Christopher Holder
Encyclopedia
Christopher Holder was an Anglo-American Quaker
minister who was persecuted in the Massachusetts Bay Colony
for his beliefs.
, England
. Not much is known about his childhood. At some point he became a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and began to spread their message. It is reported that "Christopher Holder in ye year 1665 was sent to ye gayle at Ilchester
for speaking to ye priest at Kleinsham Steeplehouse [church] and from them after a while to ye next sessions and so discharged."
, Massachusetts
, aboard the Speedwell, landing on July 27, 1656. He and seven other passengers were listed with a “Q” (for Quaker) beside their names, because at that time, the Puritan
s in England and in the English colonies were persecuting Quakers, members of the Religious Society of Friends. The port authorities were alerted to the presence of the Quakers and searched the ship before anyone disembarked. Governor John Endicott ordered that they be brought directly to court. Holder and another member of the group, John Copeland, displayed a thorough knowledge of the Bible and the law as they testified in court.
Holder was put in jail to await the next available ship to take them back to England. While they were still in the jail, Mary Dyer
and Anne Burden, two other Friends, arrived in another ship and were arrested on the spot. The authorities in the Massachusetts Bay Colony considered the teachings of the Quakers both heretical and blasphemous. They apparently wanted to put Quakers on alert that they were not welcome there. Eventually Holder and the seven who had come with him were deported to England.
, one of the leaders of the Friends, for help in securing passage on another ship. Holder and Copeland traveled back to Massachusetts together.
This time around, Holder was actually able to preach to people, and many responded favorably. In the town of Sandwich
several people became convinced of the truth of the Quaker message and adopted those beliefs and practices themselves. A small band of Friends had already been meeting for a few months when Holder arrived, under the ministry of Nicholas Upsall, a new Friend who was in exile from Boston. Holder and Copeland were jailed for their activities in Sandwich, and the Friends began meeting secretly in a place that was called "Christopher’s Hollow" in Holder’s honor. The hollow is still known by that name.
Holder and Copeland made their way throughout several towns in Massachusetts. Wherever they preached, some people were convinced.
Holder then made his way to Salem and attended a service at the Salem Congregational Church, the very church where Governor Endicott worshiped. Endicott’s men seized Holder and stuffed a glove and a handkerchief down his throat. Another member of the church, Samuel Shattuck, rescued Holder from this treatment. Holder and he were friends from that point on. Holder, Copeland, and Shattuck were put in prison. Shattuck was released on bond. The two visitors were given thirty lashes. After several months in prison, they were released.
Holder’s hosts, Lawrence
and Cassandra Burnell Southwick
, were put in jail for associating with him. Lawrence was released, because he was a member of the church. Cassandra remained for a few weeks and was then fined for possessing a paper written by the Friends..
On April 16, 1658 Holder and Copeland returned to Sandwich, but were arrested by a delegation sent by Endicott. This time they were given 33 lashes.
On June 3, the two Friends went to Boston, where they were immediately arrested. This time, Holder’s right ear was cut off to punish his "heretical" preaching. A woman named Katherine Scott, the sister of Anne Hutchinson
and future mother-in-law of Holder, protested. Because she stood up for Holder and his companion, she was put in prison for two months and given 10 lashes.
In June 1659, two Friends, William Robinson and Marmaduke Stephenson, felt called to go to Massachusetts, although a new law imposed the death penalty on Friends. A young lady named Patience Scott, the future daughter-in-law of Holder, accompanied them, as well as a Friend named Nicholas Davis. They were all thrown in jail, which prompted Mary Dyer to return and protest their treatment. For this action, she was put back in jail.
Dyer was released after her husband wrote a letter to Endicott. On September 12 of that year, all of the Quakers were released from prison and banished, under pain of death. Robinson and Stephenson stayed and continued to preach. They and Holder were put back in prison, prompting three women—Mary Dyer, Hope Clifton, and Holder’s future wife, Mary Scott—to come and visit them and plead for their release. Dyer was arrested yet again for speaking to Holder through the bars of his cell.
, Rhode Island
and married Mary Scott on August 12, 1660. She was the daughter of Richard and Katherine (Marbury) Scott and the niece of Anne Hutchinson, who had also run afoul of the Puritan leaders in Massachusetts. With his first wife Holder had two daughters, Mary and Elizabeth. He married a woman named Hope Clifton after his first wife died, and they had seven more children, including Christopher, Jr.
Holder is mentioned in Chapter 18 of George Fox's journal. He died in Rhode Island
some time after 1676.
(the widow of Russell Sage
) donated a dormitory to Princeton University
in his memory. The building is a Gothic-style quadrangle located on Nassau Street at the extreme northwest corner of the campus. A tablet with reference to Holder is embedded in the building's facade.
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
minister who was persecuted in the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
for his beliefs.
Early life
Holder was born in GloucestershireGloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Not much is known about his childhood. At some point he became a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and began to spread their message. It is reported that "Christopher Holder in ye year 1665 was sent to ye gayle at Ilchester
Ilchester
Ilchester is a village and civil parish, situated on the River Yeo or Ivel, five miles north of Yeovil, in the English county of Somerset. The parish, which includes the village of Sock Dennis and the old parish of Northover, has a population of 2,021...
for speaking to ye priest at Kleinsham Steeplehouse [church] and from them after a while to ye next sessions and so discharged."
First American journey
Holder went to BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, aboard the Speedwell, landing on July 27, 1656. He and seven other passengers were listed with a “Q” (for Quaker) beside their names, because at that time, the Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
s in England and in the English colonies were persecuting Quakers, members of the Religious Society of Friends. The port authorities were alerted to the presence of the Quakers and searched the ship before anyone disembarked. Governor John Endicott ordered that they be brought directly to court. Holder and another member of the group, John Copeland, displayed a thorough knowledge of the Bible and the law as they testified in court.
Holder was put in jail to await the next available ship to take them back to England. While they were still in the jail, Mary Dyer
Mary Dyer
Mary Baker Dyer was an English Puritan turned Quaker who was hanged in Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony , for repeatedly defying a Puritan law banning Quakers from the colony...
and Anne Burden, two other Friends, arrived in another ship and were arrested on the spot. The authorities in the Massachusetts Bay Colony considered the teachings of the Quakers both heretical and blasphemous. They apparently wanted to put Quakers on alert that they were not welcome there. Eventually Holder and the seven who had come with him were deported to England.
Second American journey
Holder was determined to return to New England and went to George FoxGeorge Fox
George Fox was an English Dissenter and a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends.The son of a Leicestershire weaver, Fox lived in a time of great social upheaval and war...
, one of the leaders of the Friends, for help in securing passage on another ship. Holder and Copeland traveled back to Massachusetts together.
This time around, Holder was actually able to preach to people, and many responded favorably. In the town of Sandwich
Sandwich, Massachusetts
Sandwich is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 20,675 at the 2010 census. The Town Hall is located right next to the Dexter Grist Mill, in the historic district of town....
several people became convinced of the truth of the Quaker message and adopted those beliefs and practices themselves. A small band of Friends had already been meeting for a few months when Holder arrived, under the ministry of Nicholas Upsall, a new Friend who was in exile from Boston. Holder and Copeland were jailed for their activities in Sandwich, and the Friends began meeting secretly in a place that was called "Christopher’s Hollow" in Holder’s honor. The hollow is still known by that name.
Holder and Copeland made their way throughout several towns in Massachusetts. Wherever they preached, some people were convinced.
Holder then made his way to Salem and attended a service at the Salem Congregational Church, the very church where Governor Endicott worshiped. Endicott’s men seized Holder and stuffed a glove and a handkerchief down his throat. Another member of the church, Samuel Shattuck, rescued Holder from this treatment. Holder and he were friends from that point on. Holder, Copeland, and Shattuck were put in prison. Shattuck was released on bond. The two visitors were given thirty lashes. After several months in prison, they were released.
Holder’s hosts, Lawrence
Lawrence Southwick
Lawrence Southwick was an early immigrant to the American colonies and a devout Quaker , who was persecuted for his beliefs....
and Cassandra Burnell Southwick
Cassandra Burnell Southwick
Cassandra Burnell Southwick was an early immigrant to the American colonies and a devout Quaker , who was persecuted for her beliefs....
, were put in jail for associating with him. Lawrence was released, because he was a member of the church. Cassandra remained for a few weeks and was then fined for possessing a paper written by the Friends..
On April 16, 1658 Holder and Copeland returned to Sandwich, but were arrested by a delegation sent by Endicott. This time they were given 33 lashes.
On June 3, the two Friends went to Boston, where they were immediately arrested. This time, Holder’s right ear was cut off to punish his "heretical" preaching. A woman named Katherine Scott, the sister of Anne Hutchinson
Anne Hutchinson
Anne Hutchinson was one of the most prominent women in colonial America, noted for her strong religious convictions, and for her stand against the staunch religious orthodoxy of 17th century Massachusetts...
and future mother-in-law of Holder, protested. Because she stood up for Holder and his companion, she was put in prison for two months and given 10 lashes.
In June 1659, two Friends, William Robinson and Marmaduke Stephenson, felt called to go to Massachusetts, although a new law imposed the death penalty on Friends. A young lady named Patience Scott, the future daughter-in-law of Holder, accompanied them, as well as a Friend named Nicholas Davis. They were all thrown in jail, which prompted Mary Dyer to return and protest their treatment. For this action, she was put back in jail.
Dyer was released after her husband wrote a letter to Endicott. On September 12 of that year, all of the Quakers were released from prison and banished, under pain of death. Robinson and Stephenson stayed and continued to preach. They and Holder were put back in prison, prompting three women—Mary Dyer, Hope Clifton, and Holder’s future wife, Mary Scott—to come and visit them and plead for their release. Dyer was arrested yet again for speaking to Holder through the bars of his cell.
Settlement in Rhode Island
Holder eventually moved to ProvidenceProvidence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
and married Mary Scott on August 12, 1660. She was the daughter of Richard and Katherine (Marbury) Scott and the niece of Anne Hutchinson, who had also run afoul of the Puritan leaders in Massachusetts. With his first wife Holder had two daughters, Mary and Elizabeth. He married a woman named Hope Clifton after his first wife died, and they had seven more children, including Christopher, Jr.
Holder is mentioned in Chapter 18 of George Fox's journal. He died in Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
some time after 1676.
Holder Hall
In 1909, Holder descendant Margaret Olivia SageMargaret Olivia Slocum Sage
Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage was an American philanthropist. Upon the death of her husband Russell Sage she received a fortune estimated at more than $50,000,000, to be used as she saw fit...
(the widow of Russell Sage
Russell Sage
Russell Sage was a financier, railroad executive and Whig politician from New York, United States. As a frequent partner of Jay Gould in various transactions, he amassed a fortune, which passed to his second wife, Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage, when he died...
) donated a dormitory to Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in his memory. The building is a Gothic-style quadrangle located on Nassau Street at the extreme northwest corner of the campus. A tablet with reference to Holder is embedded in the building's facade.
Sources
- History of the Cape Cod Friends
- Speech on Early Cape Cod Friends
- Article on Mary Dyer that mentions Holder
- Biography of Mary Dyer that mentions Holder
- Biography by James Savage
- Scott Family History that mentions Holder
- Article on Lawrence and Cassandra Southwick that mentions Holder
- Chapter 18 of Fox’s journal that mentions Holder