join with the congregation at Boston. It was pointed out, in this communication, that Williams had demanded that the Boston church members make a public declaration of their repentance for having had communion with the Church of Eng- land while they lived there. Williams was also accused of having declared that the magistrates had no right to punish persons who broke the rules of the Sabbath. The Salem people wanted Roger Williams for their teacher, but they did not dare to oppose the opinions and wishes of the Court at Boston, so the invitation was recalled. In the late summer Roger and Mary moved to Plymouth and they remained there for two years.
Although the Plymouth church adhered to liberal principles and was a true "sep- aratist" church, Roger Williams was not called to it as a minister, although he preached there at times without pay. At that period he was really a farmer and a trader, and, incidentally, he found con- siderable time to carry on missionary work among the Indians. At Plymouth, which was not under the jurisdiction of the Boston authorities, he was permitted to expound his beliefs, but he argued so earnestly on all sorts of religious points, and became so zealous in theological debates that he aroused the antagonism of some of the more conservative colonists. But, the majority liked him, admired his . learning and his ability to propound his contentions, and Governor Bradford said
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of Roger Williams after the latter arrived: "he was friendly entertained according to their poor ability, and exercised his gifts among them and after some time was admitted a member of ye church." In regard to his attitude toward those who disagreed with him in matters of church and government, it might be well to explain one point that is often overlooked or misunderstood by most people. Roger Williams thoroughly believed that a
THE ROGER WILLIAMS HOUSE, SALEM, MASS.
person had a right to his own beliefs and that no individual or vested authority should force him to accept beliefs against his will. On the other hand, Williams held that a person had the right to use every effort to convert another to a dif- ferent belief or conviction. In other words, he believed that the orthodox churchmen of Boston had a right to win him over if they could, and he held the same right to convert them, if he could. It is easy to see why a young man with such independent ideas in those staid and conservative days would soon find himself in trouble, that is, unless he remained in Plymouth, where nearly everybody agreed with him.
In spite of his reputation as an inde- pendent thinker, gained at Plymouth, he was called again to the Salem church to serve as a teacher. With considerable regret he decided to leave the more or less friendly Pilgrim settlement; he had made many friends there, and it was in Plym- outh, in August 1633, that his first child was born, named Mary after the
mother. The same month that little Mary was born, the Williams family returned to Salem, together with several Plymouth followers. And this return to Salem marked the beginning of the long series of troubles that Roger Williams had with the Massachusetts Colony, the bitter argu- ments that eventually threw him into intense disfavor and caused his flight into the wilderness. Does it not seem strange that he should have returned to the Salem church so willingly, when, although it had some leanings toward liberalism, it was practically as orthodox as the Boston church? Perhaps it can be inferred that this man sought the thick of battle, and that he much preferred to meet his con- temporaries face to face rather than to shout at them from a safe and secure dis- tance. His whole life indicates that this was the reason why he left his friends at Plymouth to establish himself among his enemies at Salem and Boston.
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