John Wheelwright
Encyclopedia
John Wheelwright was a clergyman in England and America.
, receiving his B.A. in 1614 and his M.A. in 1618.
Cotton Mather
, the celebrated American Puritan, wrote 'as to college athletics that when Wheelwright was a young spark at the University he was noted for more than an ordinary stroke at wrestling.' Mather further stated that 'he was a gentleman hey man of the most unspotted morals and a man of unblemished reputation.' This was quite generous of Cotton, inasmuch as Rev. John had opposed many of the dogmatic principles of the Congregational Theocracy established by Cotton's grandfather, Richard Mather
, in his A Platform of Church Discipline in 1649.
His first wife was Mary, daughter of the Rev. Thomas Storre of Bilsby
, England, whom he married in 1621. She died a few years later.
of Bilsby from 1623 to 1633. A hiatus in the records of his English parish indicates that its pastor, John Wheelwright, was absent during the years 1628 and 1629. It may be inferred that he came to New England with Endicott in September of the former year, and lived with associates in Massachusetts during the succeeding winter. The conditions were favorable for Wheelwright, or any other congenial foreigner, to obtain a right of settlement within the limits of New Hampshire
. The principal result of Wheelwright’s activities at this time appears to have been the execution of a settlement treaty or option with the Indian sagamores of southern New Hampshire, to which Oldham was a witness. This document was later disputed as a forgery by many historians.
His second wife was Mary, daughter of Edward and Sussana Hutchinson of Alford, Lincolnshire
, England; whom he married in England about 1631. (Mary Hutchinson's sister Anne married in 1632 Wheelwright's friend Rev. Ralph Levett
, a fellow Cambridge graduate and protege of John Cotton, who became the vicar of nearby Grainsby, Lincolnshire.) While Rev. Wheelwright was vicar at Bilsby in 1636 he was driven from his Anglican church for non-conformity. With his second wife, her mother Sussana, and their five children and accompanied by Augustine Storer, brother of his first wife, he sailed for Boston where they arrived on 12 June 1636. Rev. John was well received and became pastor of the Eaxe Chapel at Mount Wollaston
, Boston
, for a few months.
All went well for a time, but he, with his sister-in-law Anne Hutchinson
, and Henry Vane
, Governor of the Colony, were soon in hot controversy with the conservative part—the “Covenant of Grace versus the Covenant of Works.” The party that Wheelwright stoutly defended stood for freedom of speech
and opinion, but there was a great deal of political partisanship mixed with these theological disputes, and the controversy between Wheelwright and the conservatives was the principal issue in John Winthrop
’s candidacy for governor of the colony against Vane. Winthrop was elected, and Vane returned to England, while Wheelwright was banished from Massachusetts along with Anne Hutchinson and other friends.
region about 50 miles (80.5 km) north of Boston and purchased the rights of the Indian sagamore of Wehanownouit and his son and founded the town of Exeter, New Hampshire
on 3 April 1638. He was the leader in the foundation of the town, where he filled the office of pastor of the church and active citizen. This little republic had a short life however, as the Massachusetts Bay Colony
planted a settlement at Hampton
, which included Wheelwright’s purchase in its jurisdiction
. So he and his associates moved to the coast of Maine
, where, by agreement with the agent of Sir Ferdinando Gorges
, he was allowed to take up land and organize a church in Wells, Maine
, in 1641.
He purchased 400 acres (1.6 km²) of land on the Ogunquit River
and built a one-story house and sawmill. In 1643, after the murder of Anne Hutchinson by the Indians, Wheelwright wrote Governor Winthrop seeking pardon of the Bay Colony. His sentence was revoked by the general court in 1644, and he was restored to the freedom of the colony.
, was Lord Protector
of England. Rev. John was well received by Cromwell—both having matriculated from that "nursery of Puritans", Sidney Sussex College Cambridge, in the same period. Cromwell, when he was describing Wheelwright to a group of gentlemen, stated that "he remembered the time when he had been more afraid of meeting him at football than of meeting an army since in the field." Wheelwright's relations with Cromwell are generally understood to have proved of service to the colony, and it has been suggested that the existence of his supposed portrait in the State house in Boston is connected with recognition by the Colony of his services at Court.
. In October 1677, Wheelwright finally sold his property in Lincolnshire, England, "purchased of Francis Levett, gentleman," to Richard Crispe. He died at Salisbury, Massachusetts, at age 87.
He is buried in Colonial Burying Ground In Salisbury
Early life
John Wheelwright was the son of Robert Wheelwright of Cumberworth and Saleby. His grandfather was John Wheelwright of Mumby. He was educated at Sidney Sussex College, CambridgeSidney Sussex College, Cambridge
Sidney Sussex College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England.The college was founded in 1596 and named after its foundress, Frances Sidney, Countess of Sussex. It was from its inception an avowedly Puritan foundation: some good and godlie moniment for the mainteynance...
, receiving his B.A. in 1614 and his M.A. in 1618.
Cotton Mather
Cotton Mather
Cotton Mather, FRS was a socially and politically influential New England Puritan minister, prolific author and pamphleteer; he is often remembered for his role in the Salem witch trials...
, the celebrated American Puritan, wrote 'as to college athletics that when Wheelwright was a young spark at the University he was noted for more than an ordinary stroke at wrestling.' Mather further stated that 'he was a gentleman hey man of the most unspotted morals and a man of unblemished reputation.' This was quite generous of Cotton, inasmuch as Rev. John had opposed many of the dogmatic principles of the Congregational Theocracy established by Cotton's grandfather, Richard Mather
Richard Mather
Richard Mather , was a Puritan clergyman in colonial Boston, Massachusetts. He was father to Increase Mather and grandfather to Cotton Mather, both celebrated Boston divines.-Biography:...
, in his A Platform of Church Discipline in 1649.
His first wife was Mary, daughter of the Rev. Thomas Storre of Bilsby
Bilsby
Bilsby is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, just east of the town of Alford. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 415. It was mentioned in Domesday Book of 1086 when it consisted of eighteen households. Asserby and Thurlby are hamlets...
, England, whom he married in 1621. She died a few years later.
First visit to New England
Rev. John Wheelwright became vicarVicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
of Bilsby from 1623 to 1633. A hiatus in the records of his English parish indicates that its pastor, John Wheelwright, was absent during the years 1628 and 1629. It may be inferred that he came to New England with Endicott in September of the former year, and lived with associates in Massachusetts during the succeeding winter. The conditions were favorable for Wheelwright, or any other congenial foreigner, to obtain a right of settlement within the limits of New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. The principal result of Wheelwright’s activities at this time appears to have been the execution of a settlement treaty or option with the Indian sagamores of southern New Hampshire, to which Oldham was a witness. This document was later disputed as a forgery by many historians.
His second wife was Mary, daughter of Edward and Sussana Hutchinson of Alford, Lincolnshire
Alford, Lincolnshire
- Notable residents :* Captain John Smith who lived in nearby Willoughby* Anne Hutchinson, pioneer settler and religious reformer in the United States* Thomas Paine, who was an excise officer in the town....
, England; whom he married in England about 1631. (Mary Hutchinson's sister Anne married in 1632 Wheelwright's friend Rev. Ralph Levett
Ralph Levett
Rev. Ralph Levett was an Anglican minister who served as domestic chaplain to an aristocratic English family from Lincolnshire with Puritan sympathies, who subsequently installed him as rector of the local parish...
, a fellow Cambridge graduate and protege of John Cotton, who became the vicar of nearby Grainsby, Lincolnshire.) While Rev. Wheelwright was vicar at Bilsby in 1636 he was driven from his Anglican church for non-conformity. With his second wife, her mother Sussana, and their five children and accompanied by Augustine Storer, brother of his first wife, he sailed for Boston where they arrived on 12 June 1636. Rev. John was well received and became pastor of the Eaxe Chapel at Mount Wollaston
Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...
, Boston
Boston
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...
, for a few months.
All went well for a time, but he, with his sister-in-law 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 Henry Vane
Henry Vane the Younger
Sir Henry Vane , son of Henry Vane the Elder , was an English politician, statesman, and colonial governor...
, Governor of the Colony, were soon in hot controversy with the conservative part—the “Covenant of Grace versus the Covenant of Works.” The party that Wheelwright stoutly defended stood for freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
and opinion, but there was a great deal of political partisanship mixed with these theological disputes, and the controversy between Wheelwright and the conservatives was the principal issue in 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...
’s candidacy for governor of the colony against Vane. Winthrop was elected, and Vane returned to England, while Wheelwright was banished from Massachusetts along with Anne Hutchinson and other friends.
Founding of Exeter, New Hampshire
Wheelwright with some loyal friends removed to the PiscataquaPiscataqua River
The Piscataqua River, in the northeastern United States, is a long tidal estuary formed by the confluence of the Salmon Falls and Cocheco rivers...
region about 50 miles (80.5 km) north of Boston and purchased the rights of the Indian sagamore of Wehanownouit and his son and founded the town of Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The town's population was 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood...
on 3 April 1638. He was the leader in the foundation of the town, where he filled the office of pastor of the church and active citizen. This little republic had a short life however, as 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...
planted a settlement at Hampton
Hampton, New Hampshire
Hampton is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 14,976 at the 2010 census. Located beside the Atlantic Ocean, Hampton is home to Hampton Beach, a summer tourist destination....
, which included Wheelwright’s purchase in its jurisdiction
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...
. So he and his associates moved to the coast of Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, where, by agreement with the agent of Sir Ferdinando Gorges
Ferdinando Gorges
Sir Ferdinando Gorges , the "Father of English Colonization in North America", was an early English colonial entrepreneur and founder of the Province of Maine in 1622, although Gorges himself never set foot in the New World.-Biography:...
, he was allowed to take up land and organize a church in Wells, Maine
Wells, Maine
Wells is a town in York County, Maine, United States. Founded in 1643, it is the third-oldest town in Maine. The population was 9,400 at the 2000 census. Wells Beach is a popular summer destination.-History:...
, in 1641.
He purchased 400 acres (1.6 km²) of land on the Ogunquit River
Ogunquit River
The Ogunquit River is a river in southern Maine. It flows to the Atlantic Ocean at the town of Ogunquit.-References:**...
and built a one-story house and sawmill. In 1643, after the murder of Anne Hutchinson by the Indians, Wheelwright wrote Governor Winthrop seeking pardon of the Bay Colony. His sentence was revoked by the general court in 1644, and he was restored to the freedom of the colony.
Relationship with Oliver Cromwell
In 1656 he made a voyage to England where he remained for six years. This was during the period that his old schoolmate, Oliver CromwellOliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
, was Lord Protector
Lord Protector
Lord Protector is a title used in British constitutional law for certain heads of state at different periods of history. It is also a particular title for the British Heads of State in respect to the established church...
of England. Rev. John was well received by Cromwell—both having matriculated from that "nursery of Puritans", Sidney Sussex College Cambridge, in the same period. Cromwell, when he was describing Wheelwright to a group of gentlemen, stated that "he remembered the time when he had been more afraid of meeting him at football than of meeting an army since in the field." Wheelwright's relations with Cromwell are generally understood to have proved of service to the colony, and it has been suggested that the existence of his supposed portrait in the State house in Boston is connected with recognition by the Colony of his services at Court.
Final years
After his return to New England, he settled at Salisbury, MassachusettsSalisbury, Massachusetts
Salisbury is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 7,827 at the 2000 census. The community is a popular summer resort beach town situated on the Atlantic Ocean north of Boston on the New Hampshire border....
. In October 1677, Wheelwright finally sold his property in Lincolnshire, England, "purchased of Francis Levett, gentleman," to Richard Crispe. He died at Salisbury, Massachusetts, at age 87.
He is buried in Colonial Burying Ground In Salisbury
Placed named for John Wheelwright
- Wheelwright HallWheelwright HallWheelwright Hall is a dormitory at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire, United States named for the founder of the town, John Wheelwright. The dormitory was constructed during the massive building program initiated during the 1920s and 1930s by Eighth Principal Lewis Perry....
at Phillips Exeter AcademyPhillips Exeter AcademyPhillips Exeter Academy is a private secondary school located in Exeter, New Hampshire, in the United States.Exeter is noted for its application of Harkness education, a system based on a conference format of teacher and student interaction, similar to the Socratic method of learning through asking... - Wheelwright Pond in Lee, New HampshireLee, New HampshireLee is a town in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,330 at the 2010 census. The town is a rural farm and bedroom community, being close to the University of New Hampshire.-History:...
, site of a battle during King William's WarKing William's WarThe first of the French and Indian Wars, King William's War was the name used in the English colonies in America to refer to the North American theater of the Nine Years' War...