John White (Reverend)
Encyclopedia
John White was an English clergyman with a parish in Dorchester. He was instrumental in obtaining charters for the New England Company, and the Massachusetts Bay Company. He took a close personal interest in the settlement of New England.
, by his wife Isabel, daughter of John Bawle of Lichfield, and was baptised at Stanton St. John
, Oxfordshire
, on 6 Jan. 1575. His elder brother, Josias, was rector of Hornchurch
, Essex
, 1614–23, and father of James White, a merchant of Boston, Massachusetts. In 1587 he entered Winchester School, and then was elected a fellow of New College in 1595. He graduated B.A. on 12 April 1597, M.A. on 16 January 1601. He was appointed rector of Holy Trinity, Dorchester, in 1606, and for the rest of his life was identified with that place. He was a moderate, conforming puritan, concerned with reforming his parish.
men to settle in Massachusetts
, allowing nonconformists to enjoy liberty of conscience. The attempt by the Dorchester Company to plant a colony at Cape Ann
with Thomas Gardner
as Overseer, at what would become Gloucester, Massachusetts
, did not prove at first successful; in the previous decade, only about 500 English colonists had established a foothold, and this Company was wound up by 1625. White then recruited emigrants from the western counties of Dorset
, Somerset
and Devon
, who set sail a few years later as a better-supported expedition and organized church aboard the "Mary and John".
White made many trips to London from Dorchester, working to obtain a patent
in 1628 for lands between the parallel lines three miles south of the Charles River
to three miles north of the Merrimack River
. He obtained the sponsorship of London merchants for a new colony in the New World. Concerned about conflicting claims to land given to several companies active in the north-east of the New World, the New England Company sought and was granted a Royal Charter on March 4, 1629, becoming the Massachusetts Bay Company
.
The Massachusetts Company had Richard Saltonstall
as a chief shareholder. White was a member of the company, and on 30 Nov. he was nominated one of the committee to value the joint stock. John Endecott
was sent out as governor. Francis Higginson
and Samuel Skelton were chosen and approved by White as ministers, and sailed for the Dorchester colony on 4 May 1629 in the "George Bonaventura". The charter enabled John Winthrop
to hire a fleet of what would eventually comprise eleven ships, later called the Winthrop Fleet
, to bring a new wave of emigrants across the Atlantic. John Winthrop sailed in the "Arbella", White holding a service on board before she sailed. The Mary and John was the first, carrying 140 people recruited by White. On June 1630 they landed and founded the settlement of Dorchester, Massachusetts
. The eleven ships eventually transported about 700 colonists to the New World,. In 1632 and 1636 White was corresponding with John Winthrop (who urged White to visit the colony) about cod-lines and hooks to be sent, as well as flax
of a suitable growth for Rhode Island
. From 1630 to 1640 ships carried about 10,000 English colonist to the New World in what has been called the Great Migration
.
Later in the 1630s White was under suspicion for his financial dealings. About 1635 or 1636 White was examined before Sir John Lambe about some papers seized in his study, and relating to a considerable sum of money sent by White to Dr. John Stoughton
. This eventually turned out to be in part a legacy from one Philippa Pitt, bequeathed to White for good causes, and in part disbursements for the colonists in New England. White produced particulars of these in his note-books, and after six months' attendance before the court of high commission
, he was discharged and the informant against him reprimanded.
broke out in 1642, Dorchester, England declared itself on the side of Parliament
. A party of Prince Rupert's horse burst into White's house, plundered it, and carried off his books. He took refuge in London at the Savoy Hospital, where he ministered until, after the ejection of Daniel Featley
, he was appointed rector of Lambeth
on 30 September 1643, and given the use of Featley's library until his own could be recovered. He was chosen one of the Westminster Assembly
, and at their opening service in St. Margaret's, Westminster
(25 September 1643) prayed a full hour to prepare them for taking the Solemn League and Covenant
. He regularly attended the sittings of the assembly, and signed the petition for the right to refuse the sacrament to scandalous persons, presented to the House of Lords, 12 August, was one of the assessors, and in 1645 was chosen on the committee of accommodation. White brought William Benn
to Lambeth with him, whom he had called in 1629 to be preacher at All Saints in Dorchester.
On the death of Robert Pinck in November 1647, White was designed warden of New College, but he declined to go to Oxford, because of bad health (1648). His death took place on 21 July 1648, and he was buried in the porch of St. Peter's Chapel (belonging to Trinity).
Life
He was son of John White, who held a lease under New College, OxfordNew College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
, by his wife Isabel, daughter of John Bawle of Lichfield, and was baptised at Stanton St. John
Stanton St. John
Stanton St. John is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire about northeast of the centre of Oxford.-Manor:The Domesday Book records that in 1086 William the Conqueror's half-brother Odo, Bishop of Bayeux owned the manor Stanton St...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, on 6 Jan. 1575. His elder brother, Josias, was rector of Hornchurch
Hornchurch
Hornchurch is a large suburban town in England, and part of the London Borough of Havering. Hornchurch is in North-East London .It is located east-northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the locally important district centres identified in the London Plan. It comprises a number of shopping...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, 1614–23, and father of James White, a merchant of Boston, Massachusetts. In 1587 he entered Winchester School, and then was elected a fellow of New College in 1595. He graduated B.A. on 12 April 1597, M.A. on 16 January 1601. He was appointed rector of Holy Trinity, Dorchester, in 1606, and for the rest of his life was identified with that place. He was a moderate, conforming puritan, concerned with reforming his parish.
Massachusetts Bay Company
White himself never sailed to America. About 1623 he interested himself in sending out a colony of DorsetDorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
men to settle in 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...
, allowing nonconformists to enjoy liberty of conscience. The attempt by the Dorchester Company to plant a colony at Cape Ann
Cape Ann
Cape Ann is a rocky cape in northeastern Massachusetts on the Atlantic Ocean. The cape is located approximately 30 miles northeast of Boston and forms the northern edge of Massachusetts Bay. Cape Ann includes the city of Gloucester, and the towns of Essex, Manchester-by-the-Sea, and...
with Thomas Gardner
Thomas Gardner (planter)
Thomas Gardner was an Overseer of the "old planters" party of the Dorchester Company who landed, in 1624 at Cape Ann, to form a colony at what is now known as Gloucester...
as Overseer, at what would become Gloucester, Massachusetts
Gloucester, Massachusetts
Gloucester is a city on Cape Ann in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is part of Massachusetts' North Shore. The population was 28,789 at the 2010 U.S. Census...
, did not prove at first successful; in the previous decade, only about 500 English colonists had established a foothold, and this Company was wound up by 1625. White then recruited emigrants from the western counties of Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
and Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, who set sail a few years later as a better-supported expedition and organized church aboard the "Mary and John".
White made many trips to London from Dorchester, working to obtain a patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
in 1628 for lands between the parallel lines three miles south of the Charles River
Charles River
The Charles River is an long river that flows in an overall northeasterly direction in eastern Massachusetts, USA. From its source in Hopkinton, the river travels through 22 cities and towns until reaching the Atlantic Ocean at Boston...
to three miles north of the Merrimack River
Merrimack River
The Merrimack River is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into Massachusetts, and then flows northeast until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Newburyport...
. He obtained the sponsorship of London merchants for a new colony in the New World. Concerned about conflicting claims to land given to several companies active in the north-east of the New World, the New England Company sought and was granted a Royal Charter on March 4, 1629, becoming the Massachusetts Bay Company
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...
.
The Massachusetts Company had Richard Saltonstall
Richard Saltonstall
Sir Richard Saltonstall led a group of English settlers up the Charles River to settle in what is now Watertown, Massachusetts in 1630....
as a chief shareholder. White was a member of the company, and on 30 Nov. he was nominated one of the committee to value the joint stock. John Endecott
John Endecott
John Endecott was an English colonial magistrate, soldier and the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. During all of his years in the colony but one, he held some form of civil, judicial, or military high office...
was sent out as governor. Francis Higginson
Francis Higginson
Francis Higginson was an early Puritan minister in Colonial New England, and the first minister of Salem, Massachusetts.-Biography:...
and Samuel Skelton were chosen and approved by White as ministers, and sailed for the Dorchester colony on 4 May 1629 in the "George Bonaventura". The charter enabled John Winthrop
John Winthrop
John Winthrop was a wealthy English Puritan lawyer, and one of the leading figures in the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the first major settlement in New England after Plymouth Colony. Winthrop led the first large wave of migrants from England in 1630, and served as governor for 12 of...
to hire a fleet of what would eventually comprise eleven ships, later called the Winthrop Fleet
Winthrop Fleet
The Winthrop Fleet was a group of eleven sailing ships under the leadership of John Winthrop that carried approximately 700 Puritans plus livestock and provisions from England to New England over the summer of 1630.-Motivation:...
, to bring a new wave of emigrants across the Atlantic. John Winthrop sailed in the "Arbella", White holding a service on board before she sailed. The Mary and John was the first, carrying 140 people recruited by White. On June 1630 they landed and founded the settlement of Dorchester, Massachusetts
Dorchester, Massachusetts
Dorchester is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is named after the town of Dorchester in the English county of Dorset, from which Puritans emigrated and is today endearingly nicknamed "Dot" by its residents. Dorchester, including a large...
. The eleven ships eventually transported about 700 colonists to the New World,. In 1632 and 1636 White was corresponding with John Winthrop (who urged White to visit the colony) about cod-lines and hooks to be sent, as well as flax
Flax
Flax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent...
of a suitable growth for 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...
. From 1630 to 1640 ships carried about 10,000 English colonist to the New World in what has been called the Great Migration
Great Migration (Puritan)
The Puritan migration to New England was marked in its effects in the two decades from 1620 to 1640, after which it declined sharply for a while. The term Great Migration usually refers to the migration in this period of English settlers, primarily Puritans to Massachusetts and the warm islands of...
.
Later in the 1630s White was under suspicion for his financial dealings. About 1635 or 1636 White was examined before Sir John Lambe about some papers seized in his study, and relating to a considerable sum of money sent by White to Dr. John Stoughton
John Stoughton (clergyman)
John Stoughton was an English clergyman, of influential millennial views.-Life:He was baptized at Naughton, Suffolk in 1593. He was one of three sons of the clergyman Thomas Stoughton , who lost his living of Coggeshall, Essex in 1606 as a nonconformist, and his wife, Katherine ; Israel Stoughton...
. This eventually turned out to be in part a legacy from one Philippa Pitt, bequeathed to White for good causes, and in part disbursements for the colonists in New England. White produced particulars of these in his note-books, and after six months' attendance before the court of high commission
Court of High Commission
The Court of High Commission was the supreme ecclesiastic court in England. It was instituted by the crown during the Reformation and finally dissolved by parliament in 1641...
, he was discharged and the informant against him reprimanded.
Westminster Assembly
When the First English Civil WarFirst English Civil War
The First English Civil War began the series of three wars known as the English Civil War . "The English Civil War" was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations that took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1651, and includes the Second English Civil War and...
broke out in 1642, Dorchester, England declared itself on the side of Parliament
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
. A party of Prince Rupert's horse burst into White's house, plundered it, and carried off his books. He took refuge in London at the Savoy Hospital, where he ministered until, after the ejection of Daniel Featley
Daniel Featley
Daniel Featley, also called Fairclough and sometimes called Richard Fairclough/Featley , was an English theologian and controversialist...
, he was appointed rector of Lambeth
Lambeth
Lambeth is a district of south London, England, and part of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated southeast of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...
on 30 September 1643, and given the use of Featley's library until his own could be recovered. He was chosen one of the Westminster Assembly
Westminster Assembly
The Westminster Assembly of Divines was appointed by the Long Parliament to restructure the Church of England. It also included representatives of religious leaders from Scotland...
, and at their opening service in St. Margaret's, Westminster
St. Margaret's, Westminster
The Anglican church of St. Margaret, Westminster Abbey is situated in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, and is the parish church of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom in London...
(25 September 1643) prayed a full hour to prepare them for taking the Solemn League and Covenant
Solemn League and Covenant
The Solemn League and Covenant was an agreement between the Scottish Covenanters and the leaders of the English Parliamentarians. It was agreed to in 1643, during the First English Civil War....
. He regularly attended the sittings of the assembly, and signed the petition for the right to refuse the sacrament to scandalous persons, presented to the House of Lords, 12 August, was one of the assessors, and in 1645 was chosen on the committee of accommodation. White brought William Benn
William Benn (divine)
William Benn or Ben was an English nonconformist minister and divine.-Life:Benn was born at Egremont in Cumberland, in November 1600. He was educated at the free school of St. Bees, and then at Queen's College, Oxford. On a presentation to the living of Oakingham in Berkshire, he left university...
to Lambeth with him, whom he had called in 1629 to be preacher at All Saints in Dorchester.
On the death of Robert Pinck in November 1647, White was designed warden of New College, but he declined to go to Oxford, because of bad health (1648). His death took place on 21 July 1648, and he was buried in the porch of St. Peter's Chapel (belonging to Trinity).