William Goffe (1605?–1679?) was an
EnglishEngland 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 and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
parliamentarian"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they were the supporters of Oliver Cromwell against King Charles I. Cromwell rose to prominence as a Member of Parliament and Parliamentary soldier, and eventually...
. Goffe's political aims appear not to have gone much beyond fighting "to pull down
CharlesCharles I, , the second son of James VI of Scotland and I of England, was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. Charles famously engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England...
and set up
OliverOliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader best known for his involvement in making England into a republican Commonwealth and for his later role as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland.He was one of the commanders of the New Model Army which defeated the royalists in...
". He was a man of religious feeling, nicknamed "Praying William".
He was son of Stephen Goffe, puritan rector of
StanmerStanmer is a small village on the eastern outskirts of Brighton, in East Sussex, England.-History:Stanmer village pond is surrounded by sarsen stones, which accounts for the place-name, Old English for 'stone pond'. The stones are not in their original situation, but have been gathered on the Downs...
in
SussexSussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is a historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, and brother of
Stephen GoffeStephen Goffe was a Royalist agent of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, and later an Oratorian priest.-Life:He was educated at Merton College, Oxford, becoming M.A. in 1627...
(Gough), royalist agent.
He began life as an apprentice to a
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
salter, a zealous parliamentarian.
William Goffe (1605?–1679?) was an
EnglishEngland 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 and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
parliamentarian"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they were the supporters of Oliver Cromwell against King Charles I. Cromwell rose to prominence as a Member of Parliament and Parliamentary soldier, and eventually...
. Goffe's political aims appear not to have gone much beyond fighting "to pull down
CharlesCharles I, , the second son of James VI of Scotland and I of England, was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. Charles famously engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England...
and set up
OliverOliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader best known for his involvement in making England into a republican Commonwealth and for his later role as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland.He was one of the commanders of the New Model Army which defeated the royalists in...
". He was a man of religious feeling, nicknamed "Praying William".
Early life
He was son of Stephen Goffe, puritan rector of
StanmerStanmer is a small village on the eastern outskirts of Brighton, in East Sussex, England.-History:Stanmer village pond is surrounded by sarsen stones, which accounts for the place-name, Old English for 'stone pond'. The stones are not in their original situation, but have been gathered on the Downs...
in
SussexSussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is a historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, and brother of
Stephen GoffeStephen Goffe was a Royalist agent of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, and later an Oratorian priest.-Life:He was educated at Merton College, Oxford, becoming M.A. in 1627...
(Gough), royalist agent.
He began life as an apprentice to a
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
salter, a zealous parliamentarian. By his marriage with Frances, daughter of
General Edward WhalleyEdward Whalley was an English military leader during the English Civil War, and was one of the regicides who signed the death warrant of King Charles I of England.-Early career:The exact dates of his birth and death are unknown...
, he became connected with
Oliver CromwellOliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader best known for his involvement in making England into a republican Commonwealth and for his later role as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland.He was one of the commanders of the New Model Army which defeated the royalists in...
's family and one of his most faithful followers. He was imprisoned in 1642 for his share in the petition to give the control of the militia to the parliament.
Civil War years
On the outbreak of the
English Civil WarThe English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. The first and second civil wars pitted the supporters of King Charles I against the supporters of the Long Parliament, while the third war saw fighting between supporters of...
he joined the army and became captain in Colonel Harley's regiment of the
New Model ArmyThe New Model Army of Great Britain was formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians in the English Civil War, and disbanded in 1660 after the Restoration. It differed from other armies in the same conflict in that it was intended as an army liable for service anywhere in the country, rather than being...
in 1645.
He was a member of the deputation which on July 6 1647 brought up the charge against the eleven members. He was active in bringing
King Charles ICharles I, , the second son of James VI of Scotland and I of England, was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. Charles famously engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England...
to trial and signed the death warrant. In 1649, he received an honorary
M.A.In the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin, the degree of Master of Arts or Master in Arts is awarded to Bachelors of Arts of those universities on application after six or seven years' seniority as members of the university .There is no examination or study required for the degree beyond...
at
OxfordThe University of Oxford , located in the UK city of Oxford, is the oldest surviving university in the English-speaking world and is regarded as one of the world's leading academic institutions. Although the exact date of foundation remains unclear, there is evidence of teaching there as far back...
.
He distinguished himself at the
Battle of DunbarThe Battle of Dunbar was a battle of the Third English Civil War. The English Parliamentary forces under Oliver Cromwell defeated a Scottish army commanded by David Leslie which was loyal to King Charles II of England, who had been proclaimed King in Scotland on 5 February...
, commanding a regiment there and at the
Battle of WorcesterThe Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 at Worcester, England and was the final battle of the English Civil War. Oliver Cromwell and the Parliamentarians defeated the Royalist, predominantly Scottish, forces of King Charles II...
.
Major-general
He assisted in the expulsion of Barebone's Parliament in 1653 and took an active part in the suppression of
PenruddockSir John Penruddocke was an English Cavalier during the English Civil War and the English Interregnum. He is remembered as the leader of the Penruddock uprising in 1655.The Sealed Knot had planned an insurrection for March 1655...
's rising in July 1655. In October 1655 during the
Rule of the Major-GeneralsThe Rule of the Major-Generals from August 1655 – January 1657, was a period of direct military government during Oliver Cromwell's Protectorate.England was divided into 10 regions each governed by a Major-General whom answered to the Lord Protector....
was appointed major-general for
BerkshireBerkshire is a county in the South East of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1958, and Letters...
,
SussexSussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is a historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
and
HampshireHampshire , sometimes historically Southamptonshire, Hamptonshire, , or the County of Southampton, is a county on the south coast of England. The county borders , Dorset, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
. Meanwhile he had been elected member for
YarmouthGreat Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, 20 miles east of Norwich....
in
NorfolkNorfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast, including The Wash. The county town is Norwich...
in the parliament of 1654 and for
HampshireHampshire , sometimes historically Southamptonshire, Hamptonshire, , or the County of Southampton, is a county on the south coast of England. The county borders , Dorset, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
in that of 1656. He supported the proposal to bestow a royal title upon
Oliver CromwellOliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader best known for his involvement in making England into a republican Commonwealth and for his later role as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland.He was one of the commanders of the New Model Army which defeated the royalists in...
, who greatly esteemed him, and was included in the newly-constituted House of Lords. He obtained
LambertGeneral John Lambert served as an English Parliamentary general in the English Civil War.-Early life:Lambert, born at Calton Hall, Kirkby Malham, near Skipton in the West Riding of Yorkshire, of a long-established family, studied law at the Inns of Court in London...
's place as major-general of the Foot and was even thought of as a fit successor to
Oliver CromwellOliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader best known for his involvement in making England into a republican Commonwealth and for his later role as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland.He was one of the commanders of the New Model Army which defeated the royalists in...
.
As a member of the committee of nine appointed in June 1658 on public affairs, he was witness to the protector's appointment of
Richard CromwellRichard Cromwell was the third son of Oliver Cromwell, and was the second Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland, for just under nine months, from 3 September 1658 until 25 May 1659....
as his successor. He supported the latter during his brief tenure of power and his fall involved his own loss of influence. In November 1659 he took part in the futile mission sent by the army to Monck in
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
In New England
In 1664, During the
RestorationThe English Restoration, often shortened to the Restoration, began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Commonwealth of England that followed the English Civil War...
, he escaped with his father-in-law, General
Edward WhalleyEdward Whalley was an English military leader during the English Civil War, and was one of the regicides who signed the death warrant of King Charles I of England.-Early career:The exact dates of his birth and death are unknown...
, to
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. 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. Most of its population of...
.
The two fled for
New Haven, ConnecticutNew Haven is the second-largest municipality in Connecticut, after Bridgeport and just ahead of Hartford, with a core population of about 124,000 people. "New Haven" may also refer to the wider Greater New Haven area, which has nearly 600,000 inhabitants in the immediate area...
when their safety was compromised, where
John DixwellJohn Dixwell was one of the judges who tried King Charles I of England and condemned him to death.He was born at Broome Park, Kent. He became a colonel in the Parliamentary army and was active on various county committees. He was appointed governor of Dover Castle by Cromwell. He was a member of...
, also condemned as a regicide, was living under an assumed name. They were housed by Rev.
John DavenportJohn Davenport was an English puritan clergyman and co-founder of the American colony of New Haven.-Early life:Born in Coventry, Warwickshire, England to a wealthy family, Davenport was educated at Oxford University...
. After a reward was offered for their arrest, they pretended to flee to
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, but instead returned by a roundabout way to New Haven. In May, the Royal order for their arrest reached
BostonBoston is the capital and largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is considered the economic and cultural center of the region and is sometimes regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England"...
, and was sent by the Governor to
William LeeteGovernor William Leete was Governor of the Colony of New Haven from 1661 to 1665 and Governor of the Colony of Connecticut from 1676 to 1683....
, Governor of the
New Haven ColonyThe New Haven Colony was an English colonial venture in present-day Connecticut in North America from 1637 to 1662.- Quinnipiac Colony :A Puritan minister named John Davenport led his flock from exile in the Netherlands back to England and finally to America in the spring of 1637...
, residing at
GuilfordGuilford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, that borders Madison, Branford, North Branford and Durham, and is situated on I-95 and the coast. The population was 21,398 at the 2000 census...
. Leete delayed the King's messengers, allowing Goffe and
WhalleyEdward Whalley was an English military leader during the English Civil War, and was one of the regicides who signed the death warrant of King Charles I of England.-Early career:The exact dates of his birth and death are unknown...
to disappear. They spent much of the summer in Judges' Cave at West Rock.
Letters to Dr.
Increase MatherIncrease Mather was a major figure in the early history of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and Province of Massachusetts Bay . He was a Puritan minister who was involved with the government of the colony, the administration of Harvard College, and most notoriously, the Salem witch trials...
and others give hints as to Goffe's whereabouts, but very little is clear, perhaps due to his desire not to be captured and executed. He appears to have passed the rest of his life in exile in New England, separated from his wife and children, under one or more assumed names. Tradition has him sheltering for a decade at
Hadley, MassachusettsHadley is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,793 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Early:...
, reappearing, according to legend, to lead the town's defense during
King Philip's WarKing Philip's War, sometimes called Metacom's War or Metacom's Rebellion, was an armed conflict between Native American inhabitants of present-day southern New England and English colonists and their Native American allies from 1675–1676...
, giving rise to the legend of the
Angel of HadleyThe Angel of Hadley is the central character in an apocryphal 17th-century legend combining the execution of Charles I in England, King Philip's War and Hadley, Massachusetts.-The legend:...
. He died about 1679.
The three regicides are commemorated by three intersecting streets in New Haven ("
DixwellJohn Dixwell was one of the judges who tried King Charles I of England and condemned him to death.He was born at Broome Park, Kent. He became a colonel in the Parliamentary army and was active on various county committees. He was appointed governor of Dover Castle by Cromwell. He was a member of...
Avenue", "
WhalleyEdward Whalley was an English military leader during the English Civil War, and was one of the regicides who signed the death warrant of King Charles I of England.-Early career:The exact dates of his birth and death are unknown...
Avenue", and "
Goffe Street"), and in some neighboring
ConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and New York to the west and south ....
towns as well.
External links