n i e l go k i - forgotten books
TRANSCRIPT
DAN I E L GOO K IN
16 1 2 - 1 6 8 7
A S S I S TA N T A N D MA J O R G E N E R A L
OF THE MAS SACHUSETT S BAY COLONY
HI S L IFE AND LETTERS
AND SOME ACCOUNT OF
HIS ANCESTRY
FREDER ICK W ILL IAM GOOK IN
CH ICAGO
PR IVATELY PR INTED19 12
TO THE MEMORY OF
JOHN W I NGATE THORNTON
DESCENDANT
AND ARDENT ADMIRER OF
DAN IEL GOOK I N
PREFACE
HAT no extended b iogr aphy o f D anie l Gookinhas he reto fo re been pub l ished is without doubtattributab le to the p auc i ty o f the avai l ab le mater i a l . About 1 840 Mr . John W i ngate Thorntonbegan to gather i n fo rmation about his dis tin
guished ances to r, and in 1847 the facts he h adbeen ab le to get together we re embodied in an
arti c le upon “The Gookin Fami ly, p rinted th at ye ar i n thefi rs t vo lume of “The New Engl and H is to ri c a l and Genealogi
c a l Regis te r .” For more th an th i rty ye ars Mr . Thornton wasan e ager gle ane r o f every i tem he cou l d dis cove r con ce rn ingthe “ grand o ld Ameri c an p atri a rch and s age .” Though , to hisdeep regret
,he was unab le to c ar ry out h is des ign of wri ting
a l i fe o f D ani el Gookin,by h is e a r ly rese arches he l aid a foun
dati on fo r whi ch I am gre atly i ndebted .
I t is now th i r ty- six ye a rs s i nce Mr . Tho rnton res igned hische r ished task to my h ands and I began the col lection of dat afo r the pres ent work . I n the s c ant l e isure o f a busy l i fe thi shas been neces s ar i ly a s l ow p roce ss ; and i t is only withinrecent ye ars th at a con s i de r ab le p art o f the in fo rmation Isought has come to l ight . The more important facts o f Gene r al Gookin
’
s c a ree r are we l l known , but i t has p roved adi fficu l t m atter to supp lement them with the m ass o f lesseri tems without whi ch a we l l- rounded portr ai t coul d not bep resented . Such a po rtr ai t I h ave endeavoured to p rep are,but I am deep ly s ens i b le o f m any defi c ien cies . I h ave used theutm os t care to secure ac curacy of detai l , and I c an on ly hopethat mis takes are few . Such as i t is
,the book is o ff e red as a
tribute to the memory of D anie l Gookin on the three-hun
dredth ann ive rs ary o f his bi rth . I t fo rm s a p ar t o f an extendedh is to ry o f the Gookin fam i ly
,other portions o f which I hope
to p rint at some future time .
The armori a l be arings th at appe ar i n the he ad b ands Ih ave drawn fo r the seve r a l ch apte rs are tho se o f a number of
x PREFACE
Genera l Gook in’
s ancesto rs , and a lso the co ats borne by hisb rother
,John Gookin
,and his unc le , S i r Vincent Gookin .
I des i re here to make gr ate fu l acknowledgement to themany peop le who have contri buted i n fo rmation o r i n one wayo r another h ave he lped i n the work o f gather ing mater i a l . I tis imp r acti c ab le to mention a l l by n ame , but I wish i n particul ar to re cord my indebtedness to my wi fe fo r he r very e ffi c ientass is tan ce , to M is s El iz abeth Thornton fo r the fami ly p aperscol l e c ted by he r father and fo r he r con s tan t inte res t i n myprogres s
,to Mr . Linco ln N . Kinn icutt fo r his generous encour
agement o f the pub l i c ati on, to Mr . Char les T . Tatm an fo r thephotograph of Gene ra l Gookin
’
s sword now in his pos sess i on,
to Mr . Ri ch ard B . Townshend and D r . Lyon G . Tyler fo rtr ans c ripts o f documents , and to M r . W . P . W . Phi llimore andMr . J . H enry Le a for aid in my rese arches i n Eng l and .
FREDER ICK W ILLIAM GOOK IN .
I 3 West Walton Place, Chicago,November 23 , 19 12.
CONTENTS
PART I . THE ANCESTORS OF DAN IEL GOOK IN
CHAPTER IFourth in descen t from Arnold Gookin—The ancien t Ken t ish fam i l ies of C okyn
and C olkin—Early var iat ions in the spell ing of Gook in—Thomas Gook in of
Bekesbourne—The Durran t fam i ly— C h i ld ren of Thomas Gook in and AmyDurran t—The fam i l ies of Denne , Tupton , and Hever—John Gook in of R ip
ple—Marr iage and removal to Appleton—Removal to L i ttle BetteshangerSubscr i bes to Armada defense fun d—Acqu is i t ion of Mano r of R i ppleCourt—C h i ld ren of John Gookin and Cather ine Denne—G rant of Armor ialbear ings 3
CHAPTER I IThe son s of John Gookin Fr iendsh i p between h is son s Thomas and John—Thewi dow of Thomas al ienates her husband ’s fam i ly—The educat ion of gen tlemen
’s sons -Dan iel Gook in ’
s marr iage to Ma ry By rd— R ev. R ichard By rdHis educat ion and early benefices—Tuto r to Lo rd Burghley ’
s grandson— I n
Par is w i th h is charge—Young Ceci l turn s Pap ist—Letter to Burgh ley com
pla in ing of cruel treatmen t by Engl ish Ambassado r—Archdeacon o f Clevel an d—Canon of Can terbury Cathed ral—By rd ’s father-in - law B i shop Meye Marriage to Amy Vowel l—Educat ion—Master of S t . Cather ine’s Hal l , Camb r idge—Archdeacon East R i d ing of Yo rksh i re— Fr ien dsh i p of Earl of Sh rewsbury—Appo in ted B i shop of Carl i sle—Cen sured by the Pur i tan s—Impover i shedby rel iev ing d i stress of poo r people—D ies of p lague—The fam i l ies of Vowel l ,Hymerford, Copleston , and Faun tl eroy 15
PART I I . DAN IEL GOOK IN OF CARR IGAL INE
CHAPTER I I IEarly l i fe—His b rother V incen t settl es in I rel and—Munster a t beginn ing of sev
en teen th century—Dan iel removes to C oolma in,coun ty Co rk—Death of his
mother—R i pple Court turned over to h is b rother Thomas—John Gookinjo ins h is son Dan iel in I reland—Dan iel buys Mano r of Carr i gal ine fromThomas Petley—R iva l cla im of Earl of Cork—Dan iel sel ls Carr i gal ine to
Co rk and takes lease f or twen ty-two years— Shareholder in V i rgin ia Company—The Longf ord plan ta t ion—Dan iel sel ls to Franc is Edgeworth 29
CHAPTER IVP rojects pl an ta t ion in V i rgin ia—Con tract w ith 5Vi rg in ia Company for tran spo rt ofcattle— Sa i ls for V i rgin ia in “The Fly inge Harte ” - Arr ival a t N ewpo rt News-Rejo ic ing by Company in London a t ,good news—The Ind ian Massacre ofMarch
,I 622—Dan iel a lone refuses o rder of concentrat ion—Governor Wyatt
h is guest—Sa i ls for England in the Sea Flower ”—Arr ives in London b r inging news of massacre—Ob ta ins patent to Newport News plan ta t ion—N ames
i t Mar ie’s Mount—Takes share in New England Compan y—D ispatches theP rov idence to V i rg in ia—An un p rofi tab le venture—Muster of his Servants at
Mar ie’s Moun t 38
xi i CONTENTS
CHAPTER VAttends meet ings of V i rgin ia Company—Death of his fathe r—Fa i ls to secure pat
en t—Death of b rother Thomas Gook in—W i tness in su i t of Thomas M i l tonvs . Jane Gook in—W i fe Mary ob ta ins loan from Lo rd Co rk—Lease of C arrigal ine sold to Lo rd Co rk—V incen t Gookin kn i gh ted at Dub l in—Dan iel securespaten t to Sa int Brandan '
s I sle—D ies in C i ty of Co rk—Inventory o f h is eff ectsHis ch i ld ren Death of h is mother a t B i tton ,
G loucestersh i re His son Johnin V i rgin ia Marr ies Sarah O fHey , w idow of Capta in Thorowgood—D ies at
Lynn Haven—W i dow marr ies Co lonel Franc is Yard ley 49
PART I I I . DAN IEL GOOK IN OF CAMBR IDGE
CHAPTER V IBoyhood a t Carr i gal ine—Early v is i t to V i rgin ia—G ran ted 2500 acres l an d on
James R iver— Sale of Mar ie’s Moun t plan ta t ion—Marr iage to Mary Dol l ing—M i l i tary Serv ice— Return to V i rgin ia— Capta in of Upper No rf olk tra inedband— G ran ted 1400 acres on Rappahannock R iver— S igns N an semon d pet it ion inv i t ing Pur i tan m in isters from New Engl and—Tompson , Knowles , andJames sa i l f or V i rgin ia—Coo l recept ion by Governo r Berkeley— S tatute of
conform i ty passed— Cotton Mather upon Tompson’s m i ss ion— Dan iel dec i des
to leave V i rgin ia—Acqu i res land in Mary land— Sa i ls f or Boston 6 1
CHAPTER V I IArr ival a t Boston—Adm i tted to F i rst C hurch— Res i dence in Roxbury— Fr iend
sh i p w i th R ev. John El iot fo rmed—Dan iel ’s other ne i ghbors and assoc iatesTrade wi th Mary l and a nd V i rgin ia
CHAPTER V I I I
Buys house in Camb r i dge—G ranted farm a t Shawshine—Capta in of Camb r i dgetra ined band—D i st ingu ished res i den ts of Camb r idge— C hosen Deputy to the
General Court— V is i t to Engl and in 1650 Relat ives then l iv ing—Aga inelected Deputy -“ C hosen Speaker— Elected an Ass istan t , or one of the Counc i lof Magi strates—Ass ists El iot in thewo rk of C h r i st ian i z ing the Ind ians 78
CHAPTER IXSa i ls for Engl and in autumn of I 654— C hanged cond i t ion s s ince last v is i t—C romwel l in ten t upon pro ject for co lon i zat ion of Jama ica— Dan iel sen t for and comm iss ioned to urge New England colon i sts to remove th i ther— Instruct ions g ivenh im by the Counc i l of S tate 85
CHAPTER X
En ters upon task reluctan tly—Fate of Majo r Sedgw ick’s reg imen t—Dan iel arr ivesa t Boston on the Fratern i ty—Letters to Secretary Thurloe— Journey to C onnecticut and New Haven co lon ies—D i scouraging news from Jama ica makesh is effo rt fut i le—Wr i tes Secretary Thurloe h is work a t an end— Requests perm i ss ion to return to England—Report of heavy mortal i ty among the N ev isplan ters stops further eff orts 92
CONTENTS
CHAPTER X IAga in sa i ls for England , November, 1657—A na rrow escape from los ing h is l ife
The state of England—C romwel l ’s death—Appo in ted Co l lecto r of Customs a t
Dunki rk—Appo inted Deputy Treasurer at War—The Resto rat ion—Dan ielsa i ls for home—Whall ey and Goff e h is fellow passengers—Arr ival a t BostonThe regici des at Camb r idge—The con troversy wi th the K ing’s Comm iss ioners—Dan iel refuses to answer before them 104
CHAPTER X I IG ranted 500 acres in the Pequo t coun try—R ival cla imants from Rhode I slandDan iel pet i t ions the Comm iss ioners— Sel ls the land to S imon Lynde—G rantedanother farm near Conco rd—The exten t of h is pub l ic serv ice and other employments—Refuses appo in tment as l icenser of the press—Takes part in publ icdebate w ith the Anabapt ists 1 1 1
CHAPTER XI I I
Opens negot iat ions for purchase of colony of Ma ine—Letter to Ferd inando GorgesIn terference by the Royal Comm iss ioners—Letter to the Hon . Robert Boy leF inal repo rt of the purchase of the Go rges cla im 1 17
CHAPTER X IVDan iel ’s work among the Ind ians—His est imate of El iot’s effo rts to C h r ist ian i ze
them— Dan iel h is constan t associate and coad juto r— Appo in ted Super in tenden tof the P ray ing Ind ian s—The nature of h is wo rk in th i s o ffice—His compensat ion— El iot wr i tes the Comm iss ioners of the Co rporat ion f or P ropagat ing theGospel among the In d ians in New Engl and - Dan iel ’s accoun t of a journeyto the N ipmuck country in com pany w i th El io t—Co rrespondence wi th Governor Pr ince 126
CHAPTER XVThe outb reak of K ing Ph i l i p’s War—Un heeded warn ing given by Dan iel Gookin
He urges defens ive measures—Adv ises ut i l i z ing the Ch r i st ian Ind ian —Pan icstr icken frenzy of the colon ists—The i r rage aga inst Gookin— His firm standA Boston Merchant’s letter to London 14 1
CHAPTER XV ICalumn ies echoed from other colon ies—The C h r ist ian Ind ians removed to DeerI slan d—A w in ter v is it to Conco rd —The fidel i ty of the Ind ians— Gookin and
Danforth warned—The case of R ichard Scott—The Ch r ist ian Ind ian s a t l astemployed aga inst the enemy—Dan iel eff ects release of Mrs. Rowlandson fromcapt iv i ty—El iot, Gook in , and Danfo rth run down in Boston harbor 149
CHAPTER XVI I
The elect ion in 1676—Dan iel not returned as an Ass istant General Court appo intsh im Majo r of the M idd lesex Regimen t—His act iv i ty in ra is ing troops f or service in the field—The Ind ian s removed from Deer I sland— El iot and Gook inresume the i r work among them—An attempt to run down Thomas Danfo rth—Revuls ion of feel ing—Dan iel aga in chosen Ass istant 156
CONTENTS
CHAPTER XV I I I
Dan iel wr i tes H istor ical Accoun t of the Do ings and Suffer ings of the Ch r ist ianInd ians—His H istor ical Col lect ions o f the Ind ian s in New Englan d— HisH isto ry of New England—His equ i pment for th is undertaking—The manuscr i pt burned—A th i rd tract. 16 1
CHAPTER X IXThe Father of Worcester ” P rel im inar ies of Qu ins i gamond settlemen t—Dan ie l
a t head of Comm i ttee—V is i t to the s i te—Wo rk in terrupted by Ind ian warRenewed in 1683—Town named Wo rcester— Con jectured reasons f or the
name—Close rel at ion between Cromwel l and several members of the Gookinfam i ly—Dan iel ’s constan t interest in the settlemen t. 166
CHAPTER XXCon troversy over charter pr iv i leges— D ivergent v iews in the colony Dan iel opposes
send ing agen ts to England—Opposes subm i ss ion to the acts of trade—Makeswr i tten protest— Rad ical party in the ascendan t—Dan iel ha i led as people’schampion—Appo in ted Maj o r General of the colony— Incurs Randolph ’senm i ty—The abroga t ion of the charter. 17 1
CHAPTER XX IDeath of Mrs . Gook in— Ch i ld ren of Dan iel Gookin and Mary Do ll ing—Marr iage
to Mrs. Hannah Savage—Zeal in Ind ian wo rk unabated—I l legal sale of l i quo rto Ind ian s—General Gook in
’s l ast i l lness and death—E l iot sol ic i ts gift for h is
widow from Robert Boy le—Dan iel ’s w i l l— Declarat ion of h is rel i gious fa i thHis homestead in Camb r i dge— Inven tory of esta te—Death of Mrs. HannahGookin 179
CHAPTER XX I I
Esteem of contem porar ies—Nob i l i ty of character—L i terary sty le—Or i ginates doctr ine “No taxat ion wi thout representat ion George B ishop ’s ra i l ing—Dan iela just judge—The case of S i l vanus Warm—Controversy wi th Caleb G rantJust ice Sewa l l ’s d ream of Dan iel Gookin 192
Index
ILLUSTRAT IONS
Armorial bearings of M ajor General Daniel Gookin : arms of Gookinquartering Durra nt Frontispz
’
ece
Arms of Gook in : Gules, a chevron erm ine, between three cocks, or.
Headband to Chapter ISt.August ine’
s Church , Northboume, Kent, and Interior of the old
church, R i pp le, KentArmori al bearings granted John Gookin, Esquire, of R i pple Court,
in 1609 .
Seal of M ajor General Dan iel GookinArms o f Durrant of L ittlebourne, Kent : sab le, a cross-crosslet,
erm ine. H eadband to Chapter I IH atchment used at the funeral of Thomas Gook in, Esquire, of R i p
ple Court, in January 1625 : arm s o f Gookin quartering Durran t
and im pal ing Thurston ; argent, on a bend , gules, three mullets,or, in chief a bear gules
Arm s o f Denne of Denne H i l l , Kent : azure, three leopard’
s headscouped at the neck, or. Headband to Chapter I I I
Dovecote at R i pp le Court bui lt by General Gookin’
s cous in, JohnGook in, Esquire, In 1647
Arms of Byrd of Saffron Walden, Essex . quarterly, argent andsable, in the ch ief dexter quarter an eagle, sab le. Headband toChapter IV
Arms of M eye as borne by Bishop John Meye : sable, a chevron,or, between three cross-crosslets fitchée, argent ; on a ch ief, orthree roses . Headband to Chapter V
Arms of Dan iel Gookin of Carri gal ine, Cork : arm s of Gookin quartering Durran t, and impal ing Byrd . H eadband to Chapter VI
Arms of Canon R i chard Byrd : arms of Byrd impal ing Meye.
Headband to Chapter VI IArms o f Tufton of North i am , Sussex : argent, on a pale, sable, an
eagle, argent. Headband to Chapter VI I IArm s of Hever of Cranbrook, Kent : gules, a cross, argent, a label
of five, azure. Headband to Chapter IX .
Arms of N icholas Tufton, Esquire, of Northiam , Sussex : arms of
Tuf ton with arms of Hever on an inescutcheon. Headbandto Chapter X
PAGE
xvi ILLUSTRATIONS
Facsim i le of letter from Dan iel Gook in to Secretary ThurloeJama i ca colon i zation handbi l l circulated by Daniel Gook inArms of Apuldrefield of O ttreply in Challock, Kent : quarterly,
I st and 4th , sable, a cross vo i ded , or, 2d and 3d, erm ine, a bend ,va ire, or and gules . H eadband to Chapter X I
Arms o f Fauntleroy o f Fauntleroy ’s M arsh, Dorset : gules, threeinfant’s head s couped at the shoulders, proper, crined or. Headband to Chapter X I I
Arms of Dry land of Kent : gules, guttee d’
eau. a fess wavy, argent.Headband to Chapter X I I I
Arms of Hymerford of East Coker, Somerset : argent, a chevronbetween three drakes, sable. H eadband to Chapter X IV
Arms o f Copleston of Copleston , Devon argent, a chevron engra i led ,gules, between three leopard
’
s faces, azure. Headband to Chapter XV
Arms ofW i ll iam Hymerford of East Coker : arms of Hymerf om’
w itharms of Copleston on an inescutcheon. Headband to Chapter XVI
Placard threaten ing the l ives o f Dan ie lGookin andThomas DanforthArms of Vowel l of Wel ls, Somerset : gules, three escutcheons,argent, each charged w i th a cinquefo i l, azure. Headband to
Chapter XV I IArms of W i ll iam Vowel l of Creake Abbey, Norfolk : arms of
Vow ell, with arm s of Hymerf ord quartering Copleston on an inescutcheon. Headband to Chapter XVI I I
Arms ofAshhurst ofAshhurst, Kent : gules, a cross engra i led , or, in thechief dexter quarter a fl eur de lys, or. Headband to Chapter X IX
General Gookin’
s rap ier, and cane carr ied by his grandson, Dan ie lGook in of Worcester, Massachusetts
Arms of General Gookin’
s grandfather, John Gookin, Esquire, ofR i pp le Court : arm s of Gookin quartering Durrant and impal ingDenne. Headband to Chapter XX
Arms of John Gookin of Lynn H aven, V irgin ia : arms of Gookin quartering Durran t and impal ing Ofi ey, argent, on a cross pattée flory,azure, between four Corn ish choughs, a l ion passant guardant,or. Headband to Chapter XXI .
Tomb o f M ajor General Dan iel Gookin at Cambrid ge, M assArms of S ir V incent Gookin, Kn i ght, of Courtmacsherry , Cork arms
of Gookin im pal ing arms of Crooke; a fess engra i led between threeeag les, t inctures not known. Headband to Chapter XXI I
Letter of Dan iel Gookin to Capta in Wade
THE ANCESTORS OF DAN IEL GOOK IN
PART I
CHAPTER I
ANIEL GOOKIN ,the subj ec t o f th is memoi r
,
was the thi rd son of D anie l Gookin of C arrigal i ne
,I re l and, and the fou r th i n des cent from
Arnold Gookin ,who, i n the reign of King Hen ryV I I I
,l ived in I ckham ,
a p arish in the county o fKent, ly i ng abou t five mi les to the eas t and al i tt le to the north o f the c i ty o f C an te rbury .
Nothing is ce r tai n ly known conce rning Arno ld Gookin s aveh is p l ace o f re s i dence, and, i n a gene r a l way , the period inwhi ch he l ived . I n the pedigree s igned by his gre at gr andson Thomas Gookin , whi ch appe ars i n the Vis i ta ti on o f Kenti n 16 19, he is c al led
“Arnoldus Gokin de com . C antii . Andin the reco rd p reserved at the Col lege o f Arm s o f the be ari ngs granted to h is gr andson John Gookin o f Ripp le Cour ti n 1609 by Si r W i l l i am Sega r , Garte r King o f Arm s , he isdes c ribed as
“Arno ldus C oke ine al i as Gookeine o f I ckhami n Kent .H asted
,i n h is “H i s to ry o f Kent, s ays th at C okyn
’
s Ho s
p i ta l i n Canterbury was founded in 1 199 by W i l l i am Cokyn ,whose n ame in h is pos te ri ty long survived him in th is c i ty .
”1
The s ame authori ty also s t ates th at an alde rmanry of Cante rbury inc luding the p res i dency o f a ward-mote , o r ward- cour t,he l d eve ry th ree weeks , was tr ansmitted by i nhe r i tance i nfee
,th rough seve r al gener ations of Cokyns .
2 I n the re ign of12nd Ed i t ion Can terbury
,1801
, x i i , 1 15—1 16 . I n I reland ’s Ken t, i , 13 3 , the nameis given as John C okyn .
2Hasted’
s Ken t, x i , 78 .
4 THE COLKINS OF KENT
King Edward I I I one Edmund Cokyn al i as Cockayne wasreturned, as a c i tizen o f C ante rbury, Member of Parl iament atWe s tmins te r i n 1 343 and again i n 1 345 and Anotherc i tizen of C ante rbury named John C olkin bui l t a se at knownas
“Colkins ” at Boughton-under-Ble an and died possessed ofi t i n the tenth ye ar o f Edward I I I seve ra l o f his posterity were bur ied in the church at Boughton and the i r a rm s ,a grzflin regreant, figured i n b r ass upon the i r tombs tone s
,al l
o f whi ch had been “ l ong s i nce des troyed when H as ted wrotehis book at the end o f the e ighteenth century, s ave only onei ns c r ibed “O rate p ro anim a Joh annis Co lkin , obi i t 18 Apri l ,
Unde r Edward I ( 1 272—1 307) the manor o f FredV i l l e o r Froidvi l l e at Non ington
,a few mi les no rthwes t o f
Dove r , was owned by J ohn C olkin , and i t remained i n h isl i ne unti l th e c lose of the re ign o f Rich ard I I (c i r c aH as ted s ays th is fami ly bore a di ff eren t co at o f a rms from theBoughton fami ly but he does not s tate wh at the i r be ari ngswe re .
Although nothing has yet been dis cove red th at th rows anyl ight upon Arnold Gookin ’
s p arentage , the surmise th at hewas the des cendant o f one o r the othe r o f these worth ies isi n ac co rd wi th a l l o f the c i rcum s tances with whi ch we are
acquainted and appe ars to be we l l wi th in the l im i ts of p rob abi l ity. I n the s ixteenth century the spe l l i ng o f proper n ameswas so e rr ati c th at in fe rence s dr awn there from shou l d bemade with much c auti on . Neverthe less i t is worth noting thati n the wi l l o f J ane Dur r ant,4 dated November 12, 1 548 , thee ar l i es t known document in whi ch a member o f the Gookinfami ly is named
,Arnold ’
s son is des c ribed as “Thos . Go lkyn
and as“Thos . Golkyne . I n the wi l l o f his b rothe r- in—l aw
John Durr ant, made i n 1 56 1 , Thomas is c al l ed“Thomas Gol
kyn” and his wi fe “Amy Golkin .
” Five ye ars l ate r the n ame
appe ars upon the Bekesbourne Parish Regis te r as “Goolkyn”
and “Goo lken whi le i n 1 587 the Recto r o f Northbourne1Hasted’s Kent, x i , 48 .
’Hasted ’s Kent, v i i , 1 1 , 14- 15 ; Weaver’s Ancien t Funeral Monuments, 163 1 ,
Po 2748 I reland ’s Kent, i , 595 Hasted , i x, 257.‘ See infra p. 6 .
6 THE DURRANT FAM ILY
p ages . From i t and the wil l o f his mothe r, and the Littlebourne p ar ish reco rds, we get the fo l lowing pedigree :
John Durrant Jobaneof L ittlebourne, W i l l Nov. 12,
d . before 1 548 .
Bur. at L ittlebourne r son R i chardE lgar, executor.
”
John Durrant E llys Denne, Durrantof
“
Owletts,”
s ister of second son, Durrantob it s. p., buried M ichael d . before 1548 .
at L ittlebourne, Denne.
Apri l 16 , 1563 .
M i ldred Durrant W i ll iam Sw inford . E l i zabeth Durrant,unm . 156 1 .
A l arge portion of the es t ate o f John Dur r ant the younge rwas devised to his s is te r Amy
,and as he died without is sue
she i nhe ri ted the Durran t arms , whi ch thus bec ame a par t o fthe Gookin co at .Amy Gookin died i n Feb ruary
,and was bur ied on
the 1 sth of th at month in the churchyard at Bekesbourne .
l
Two ye ars l ate r Thomas Gookin marri ed again,t aking as his
second wi fe Sybbell Bl acke of Boughton-Aluph , widow . Thel i cense fo r this marr i age was issued June 22
,Fi fteen
ye ars l ater Sybbell p as sed away . She was bur ied at Bekesbourne Augus t 29, 1 598 . Thomas , who had re ached a ripe o ldage , survived her l ess th an a ye ar, and was bur ied at Bekesbourne June 14, 1 599 . There were no chi ldren by the secondmarri age , but by Amy Dur r ant Thomas h ad John Gookin ,his only son3 and hei r, and five daughte rs
,name ly : Amy who
married Robert Syme and h ad,before 1 560, a daughter Al i ce ;
Thomas i n,who married Robert Cowper o r Cooper be fo re
1 560 ; Eliz abe th , who married Thomas Long, an a lderman of
l Bekesbourne Par ish Register.2Cantab . Mar. Lic. I st Ser. C . 18 1 .
‘ So descr i bed in h is wi l l , p r. July 7, 1599 , Archdeacon ry Court, Canterbury .
A DOUBLE WEDD ING 7
Canterbury ; Jhoane, who married John S anders ; and Ci ce ly,who was b aptized at I ckh am J anuary 8 , and was bur iedthere l ate r i n the s ame month . Amy, Thomas i n , and El izabeth were al l o lder th an John . Amy was the ol des t and wasprob ab ly born about 1 540. John , who was presumably of lega lage at the time of his marri age , mus t h ave come into the worldas e ar ly as 1 545 .
On O ctobe r 28 i n the ye ar 1 566 , the eighth o f the reign o fQueen El izabeth , a double wedding ceremony was per fo rmedin the l i ttl e church at Bekesbourne , John Gookin taking as
his wife Cathe rine Denne,l whi le his s is te r Jhoane Gookin was
married to J ohn S anders . Cathe ri ne Denne was the seconddaughte r o f Wi l l i am Denne o f Kings ton, Kent, Esqu i re , byhis wife Agnes , daughter o f N icho l as Tufton of North i amPl ace i n Sussex, Esqu i re , ances to r o f the Earl s o f Thanet.The Denne fami ly is one of the o ldes t o f the Kentish gentry
,
c l aiming des cent from Robert de Den, pincern a, butle r , o rsewer
,to King Edward the Confesso r . The fol lowing ped
igree i n whi ch th at des cent is shown is taken from Berry ’
s
Kent Genealogies .
2
Robert de Den or De Dene, p incerna, :butler or sewer to Edward the C on
fessor. Held large estates in Sussex,Kent, and Normandy . V i de DorsetMSS ., Col l in
’
s Peerage, and H arris’
“Kent.
Robert de Dene (See Dorset MSS .)
1There is some reason to th ink that th is was not the fi rst al l iance between the
Gookin and the Denne fam i l ies . Thomas Gook in of Bekesbourne ment ioned inh is wi l l , “Amy Dens and Elyz abethe Dens my kenswomen .
” Th is po ints to a connect ion pr io r to the testator ’s t ime and suggests the poss i b i l i ty that Arnold Gook in
’s
wi fe or h is mother may have been a Denne, or that he may have had a s ister whomarr ied in to that fam i ly .
2Pages 269-270. Berry states that the ped i gree is registered at the Co ll ege of
Arms down to the v i s i tat ion of 16 19. No attempt a t ver ificat ion has been made bythe author of th is memo i r. See, however, Has ted i x , 344- 46 . Notes and Quer iesi i. 473 .
8 DENNE PED IGREE
Ralph de Dene, 20, W i l l iam the C on de Gattonqueror, Lord of Buckhurst in Sussex .See Cotton M SS . and Dugdale
’
sMon
ast. Angl .
Robert de Dene . Held estates in Kent.= Sybylla
Endowed Bayhamton M SS .
W i l l iam de Denne, of Denne, parishof K ingston, co. Kent. L ived in time
of K ing John .
S ir Alured Denne of Denne, Knt. , Sen
esch al o f the Priory of Chri st Church ,Canterbury, and Escheator o f Countyo f Kent, 19 Henry I I I I l lustrious for h is learn ing. Ap. by HenryI I I w i th S ir Henry de Bath to formthe im portant law s of Romney M arsh .
He at thi s early period sealed w i ththree leopard ’s heads.
Walter Denne of Denne, s . and he iras appears by charter dated 4 1 HenryI I I
Walter Denne o f Denne . Enfeoffedlands in
John Denne o f Denne, 2 Edward I I :
S ir W i l l iam Denne o f Denne, Kut. , s .
and he ir, 2 Edward I I I M . P .
for Canterbury 19 Edw . I I and for
Kent 14 Edw. I I I .
DENNE PED IGREE
R i chard Denne of Denne, son and he ir=Agnes Apuldrefield daughter ofApuldrefield o f
Chal lock, co . Kent
Thomas Denne of Denne, son and he irZ I sabel de Earde, dau. o f Robertde Earde
John Denne o f Denne, son and he ir =Al i ce Ardearne, dau. of R i chardArdearne.
M i chael Denne of Denne, eldest son .=C hristian Combe, dau . and he ir
ess of Combe.
Thomas Denne of Denne, a l ias Denne=Al ice Eshehurst orAshhurst.H i l l , son and he ir.
W i ll iam Agnes Tufton, dau . o f N i cholassecond 5 Tu fton 1 of Northiam Place, SusDoctor's Commons. sex . She d . Dec. 30, 1 5 39.
V incent Denne LL .D . ,son and he ir. D . 159 1 . M arried Jane
,dau .
o f K itta ll of London, and had five sons .
2. Thomas Denne of Addisham , Kent, 2d son, barr ister-at-law . M ar
ried Jane, dau . of John Sw i ft, and had five sons and s ix daughters .
M ary Denne, eldest daughter. D . Feb. 28 , aged 72. She
married I st, John Copp in of Deal, and 2d, about 1 589, ThomasBoys of Eythorne and Barfriston , Ken t.
Catherine Denne,2d daughter, m arried October 28 , I 566 , to John
Gookin .
Wi l l i am Denne of Kings ton bore the ancient fami ly coat :Azure , th ree leop ard
’
s heads couped at the neck, o r .
1 In Memor ials of the Fam i ly of Tufton , Earls of Thanet ” a shadowy ped igreeis given , sa i d to be based upon anc ient deeds in the possess ion of the Earl of Thanet,carry ing the l ine back to one Elphege deToketon , Lo rd of the Mano r of S ileham and
Toketon , at Ra inham ,Ken t
,whose grandson ,
S i r W i l l iam deToketon , was kn i gh tedand l iv ing about the latter end of the re i gn of Henry I I I . The author of the book ,wh ich was pub l ished a t G ravesend in 1800
,d i d not rega rd the ev i dence as conclus ive .
N icholas Tufton d ied in 153 8 . His w ife was Margaret Hever , daughter and he i ressof John Hever of C ranbrooke, co. Ken t, Esqu i re, a descendan t of the Hevers of
Hever Castl e , co . Ken t.
10 JOHN GOOKIN AT APPLETON
I t is p rob able th at Catheri ne Denne b rought he r husb anda cons i de r ab le addi tion to his fo rtune . The young coup lerem ained i n Bekesbourne fo r a l i ttle more th an a ye ar a fte rthe i r m arr i age and there the i r e ldes t daughter was b aptizedon Augus t 28 , 1 567 . Not long afte r thi s event they removedto App le ton , a short dis tance South o f Walme r
, John havingpurch ased the l ands there now known as Appleton Farm s ,which
,p ri o r to the dissoluti on, h ad been owned by the Mon
astery of St . Mary the Virg i n and S t . Thomas the Martyr, i nthe adj o in ing p arish of Eas t Langdon . At App le ton Johnand Cathe ri ne made the i r home fo r fi fteen ye ars o r more
,
dur ing which the i r fami ly and the i r fo rtune s te adi ly i nc reased .
Though thei r l ands were i n an outlying portion o f the p arishof W a ldershare thei r church affi l i ati on was with the p ari sho f Ripp le
,where s ix o f thei r ch i l dren were b ap tized . Thei r
ne ares t ne ighbors were the fami l i es o f Thom as Marsh andhis b rother J ohn Marsh , who lived about a quarter o f a mi l eaway
,near the l i ttl e h amle t o f Marton
,
l and S imon Edolph ,whose seat, St . R adigund
’
s Abbey, was only about a mi l e tothe e as t on a tal l h i l l . I n after ye ars al l th ree o f these fami l i eswere al l ie d by marri age with th at o f J ohn Gookin . Mary
,his
thi rd daughte r , bec ame , i n 1 586 , the wi fe o f Rich ard Marsh ,son of Thomas ; i n 16 10 her younges t s is te r was married toJ ohn Marsh ’
s grand son Thomas Marsh ; and about a quarte r of a century l ate r s ti l l J ohn Gookin ’
s gr andson ThomasGookin m arried J ane Edolph, gr anddaughter of S imon .
I n Feb ru ary, 1 586 , John Gookin bought from the hei rs o f
Thomas Stoughton,gentleman , of Ash
,2 the es tate c al led Li t
t le Betteshanger in the wes te rn p art o f the p arish of Northbourne and removed thi the r wi th h is fami ly . The dis tancefrom App leton was not more than five or s ix miles
,but i t
i nvo lved a seve r ance o f rel ations with the chu rch at Ripp le andthei r tr ans fer to the church at Northbourne, s i tuated abouta mi le to the e as t o f the new place o f res idence . Two yearsa fte r this removal, reports of the fo rmation of the Sp anish
1 Now transformed to Mart in . The Marsh fam i ly is sa i d to have been seated atMarton as early as the re i gn of Edward I I I .
2Pedes Fin ium , H i lary , 28 E l i zabeth .
PURCHASE OF RIPPLE COURT 1 1
armada gre atly exc i ted and al armed the peop le of Engl and,
and on J anuary 16 , the Queen is sued a p roc l amationasking for a lo an for the de fence o f the kingdom in Vi ew of“ the great preparacons made by the Kinge of Spaine both bySea and l and the l as t yere .” I n the county of Kent there we reeight subsc ribers i n the month of Feb ruary and thi rty-ninei n March . S ixth on the l atte r l is t was the n ame of “JohnGookyn of Norborne , Esq ., who subs cribed fi fty pounds
,
which was double the sum advanced by mos t o f the othe rgentlemen subsc r ibe rs .
l
John was al re ady a r i ch m an when , at the de ath o f h isfather i n June , 1 599, his fortune was augmented by the inher i tance of the Bekesbourne es tate . I n the fo l lowing ye ar o rsoon there afte r, by purch ase from John H ales , Esq . , o f Tenterden he acqui red the Manor o f Ripp le, otherwise known as
Ripp le Court, i n the p ari sh of Ripp le . Acco rding to H as ted 2
i t was a p art o f the anc ien t possess ions o f the abbot and conven t o f St . Augus tine at Northbourne unti l the dissolution o fth at es tab l ishment, when King H enry VI I I , i n the th i rty- fourthye ar o f his reign ( 1 542 granted i t to Archbishop Cranmer
,
who,not long afte rward, i n exch ange for other l ands , recon
veyed i t to the c rown , where i t remained unti l Queen El iz abeth
,i n o r abou t the year 1 599, granted i t to John H ales .
Presumably th is grant b rought John Gookin a l ong-coveted opportuni ty to es tab l ish him se l f i n the p rin cip al m anorin the section wherein he had spent the gre ate r p art o f his l i fe .
Ripp le Court thus bec ame the fami ly se at and i t continued as
such duri ng th ree gener ations .
3 The manor house was s i tuatedabout a mi le southwes t o f W almer and between two and threemi les south and e as t o f Northbourne in a fine loc ation onthe brow of a h i l l one hundred and seventy- th ree feet abovethe sea . I t p rob ab ly faced toward the northeas t, as does themodern mans i on bui l t 4 upon the anc ien t s i te, whi ch commands
l B r. Mus ,S towe MS . , 165 .
H istory of Ken t, i x, 565—67. See also I rel and , i , 647 .
3 I t was sold in 1668 by John Gookin ’s grandson and namesake. The vendor ’s
sons jo ined in the conveyance to b reak the en ta i l .4 In 1828 by John Baker S laden ,
Esq . I t is now the res i dence of his grandson ,Colonel Joseph S laden . One onl y of the anc ien t bu i ldings is now stand ing, a clove
1 2 THE CHILDREN OF JOHN GOOKIN
an exten s ive view across Sholden Downs and the Lydden valley and up the co as t as far as Ramsgate .
When John and Catherine Gookin took possess i on o f Ripp le Cour t on ly the i r four younges t chi l dren we re s ti l l l ivingbeneath the p arenta l roo f . Altogether twe lve chi ldren wereborn to them . Anne, the e ldes t, p rob ab ly died i n infancy .
Amy and Mary were p resumably twins , born in 1 568 or 1 569 .
Amy was married in September , 1 586 , to I ngram Jou l e , o rJewel l
,o f Capel- le- Ferne
,Kent ; Mary was married twice , he r
fi rs t husband be ing Ri ch ard Marsh to whom she was unite don July 12, 1 586 , and her second being Thomas Grant o fEythorne
,the marri age taking p l ace i n June
, 16 1 5 . Eliz abeth,
the fourth child,was b aptized at Ripp le, Decembe r 7, 1 57 1 , andburie d Ju ly 25, 1 575 . Thomas , the e l des t son and hei r , wasbaptized at Ripple, January 1 3 , John , the second son
,
was baptized at Ripp le , Augus t 17, 1 575 . Next c ame anotherEl iz abeth , baptized at Ripp le , November 30, 1 578 , and marriedJ anuary 1 3 , to Clement Swin forde . A son Danie l wasbaptized at R ipp le March 3 1 , and bur ied O ctober 25o f the s ame year . Another D anie l , the fourth son ,
was b ap tizedat Ripple
,October 28 , 1 582 ; Vincent, the fi fth son
,was bo rn
p rob ab ly in 1 58 5 . Katherine,the s ixth daughte r , was baptized
at Northbourne , O ctobe r, 1 587, and on November 4 , 1605, wasmarried to Thom as Milton
, gentlem an,o f London . Margaret
,
the seventh daughter and younges t child,was b aptized at Northbourne Decembe r 7, 1 589 and was married Septembe r 4 , 16 10,to Thomas Marsh
,E sq .,
o f Marton .
John Gookin bore fo r his arm s : Gu l es . a chevron e rminebetween th ree cocks , o r . Cres t : On a mura l c rown gu les , acock o r, c res ted, b arbed, be aked, and membered gu l es . Thisco at was granted to him in 1609 by S i r W i l l i am Segar, Garte rKing of Arm s . The Records o f the Col lege o f Arm s i n London , howeve r, show the chevron o r, i n s te ad o f e rmine . I n oneof the books of the col lege there is a sketch o f the co at withthe tinctures i ndi c ated i n tri ck , and ac comp anying i t the fo ll owing insc rip tion i n Engl ish , Latin , and French :
cote bu i l t in 1647 by John Gook in . I t bears the date and the in i t ials o f John andh is w ife El i z abeth in large characters in ra ised b r ickwork on one of the end walls.
GRANT OF ARMOR IAL BEARINGS 1 3
COKEINE ALs'
GOOKE INE
E . G . a Chevron bet. 3 cocks, O .
L . In Scuto sangu ineo Trabem acum inatim defl exam (quam Chevernum vocant) auream Inter tres Gal los e j usdem COIOI' IS Incestum .
F . De Gucules au Chevron d’
Or acompagne de tr01s Coqs d’
O r.
To John Gookeine, son1of Arnold C okeine al ias Gookeine of Ickham in
Kent.
of ye abovesa i d Arms and Crest, vi z . : On a C rowne muralla Cock 0 . crested , barb
’
d, beaqued and memb. G .
An° Regn i Jac I , VI I , An° Dom . 1609.
I t is evident th at th is was only a p roj ect drawn up beforethe grant was engro ssed, and that i n the gr ant as i s sued toJohn Gookin the chevron was e rmine . Certain i t is th at asborne by the members o f the fami ly in the seventeenth century, i t was ermine , not o r . I t so appe ars upon the hatchmentused at the funer al o f John
’
s e ldes t son , Thomas Gookin ofRipp le Cou rt, who died i n J anuary, upon the monument in St. Nicho las
’
s Chur ch , Ringwold , Kent, to the memory o f J ane Edo lph, wife o f John Gookin
’
s grandson ThomasGookin of H arb ledown ; and upon the seal used by anothergrandson, Maj or Gener a l D anie l Gookin o f C ambridge,Mas
sachusetts . H as ted confirms th is us age, 3 as does Gwi l l im 4 whos ays :
“Gnles
,a chevron ermine, between three Cocks , Or , is
borne by the n ame of Gookeyn, and was the co at of J ohn Go/zeyn,son of Arnold Gokeyn ,
Anno 1 609 , attes ted by J ohn Philpot,Somerset, H er ald .
”
Although Gwi l l im mus t h ave made the s tatement aboutJohn Gookin
’
s p arentage from the memorandum preservedby the Col lege of Arms
,i t is s ignific ant th at he did not accept
the descrip tion o f the arms as the re rec i ted . Moreover,i n
Stowe MS . 6 18 ,“ John Philipott
’
s Vis i t ati on o f Kent,
l An obv ious m istake of a k ind not un i que in the records made by the heral ds ofthat per iod .
2This hatchmen t is now in the l i brary of the New Engl and H istor ic Genealogical Soc iety in Boston .
‘ Vol . i x, 567.
‘ A D isplay of Heral d ry , 6 th Ed . 1724 , p. 23 3 .
14 THE GOOKIN ARMS
the dr awing o f the Gookin co at shows the chevron erm ine andthe mur al c rown in the c res t
,gu l es , as they appear i n Thomas
Gookin’
s hatchmen t. Furthe r confi rm ation of both of thesediff erences from the College of Arm s memorandum is aff o rded
Seal of Major General Dan iel Gook in from letter to Secreta ry Thurloe.
1
by H ar le i an MS . 5507,“Phi lipots
’ Vis i t ati on o f Kent, 16 19,with addi tions by H as ted
,and H a r le i an MS . 6 1 3 8 , a copy o f
the 16 19 Vi s i t ation by H enry Li ly .
Raw] . MSS . , xxx iv , 609 .
COLON/ES”
T is hereby declared , the Lord Erotefi our of .
the Common wealth Commifli oned and Imo
in the Mail'
achufets to
foflion to the people of
the (aid,
cc inhabited by a (tack.
of
walk in Fear, ) will gran t them, Ships for tranfportation ; a fufficientthem and'
their heires for ever near fome goodIt" Prote&ica (by Gods bleifin from all ene
mies ; a {hare of all thefl orfes, Cattle and other bcafis, w'
and tameuponthe place freely ,
‘
Together w ith other Priviledges and Immunities the
particulars wherof may be known by thore who fln ll lee esafe to addrefsthemfelves to the faid Daniel gookm ( or fiich as he fhall defi re to be
hel full herein, whore names are underneath exprefsed in writ ing ) who
wi be ready tomike full agreement with them according to his HighnefsInftmétions , and take their reciprocall Ingagements and Subfcriptions to
remove accordingly. Farther it is defired that fuch as incl ine to the
Defign aforefaid, do make known themfelvcs without delay it being hisHighncfi Pla fure that the work of Tranfporting fh ould beforethem f SeptcmbCI next .
°
Dated this 25 of M arco 1 6 5 6 .
CHAPTER I I
OHN GOOKIN’
S younger sons , Danie l andVi ncent
,e ar ly le ft home i n se arch o f fo rtune .
John,the second son
,bec ame a b arr is te r at l aw
and had ch ambers i n Lin co ln’
s I nn,though he
l ived during the gre ate r p art o f his l i fe at Li ttleBettesh anger
,which his f ather gave to him when
he removed to Ripp le ‘ Court. John was deep lyattached to his o lder b rothe r Thomas and they undertook anumbe r o f bus i nes s ventures toge the r , which , a fte r the de atho f Thomas i n J anuary , 1624/5 , resu l ted i n long drawn out l i tigation be tween h is widow and his b rothe rs . Thomas was akindly man
,dignified in his be ar ing as bec ame his s tati on in
l i fe , extremely pious , 1 and of benevolent dispos i ti on . H is wi feJ ane— only daughte r and hei r o f R i ch ard Thurs ton , Esq . , ofChal lo ck
,Kent— was o f di ff e rent mold . Fo rce ful and aggres
s ive, she attempted to s addle upon he r b rothers- in- l aw herhusband ’
s share o f ob ligations fo r which they were j o i ntly l i ab le . This
,howeve r
,was a los i ng specul ation on he r p art, fo r
she gained nothing by i t and suc ceeded only in al i en ati ng a l lthe members o f her husb and ’
s fami ly .
I t was not cus tomary i n the s ixteenth century fo r Engl ishgentlemen to give a l ibe ral educ ation to any o f thei r sons s avethose des tined fo r the l e arned pro fess ions . Vincent Gookin , aswe know from his own s tatement
,was taugh t l i ttl e more th an
1 I n 1624 he pub l ished a volume of verse en t i tled Med i tat ion s upon the Lord ’sPrayer, the K ey o f Heavenly and Earth ly Parad ise .
” A copy of th is book , perhapsthe only one in ex istence , is in the l ib rary of the B r i t ish Museum.
I S
16 DR . RICHARD BYRD
to re ad and write . H is brothe r D anie l appe ars to h ave receiveda bette r equ ipment
,and there is some reason to th ink he may
h ave been i ntended for the church . As his c aree r very l arge lydetermined th at of h is son ,
and as the s to ry of his l i fe hasnever been p rinted , i t is here n arr ated in such detai l as maybe pe rce ived through the vei l o f the i nte rvening ye ars .
O f Danie l ’s e arly l i fe l i ttle is known . H e was s ti l l atRipple i n Augus t, 1601 , when , with h is brother John , he s igneda marri age l i cense bond fo r Thomas Gillowe of Walme r .The rea fte r he dis appears from our V i ew unti l J anuary 20,
when,by deed indented
,h is fathe r conveyed to h im
several p arce ls of l and near Ripple .
1 Thi s was i n anti c ip ationof his marri age , which took p l ace on the th i r ty—firs t of thes ame month in Canterbury Cathedral , to Mary Byrd, daughter o f Rev . Rich ard Byrd , D .D ., one of the C anons of theCathedral .Danie l Gookin ’
s fathe r- in- l aw was a schol ar of some reputefo r h is l e arning . He was o f the Byrds of S aff ron W aldenin Essex, but which member o f th at very l arge fami ly washis father has not been ascertained . H e was born , i t m ay beassumed , i n o r about the ye ar 1 546 , fo r i n Feb ru ary,he was matri cu l ated at Cambridge as a s iz a r o f Trin i ty College . Competing suc ces s ful ly fo r a s chol a rsh ip on the foundation , he was sworn in as a S cho l ar o f Trin i ty on May 1 8 ofthe s ame ye ar , and i n was gr aduated wi th the degreeo f B A. Shortly afterward he was e lected a Fel low of theco l lege , and in 1 572 commenced s tudies fo r the M .A . degree .
I n 1 576 he appears to h ave been serving a cu re at o r nea rS aff ron Walden where a new sect o f dissente rs c al l ing themse lves “pure b re th ren h ad ar isen .
“A sort o f l ibe rti nes theywe re , s ays Strype ,2
“ th at reckoned them se lve s not bound tothe observation of the moral l aw of the ten commandments
,
as be i ng ob l igatory to such only as were Jews . Byrd wroteto Dr . Whi tgi ft sol i c i ting his advi ce as to how he cou l d bes tanswer the ques tions propounded by these sectar ies .
3 On May
l C lose Rol l, 9 James I , No 30.
2Annals of the Refo rmat ion , I I , 11, 64—6 5 .
3 S trype,L ife of Wh i tgi ft
, 15 1 .
1 8 BYRD ’S LETTER TO BURGHLEY
his governor and to attend him in h is j ourney, he added fThathis lo rdship , i n his op inion , had made a very good cho i ce ofhim
,whose government and c are o f Mr . Cec i l coul d not be
amended .That he was ve ry we l l lodged i n good ai r and
neighborhood.And that Mr . Pal l avi c in i ( an eminent I ta l i an
merch ant i n London , now the re as i t seems on some o f thequeen
’
s bus iness ) had especi a l c are o f h im and so h ad my lordambass ador and his l ady .
’ U nlucki ly for Ri ch ard Byrd, notwiths tanding this c are and h is own watch fulness , young Mr .Ceci l got out of hand and bec ame a conve rt to the RomanCathol i c fai th . This gre atly i ncensed the Engl ish amb ass ador
,who b l amed the tuto r and subj ected h im to gross indig
n ities .Afte r h is return to Engl and Byrd wrote to Lo rd
Burghley compl aining of the i njus ti ce of the h arsh tre atmenthe had rece ived .
1
To the r ight honora ble, my w ry
good Lord, the L. BurghleyL. H igh Trea surer of Eng la nd.
In most humble w ise I beseech yor Honorto pardon me that thus
long after my retume out of Fraunce I o ff er my lres unto yor L . beforeI presume to present myselfe . The grief and feare I susta ine by conceipto f y ’ L . d i spleasure growing by un just relacon of some hath h i thertosta ied me together Wi th the d i ffi culty of my case, a poor man forced tocontend for my cred i t aga inst honor favor and authori ty . M y com fortresteth in my truth and innocency (w°h by pri v i lege should be bould)and that I hoope to answere of my l i fe and demeanor toward s Mr W .
C ecill before yo r Honor, whose w isdome and integri ty is known to the
whole world . What S ir Edward S taff ord HerM atumAmbassador hath
wri tten unto yor Hono' in compla int and d iscred i t of me, I know not,
and therefore cannot pfitly answere the pticulars, but yf otherw i se thenthat s ince my be ing in Fraunce I have l ived a true Chri st i an ,
a fa i thfu l lsubject to my Princes and most carefull of the charge co ffi itted unto me,
h is L . hath done me wrong. Indeed he hath proceaded aga inst me as
coulpable of greatest crymes, but w th what honor and just i ce, the b iestJ udge best knoweth, and W i l l one da ie determ ine . F irst by parti al ] dealinge, by fow le accusacons o f intemperance, dronnkenness, whoredome,
sed icon, treason &c. Next (notwi thstand ing my humble subm i ss ion inwri tinge or my vehement contradicons of h is inj uste obiections sent untoyo
r L . and com ing mysel fe to confirms the same with all duetie) publ icly in presence of man ie Gentlemen of o
r nat ion of both rel i g ions,1Br. Mus , Lansdowne MS S .
,Vol . 46 , No. 9 .
HARSH TREATMENT BY STAFFORD 19
assembled for the same purpose, taken by h is porteur, and carried to prysonaga ine, convented before them all, rev i led by termes of rebe l , tra i tor,V i la ine, &c. , threatened to be whi pped naked by h is horsebo ies, m ade askorne to vy le d isposed persons present, and a reproche and bywourde
to thenem ies of my fa i th and country absent, fina lly shamefully abusedby h is servannts, name ly one L i lly a m an common lie knowen to be o f
most vi le dispOS icon ; by h im in the French Court, and d ay o f the greatestenterta inment of my L . o f Darby, d iscred ited to honourable Gen tlem en
my friends in myne own hearinge to be a vi la ine a knave, &c. Afterin my entrance into the Chamber of Presence, procureth the French Guardby h is m al i c ious and s landerous speeches vio lentlie to stri ke me, and in
the honorable presence striketh m e himselfe. I com pla ined in humb lem anner to h is Lordshi p ; I was contempned o f h im and deri ded and
revi led of h is man. Veri ly, my good L . yf I had bene Mr W . C ecills
span iel , I ought not thus to have ben used . Yf I can be convinced o f
these crimes,convi cted or touched justl ie with so much as suspicon o f
an ie of them I crave thextremest pun i shment wi thout an ie favour. ErredI have I confesse in some intem perate speeches, more l i ke a natural] m an
then a mortified D ivine, be ing first most intemperately used , when, yf Ihad had the m i ld sp iri t of M o ises I should not have conteined.
To M' W C ecill, my good Lord , I have done my dutie fa i thfully, asin the s i ght of God and as I des ire mercie at h is hands . In grief of hartI comp la in unto yo“ Honor as once St Ambrose in case not un l i ke, thatI have been robbed o f the sow le o f that young gentleman by w icked and
trecherous men in care and poursu it of whose safety I am fal len into thesetroub les. In theducac
'
on and government of one of h is qual itie I con fessemyselfe to have proceaded indiscretly. I f to d irect h im in the true fearof God by examp le, by precept, by privat caut ion and loving admon icon
,
and to instruct h im in a ll honorable and honest qual i t ies he po ints of
indiscrecon . Otherwi se my lord , I think I have not greatl ie erred . But
now are the t imes and manners o f men , where in Chri st ian and vertuouseducacon is thought to base for nobilitie, and diagoras doctrine of Atheisme and sensua ll l ibertie taken o f some to be the sounder divin itie,th iniquitie of w°h judgment the Lord of Just i ce, I doubt not wi l l shortl ie confound .Touching one Pomere . I t may p lease yor honor I h ired thould m an
for or instrucon in the french tonge and gave h im h is honest reward ; h isbooks w°h I borrowed I trul ie restored except one pamphlet wri tten o f
p i lgrims not borrowed by me, but brought m e by h im , as poets and
pa inters covet to have the ir creatures read and seen, weh be ing long byme, as some such to ies of l i ke substance and content, was at length loste i ther by some negl i gence in removing from one lodging to another, or a sI rather think, by Mr C ecill otherwi se bestowed . Soe my good Lordthe cause o f th i s ould m an (who would not be sati sfied w ith any intreat ieor o ff er o f recom pence) h is tri ple comp la int.
20 CANON OF CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL
Thus my honorable good lord I have brieflie shewed you thunhappiesuccesse of my trava ile and so humbl ie subm it myself unto your equi t i efor regard o f my desert ; Howsover it shal l p lease yo
' Honorto deter
m ine o f me, yet wi l l I t ema ine not an en imy to yor house as some hardl i e
say but a most fa i thfu l l and tru ly aff ect ioned servant and yor Hon" dur
inge my l i fe most humble and bounden .
Endorsed : June, 1585 . M' Bird to my L .
The cruel and unj ust deal ing of S ir Edw :S ta fford towards h im . His true loveserv ice to M' W m C ecill . M' W m C ec111
turned Papi st in France. Bird h is Tutor.
I n what temper Lord Burghley took thi s appe al the re isnothing to show . Apparently, howeve r, he did not oppo se thep re ferments that c ame to the unfo rtunate tuto r only a fewyears l ater . On March 21 , Mr . Byrd was co l l ated tothe archdeacon ry of Cleve l and , and in September, 1 590, he wasi ns tal led as a c anon o f Canterbury Cathedral . I n 1 595 hepubl ished “A Communi c ation Di alogue wise to be le arned ofthe ignorant,
” which seems to h ave been common ly knownas Bird ’
s Catech ism .
1 He res igned his archdeacon ry be fore1601 , and in 1608 he was given the degree o f D .D . H is deathoccurred in June, 1609, l es s th an five months afte r h is daughte r Mary was married to D anie l Gookin , and on the n ineteenth o f the month he was bur ied in Cante rbury Cathedral .Bes i des Mary , he had two daughters who died in in fancy and adaughte r “ Cys ly, buried at Canterbury O ctobe r 22
, 1608 .
He also h ad a son Peter,born in Cante rbury in 1603 ; and i t
is prob ab le th at he was the father o f “ Eliz abeth Birrde,who was married in the Cathedral on Ju ly 4 , 1609, to Ri ch ardMartin . The date of this marri age, fo l lowing so soon afte r D r .Byrd ’
s death , is perhaps expl ained by the fac t that the wor
Cooper’s Athenae C antabridgiensis , 11, 521.
DR . JOHN MEYE 21
ship fu l p rebendary le ft his fami ly in s tr aightened c i rcums tances . H is widow renounced adminis tr ation o f the es tateand lette rs we re t aken out by a c redito r .Dr . Byrd
’
s wife,whom i t is prob able th a t he marri ed afte r
his return from France , was Eliz abeth , daughter o f JohnMeye
,o r M ay
,Bishop of C ar lis l e
,by his wi fe Amy
,daughte r
o fWi l l i am Vowel l o f C reake Abbey i n Norfo lk,and widow of
J ohn Cowe l l o f Lanc ashi re . Bishop Meye was born about1 526 i n the county of Suff olk . H is parentage has not beenasce rtained , though he was an armige r and bo re fo r h is arms :S ab le
,a chevron o r
,be tween three c ross- c ross l ets fitchee ,
argent ; on a chie f o f the second, three roses . The ch arge inchie f was prob ab ly an addi tion granted to the bishop
,fo r his
b rother W i l l i am Meye , Dean of S t . Pau l’
s and at the time o fhis de ath Archbishop- e lec t o f York
,bore the arm s p l ain .
J ohn Meye was matri cu l ated on May 2, 1 544, as a s iz aro f Queen ’
s Col lege , Cambridge . He was appointed b iblec le rk of his col lege, and, i n p roceeded B .A . He was
e lected Fe l low of Queen ’
s i n 1 550, commenced M.A. i n 1 553 ,acted as Burs a r o f the co l l ege during 1 5 53 , 1 554, and 1 555 , andat midsumme r , 1 5 57 , he was o rdained Pries t . On November 16 , 1 557, he was i n s t i tuted to the rectory o f As ton S andfo rd
,Buckingham shi re , on the p resentation of Anne, Countes s
o f Oxfo rd,but res igned th at benefice the fo l lowing year . 1 I n
1 559 he was e lec ted Mas te r o f S t . Catherine’
s H a l l i n C ambridge . This pos t he hel d fo r about eighteen ye ars . He
commenced B .D . i n 1 560, and the s ame ye a r was co l l ated tothe rectory of Long Stanton , St . Mich ae l , Cambridgeshi re . I n1 562 Archbishop Parke r co l l ated him by l ap se to the recto ryof North Creake
,Norfo lk . I n 1 564 he was c re ated D .D ., and
about the s ame time he obtained a c anon ry o f Ely, whi ch hehel d unti l M ay, I n 1 56 5 he was nominated one o f theLent pre ache rs at cour t
,and on Sep tembe r 26 he was co l l ated
by Archb ishop Parke r to the re cto ry o f S t . Duns t an - in- theEas t
,London
,whi ch he vac ated i n J anuary , H e was
admi tted to the archdeaconry of the Eas t Riding o f Yo rk
L i pscomb ’s Buckinghamsh i re,i, 47 .
2Le N eve , Fast i , ed . Hardy,i , 36 1 .
22 B ISHOP OF CARLISLE
shi re , by p roxy, on Augus t 3 , 1 569, and in person on O ctober8 , 1 57 1 , and retained i t unti l the end of 1 588 . H e he l d a lsothe moiety of the rectory o f Darfield, Yorkshi re . Dur ing theye a r beg i nn ing i n November , 1 569, he served as Vice-Chance llo r of Cambridge Univers ity, and, whi le holding this offi ce,was one of a committee appointed to vi s i t King
’
s Col lege ,wh i ch h ad been th rown into a s tate o f confus i on by the conduct of D r . Ph i l ip B aker , the Provos t .I n 1 576 the see o f Durh am bec ame vac ant by the de ath o f
Bi shop Pi lk ington,and George Talbot, s ixth Earl o f Sh rews
bury, wrote the Earl o f Le i ces te r at court, en c los i ng a le tte r toQueen El izabeth
,and bespeaking th at powerfu l l o rd ’
s influ
ence with the queen to h ave h is fr i end, Dr . Meye, appointedas Dr . Pi lkington ’
s successor,or else, i f Dr . Barnes, the Bishop
of Carl is le,shoul d be trans l ated to Durh am,
th at Meye shou l dobtain the bishop ri c o f Carl is l e . To this s ays Strype : 1
The Earl o f Le i cester answered that her maj esty had rece ived theletter, and took h is su it in good pa rt
,and added , that he knew the sa i d
M ay was l ike to have good speed for one o f those bi shopri cs . That hehad som e back- friends, but that he was then past the worst ; and was
m uch bound to h is lordshi p . Add ing. that he thought the b ishop wouldbe appo inted shortly .”
Through the intervention of Lord Burghley Dr . Barneswas g iven the Durh am bishopri c
,whe reupon
,i n May
, 1 577,Dr . Meye was appointed B ishop of Carl is l e . H e was con se
c r ated on Septembe r 29 . On June 1 , 1 577, he wrote Sh rewsbury a letter exp res s ing grati tude for h is fr iend ’
s good o ffi cesi n securing the appointment, and reques ting the ear l to ob tainfo r h im the queen ’
s l i cense to hold his othe r pre fe rments incommendam
, th at among othe r things he might s ti l l enj oy thebenefice o f Darfield, whi ch was the on ly p l ace he then h ad tos tay in , as Rose Cas tl e, the epi scop al se at
,was i n the pos ses
s ion of the temporal l o rd,the Lord Sc roop
, unti l M ich ae lmas
, and he h ad l ate ly p arted with his Mas te rship o f St .Catherine
’
s H a l l to one of the Earl o f Le i c es te r ’s ch ap l ain s,at
th at lo rd’
s reques t . Apparently the commendam was obtainedl Annals
,I I
,i i, 52.
CRITICISED BY THE PURITANS 23
without di ffi cul ty, but i t seem s to h ave subj ec ted the b ishop tocensure . Strype te l l us : 1
This Darfield was a rectory in Yorkshire, conta in ing no less thantwo thousand souls, young and old ; but not com ing a l l to one church
,
there be ing two chape ls annexed ; the one at Wombe, the other at Worseborough, which town m i ght cons i st of six hundred sou ls more . To
which parish belonged a parson (who was the b i shop) and a vi car, whosel i v ing cons i sted of a pens ion of twenty-two marks ; the parson
’
s of s ix or
seven score pound s by the year. He allowed to the curates of the two
chapels (whereof the vi car was one) five pound s yearly . And the bishopprocured quarterly sermons for his head church . But for thi s, the b i shopwas unworth i ly s landered and clamoured at by the puri tan fact ion afterthis manner : I f one asked , why these sti pend iaries took so l i ttle of the
parson, and he rece i ved so m uch, answer was made, that i f they refused ,the b i shop would take one or other that came next to hand
,and create
h im a shepherd in one day, that would be content to serve h im for less.
Such slanders were eas i ly ra ised , and then stud iously b lown about amongthe common peop le.
”
This was not the fi rs t o c c as i on when Dr . Meye h ad beenc r i ti c ised by the Pur i tans . As Vice-Chance l lo r o f C ambridgehe was conce rned with Dr . Whi tgi ft and othe rs i n the com
p i lation o f the s tatutes given to the unive rs i ty by Queen El iz abeth i n Mr . Dering, ch ap l ai n to the Duke of Norfo lkand one of the le ading Pur i tans of h is day, i n a le tte r to thech ancel lo r o f the un ive rs i ty, dated Novembe r 18 , 1 570, p ronounced these s tatutes “
unrighteous ,” and added,
“D . Mayand D . Chade rton , two othe r o f the H eades , the r is smal lconstancie ethe r i n the r l i fe o r i n the r re l igion . I t shou l dbe noted
,however, th at a l l the he ads o f the unive rs i ty who
were not Puri tans were condemned in s imi l a r te rms .
Bishop Meye’
s n ame occurs i n a commiss ion issued onMay 14, 1 578 , fo r a vis i t ation o f the Church o f Durh am .
3
He ente red upon his ep is cop a l duti es at a trying time , as
appe ars from a le tte r to the Ear l o f Shrewsbury dated atRo se C as tl e , December 3 , 1 578 , reques ting him to wri te toRobert Dudley, Earl o f Le i ces te r, to b ack his sui t to the
1Annal s , I I , 11, 55 .
2S trype. L ife of Parker, 11, 37.
3 John May . Art icle in Diet. Nat. B iog. by Go rdon Goodwin . Th is has beenfreely d rawn upon in the preparat ion of th is sketch of B ishop May ’s l i fe.
24 IMPOVERISHED BY BENEFACTIONS
Queen for the remiss i on o f his first- frui ts, as he had been putto exces s ive charges during the l as t ye ar by ho sp i ta l i ty andre l ieving of the poor i n a time of gre at de arth in the country . H e protes ted th at when h is ye ar
’
s account was made atMich ae lmas preceding , his expenses surmounted the ye ar ’srevenues of his bishop ri c by 6ool . , and he con c luded by begg ing to be excused from attending p arl i ament on account o fh is pove rty . Again on Ju ly 22, 1 587, Meye wrote Shrewsbury that he was i n debt and dange r by re ason of the intolerab le dea rth o f corn in h is country, and on account o f p rocessagain st h im out o f the exchequer fo r non—p ayment o f 1461.due to the Queen for sub s i dy . On Feb ru ary 1 5 , theQueen p resented Wi l l i am Hol l and to the re ctory o f NorthCre ake
,which Meye s ti l l he ld . Thence aros e a su i t i n the
Queen ’
s Bench , whe rein i t was held th at the re cto ry mightbe treated as void by re ason of Meye being subsequentlyi nducted to Darfie ld .
John Meye was the author o f some p l ays,now los t
,whi ch
were acted by the members of Queen ’
s Col lege i n 1 55 1 and1 553 . The only wri tings by him th at are known to h avesurvived are the lette rs to Lord Shrewsbury, and , among the
Tanner MSS . i n the Bodle i an L i b r ary, some notes of a ser
mon he pre ached at Pau l’
s Cross the Sunday afte r S t . Bartho lom ew
’
s Day, He died at Rose Cas tl e on Feb ruary1 5 , and was buried at Carl is le a few hours afte r h isdeath , which was probab ly caused by the p l ague . The registe r o f the p ari sh of D als ton , i n Cumber l and , cont ai ns th isrecord o f his dece ase and p l ace of i nterment :
Feb. 15 , 1 597. Reverendus in Christo pater, Johannes Mey, d i v inaprovident ia episcopus C arl iolensis, hora octava m atut ina decim i qu int i d ie iFebruarii, mortem oppetiit, et hora octava vespert ina ej usdem d ie i , Carl iolens i in eccles ia sepultus fu it. Cu j us j usta celebrabantur die sequentiDa lstonii.
Bishop Meye was the fathe r o f John M eye o f Shoul dh amAbbey, Norfolk, who married Corde l i a, daughte r o f M arti n Bowes , Esq . , of London ; El iz abeth , wi fe o f D r . Rich ard
’Hackman , C a t. of Tanner M SS . , p . 1022.
26 LADY MEYE ’
S ANCESTRY
W i l l iam Vowe l l M argaret Hymerford
of CreakeAbbey, co. daughter and he ir.No rfol k, Gent.Arm s : Vowel l asbefore ; on an escut
cheon of pretense,quarterly, I st and 4thHymerford, z ud and
3d Cop leston, asbefore .
1 st John C owell=Amy Vowell= 2nd John M eye, Bi shop ofo f Lancashire. Carl i sle .
E l i zabeth Meye= R i chard Byrd, D .D. ,
Canon o f CanterburyCathedral .
M ary Byrd=Daniel Gookinof Carr i gal ine.
PART I I
DAN IEL GOOK IN OF CARRIGALINE
CHAPTER I I I
HERE Danie l Gookin l ived at the t ime o f hismarri age to M ary Byrd has not been asce rta ined .
On O ctobe r 24 , 16 10, he sold to h is brothe rThomas the l ands given him by h is father , andabout two months l ate r , th at is on J anuary 2,
he bought b ack from Thomas a p ar ce lc ontai n i ng twenty- two ac res o f fresh marsh . l
No reco rd of the b i r th o r b ap tism of h is e ldes t son Richardhas yet come to l ight, but h is second son Edward was bap tizedat Ripp le
,June 23 , 16 1 1 . Whether thi s points to res i dence
somewhere i n Kent or ne ar there, or indi c ates th at i n the summ er o f 16 1 1 Danie l b rought his fami ly from a dis tan ce fo r avis i t to his father and mother at R ipp le Court c an on ly beconj ec tu red . H is brother Vincent, who had spent some yearson the continent be fo re re aching his maj o ri ty, engaged , i t i sp rob ab le
,i n the p i l ch ard indus try, made h is way to I re l and ,
i n or about the ye a r 1606 , and settl ed at Courtmacshe rry,i n
the county o f Co rk . Except th at he was eve r s c rupulous lyupright i n al l his de a l ings with his fe l low-men
,Vincent Gookin
was a typi c a l adventure r o f the age of adventure i n whi ch hel ived . Eage r, fo rce fu l , c l e ar- s ighted, and se l f- re l i ant, he qu i cklyl ai d the foundation of wh at grew,
be fo re he re ached middlel i fe , to be a l a rge fo rtune . Muns te r, which had been a lmos tdepopu l ated afte r De smond
’
s rebe l l ion , and ag ai n devas tatedduring the s tr i fe th at fo l lowed the revo l t o f “ red Hugh
lC lose Rol l , 9 James I , Pt . 3 , No . 30.
30 REMOVAL TO IRELAND
O’
Nei ll,” Earl o f Tyrone
,i n 1 598 , was , i n the e ar ly ye ars of
the seventeenth century, outs i de o f a few wal led towns , a wi ldand inhospitable country . I t o ffe red, howeve r, unusual opportunities to the Eng l ish gentlemen of hardy mou l d and de te rmined spi ri t, mos tly younge r sons o f good fami ly, who soonflocked thi ther i n cons i de r abl e numbers . Wi thout doubt i twas the representations as to these opportuni ti es made by Vincent Gookin that led D anie l to fo l l ow h is brother to the newpl ace o f abode . How e a rly the migration took p l ace is notknown
,s ave that i t was prio r to June , 16 16 , fo r at th at date
D anie l was l iving in Coo lmain , p arish of Ringrose , countyCork
,on the oppos i te s i de o f the bay from Vincent’s res i
dence at Courtmacsherry.
l
I n O ctobe r, 16 12, Catherine (Denne) Gookin, the mothero f D aniel and Vincent
,died and was buried in the c i ty o f
Canterbury .
2 About th is time John Gookin turned ove r themanor o f Ripp le Court to h is eldes t son Thomas , upon whomthe revers ion in tai l h ad been settled at the time o f its purch ase .
Not wi shing, however, to p a rt wi th,the titl e during his l i fe time
,
John put h is son in pos sess i on unde r a twenty years’ le ase .
For awhi le thereafte r i t is p resumable that he remained in Rip
p le as a member o f h is son ’
s household . The mi l i tant tempero f J ane Gookin
,the new mis tres s o f Ripp le Court, made the
fami ly seat no longer an agree able p l ace fo r her father- in- l awto l ive in, and so
, at the age of about seventy, he undertook thej ourney— in th at day a long and somewhat a rduous one— tothe south of I re l and, to make his home during h is remainingye ars with his beloved son Danie l .I n 16 19, on the 19th of June , Danie l Gookin sold to a
Kentish man named Thomas Petley, fo r the sum of £430, thetwenty- two ac res of fresh marsh in the p arishes o f H ope AllS aints and St . Mary’s in Romney Marsh, Kent, not, howeve r,conveying the dowe r o f his W i fe Mary
,whi ch was exp res s ly
exceptedfi This was a p art of a tr an s action by which D an ie l
Close Rol l , 14 James I , Pt. 10, No . 21 .
2Register Book of the Par i sh of S t. George the Marty r,p . 136 . The burial is
recorded on October 28 and aga in on the 29th , and Cather ine is descr i bed a s “M ’ r i sGook ine of the p ’ ishe of S t. Paule.
”
3 Close Rol l , 14 James 1, Pt. 10, No . 21 .
Hatchment used at the funeral of Thomas Gookin ,
Esqu i re,of R i pple Court , Ken t , in January , 1625 .
32 CLASH WITH LORD CORK
haven parcell’ terr’ dui Reg’
spectan’
in iure Corona Suql
iacen’
in Com itpred ict’ ad xiiia 4°l per Ann, pro Uno Anno fini t’ ut supra . Xxv1’ 8
Shortly a fte r he made this purch ase Danie l removed to themano r house at Carr igal ine with his fami ly . H e was not longpe rmitted to remain i n und i sputed possess ion . Unde r date o fSeptember 19, 16 17, the fo l lowing entry appe ars i n the di aryof Richard Boyle
, the fi rs t Earl o f Cork : 2
M’ Danyel l gookin,John h is man ,
W m M°Danyell, Wm Ayres and
M' Anthony Sow tha ll entered on my glebeland o f C arrickeleyn W i th forceand armes, and took violently away the 4th sheaf of that parcell o f glebeland rent 6 acres, which land my tennant Mr Pe tley d i d let unto Donnogh
o ff lyn, who p lowed sewed the land : Mr Berk and Mr brickhed W itnesses thereof.
C li i i i sheafs of Early for the 4th sheaf 19th o f September, 16 17.
This s eizure by D anie l was the asse r ti on of superio r ti tl eto the l ands as agains t the c l aim o f ownership m ade by Boyle ,no doubt in consequence of a tr ans ac tion reco rded by him twomonths e ar l ie r when , on Ju ly 19 , 16 17, he wrote i n his di ary :
I deal t wi th S ir Warham St. Leger, for h is whole state of his grandfather’s se i gno ry of C arrickeleyne, for which I gave h im 20 beeves to
revictuall h is shi p, uppon seal ing of my conveigh ance, and I am bownd to
gi ve h im thordre of twoe bonds for any such Lands as I shal l receav inh is r i ght, by virtue of the deeds he now made me .
Boyle , who had been c re ated Baron Youghal in Septembe ro f the p receding ye ar , was then e as i ly the mos t power ful man i nMuns te r . Wh atever D anie l Gookin m ay h ave thought aboutthe younger St . Leger ’s good fai th
,or o f his r ight to make the
conveyance , i t was evident that Boyle had set his heart uponpossess i ng Carr igal ine, so Danie l decided th at i t was wis er toente r into an ac commodation with h im th an to oppose him .
13 Nov. 1622.
Rece ived from Dan iel Gook in , gen tleman , ass i gnee of John Petl ey , tenan t ofthe Castle and lands of C a rrigleyne , al ias Bever , ly ing in the Coun ty o f Co rk , a t£ 10. 13 . 4 per annum , from several parcels of the se i gno ry of C arrigleyne , for theren t thereof f or one year ended as above. £ 10. 13 . 4 .
Rece ived from the same tenan t of a Market and a Fa i r a t C arrigleyne, ly ing inthe Coun ty of Cork , a t 1 3 5 . 4d . per annum ; tenant of the F i shery a t C roshaven , partof the lands of our Lord the K ing in r i gh t of h is crown ,
ly ing in the Coun ty of
Cork aforesa id , a t 13 3 . 4d . for one year ended as above. Xxvis . 8d .
2L ismore Papers, Set . I,i, 166 .
SALE or CARR IGALINE 3 3
This was e ff e cted at Dubl in , i n Feb ruary or M arch , 16 1 8 .
Danie l agreed to se l l the manor to Boyle fo r £ 1 250 s te r l ingand a le ase o f the p remises fo r twenty- two ye ars at the favo rab le renta l o f £ 100 per annum . Boyle re l ates i n h is di ary : 1
2 Apri l,16 1 8 .
I Pa i d M” Gookyn Vj‘”to make up the 44
1” I pa i d him in gold atDub l in be ing in part payment of the 1 250
1”s ter : I am to pa ie h im
at Mydsomer next of the purchaz e o f C arrickelyne .
22 M ay,16 18 .
I pa i d M”Gookin one other C l i ster : which makes me 150“of the
1250‘i I am to pa ie for carryckeleyn .
24 June 16 18 .
I pa i d M” gook in twelv hundreth and ffyf t ie pounds of ster : for the
purchaz e o f carrickeleyn, whereof al l in reddy money except fowr skoar
three pounds X” wh ich M” C leyton had of myne in keep ing, which bymy letter I appo inted h im to pay M ” gook in to make up his 1250
“ster ;
which he receaved.
2
2 July 16 18 .
I rodd to carrickeleyne, where ow ld M” John gook in sealed 81 perfected (as h is son dan ie ll, upon my payment to h im of 1250
l lster : had
formerly don) my deed of bargayn and sale of the Mannor of Carrickeleyn, and a bond of 2500
“ster : for performance o f covenants, and thi s
da ie Ja z daunt o f Tracton as the ir Attorney del ivired me se i zen alsofull and peaceable possess ion of the same.
Boyle was keen ly al ive to the importance of a pe rfec t ti tl e .
Continui ng the fo rego ing entry he added
This da ie M”Davi d Terry fitz Edmond o f Corck, gent, perfected h isdeed to me at C arrickeleyn, thereby conveigh ing and releas ing to me al l h isestate demaund in the mannor of Bever al ias carrickeleyn, and the Renthe pretended out of th e Same.
This shows th at, notwiths tanding the St . Leger grant, Boylethought i t p rudent to get r id o f the c l a im o f the fo rme r I r ishprop rieto r . On Ju ly 1 3 , 16 1 8 , he reco rded :
I s i gned and perfected M”gookins h is lease of carrickelyne.
I t may wel l be th at one of the re asons th at impe l led D anie ]to se l l the Carrigal ine es tate was his des i re to free his c ap i ta lfo r the tr ans atl anti c ventures upon which he shortly afte rwa rd
1 L ismore Papers, Ser I 1 182.
”Ib i d. 194 .
34 DETAILS FROM CORK ’S D IARY
embarked and through which he bec ame dis tingu ished in theannals of e ar ly Ame ri c an co lonization . The s ame sp i ri t o fenterp rise th at took him to I re l and, as an adventure r o f l and,l ed h im to become a shareho lde r i n the Virgin i a Company, andi n mos t, i f not al l o f the co loni a l unde rtakings of S i r Fe rdin ando Gorges . Poss ib ly i t was bus i nes s of th at n ature th atc al led him to Engl and in the summer o f 16 18 . H e was b ackin I re l and by November, fo r on the 7th o f th at month LordCork wrote i n h is di ary :
I prom i sed to al low M ”Danyel l gookin h is M ichas rent of 50“ ster .
due for carrickelyne in l ieu of 501”he lent my lo . Barry 1 in England .2
Again on December 18 , 16 18 , Lord Cork records
Pa i d M ” dannell gookin 40“that my.
mother borrowed o f h im whichmy mother"is to repay me ; which she d id .4
On March 1 5 , Daniel,
“ h aving money by him, as
he exp ressed i t i n a l ate r refe rence to the tr ans action , l en ts ixty pounds to Jordon Condon of Shannagarry, county Cork ,and took from him , h is fathe r Richard Condon , and D avidPowe r o f Shannagarry, a bond conditioned fo r the del ivery ofn inety fat cows i n O ctober fo l lowing .
Whethe r the conveyance to Lord Cork i n Ju ly, 16 18 , wasdefective , or whether a fine cou l d not then be acknowledged,does not appe ar , but on March 26 , 16 19, Cork made the fo llowing entry in his di ary
M”Daniell gookin of C arrickeleyn and M ary h is wi fe before my loSarsfeyld acknow ledged a ff yne to me of C arrickeleyn, and theruppon Imade h im a new lease thereof for 21 yeares del ivered .5
On Apri l 24, 16 19,“Danie l Gookin
,gent .
,was appointed
a membe r of a commiss ion to examine into the a l l eged m isdemeanors of one Edmond Hunt, the King
’
s Cus tome r fo r
Dav i d V iscoun tButevan t, then Lord Cork ’s ward ; l ater by marr iagew i th Boy le’seldest daugh ter, the Lady Al ice, he became his son-in-law .
2L ismore Papers, Ser. I , i , 204 .
His mother-in-law, Lady Al ice Fenton , w ife o f S i r Geoffrey Fenton , K ut. ,pr inc i pal Secretary of S tate and Pr ivy Coun sel lor in I reland .
‘ L i smo re Papers , Ser. I , i , 206 .
5 L i smo re Papers , Ser. I , i , 213 . S t i ll later, Apr i l 23 , 1620, Cork wrote, I sen tmy Cozen Lawrence parsons to sue out my ffyne of C arrickelyne from Mr.Petl ey M ”gookin . I b i d . , 247.
THE LONGFORD PLANTATION 3 5
the port and harbor o f Cork, who was ch arged with h aving“ committed dive rs abuses against his Maj es ty and grievous exactions again s t his subj ects .
”1 This , so f a r as is known ,
was Danie l ’s on ly publ i c employment . The next entry re l ati ng to him in Lord Cork ’
s di ary is dated O ctober 24, 16 19
I lent my mother 40 1”ster : which she del ivered to M”gookin in loan,and she is to give M ” Lawrence parsons order to repa ie me th is 401”nexttearm out of her M i chas Rents.
2
Condon had not rep ai d his l o an,nor de l ive red the ninety
fat cows , and D anie l’
s supp ly o f re ady money h ad given out .
More th an twe lve ye ars e l apsed befo re he succeeded i n recove ring from Condon ’s bondsmen, and then i n p art only, fo ramong his e ff ects i nvento ried afte r h is dece ase was a bond o fW i l l i am Powe r of Shannagarry fo r fo rty pounds , ac countedworth less .
About the time the fo rty pounds were borrowed fromLady Fenton
,Danie l Gookin took p art i n the p l antation o f the
county o f Longfo rd, which was begun in This p l antation was i n pursuance o f the king
’
s po l i cy o f “ reduc ing I rel and into o rde r and subj e ction .
” The methods pursued werehigh- h anded in the extreme . The ancient p roprie to rship o f ”
I rish l ands by Engl ish lo rds and gentlemen who were drivenout of the country by the I r ish duri ng the B arons
’ wars andthe long s truggle between the r ival houses of York and Lanc as te r
,was made a pretext fo r a commis s ion o f i nqu i ry i nto the
ti tl e whi ch the c rown might assert,with the resu l t th at a gen
er a l ti t le was found fo r the king . I t was given out th at H isMaj es ty h ad on ly i n mind the se curi ty and gener a l good ofthe kingdom
,to furthe r whi ch i t was important th at the I r ish
shou l d be “ reduced ” from the i r “ l azy,vagabond
,and b arb a
rous way o f l iving ” and be e ff e c tu al ly res tr ained “ from preying on other men ’
s prope rties .
” But, as Carte obse rves,“the
i ns tructions he gave and the regul ati ons he p res cr ibed werenot i n al l c a ses so exactl r obse rved as they ought .” I n Longford p arti cu l ar ly
,thougl the king had i ntended th at no m an
1 C al . 8 . P . I reland , 16 15- 1625 , i i i , 289.
2L ismo re Papers , Ser. I , i , 233 .
Carte’s L ife of Ormond , i , 23 .
36 GRIEF OF THE IR ISH PROPRIETORS
shou l d be divested of his possess ions without be ing given anequ ivalen t, the I r ish prop rieto rs we re ruth les s ly s tr ipped ofthem , s c arce a th i rd p ar t o f the i r former holdings , e i ther i nac re age or qua l i ty o f soi l , being al lotted them . The grie f o fthese unfortunates ove r the loss of the i r ances tr a l es tates isgraphi c al ly set fo rth in a peti tion addressed “To the RightHonk“3 the Comm iss" authorized by H is Mat ie to he ar theGrievances of I re l and, i n which i t is s tated
I t fel l out so that d ivers of the poor Natives or former freeholders ofthat County after the loss of all the ir possess ions or inher itances there,Some runn m add and others d ied instantly for very grief ; as one James
Mcw i l l iam O ’
Ferrall of C uilleagh , and others whose names for brevit ie
I leave out who in the ir death-bedds were in such a taking that by earnestpersuas ions Caused some of the ir fam i ly and friends to bring them out Ofthe ir bedds to have abroad the last s i ght of the h i l ls and field s they lost inthe sa i d Plantation, every one o f them dy ing instantly after. l
To Danie l Gookin’
s c redit be i t s aid th at he h ad no persona l p art i n despoi l ing the I rish proprie to rs . Though i t wasone of the conditions upon which the l arge grants of l and inI re l and were made to English gentlemen
,by Queen El izabeth
and King J ames I , that the grantees shou l d bring over n ativesof Engl and to inh abi t, i n 1620 only one p l ante r was res i denton the Longfo rd l ands . Danie l Gookin never settled there
,
but on the contr ary sold his grant immedi ate ly and took out
his p atent afterwa rd to complete h is l egal ti tle to the purchaser .I n a survey of Longford by the commis s ioners of the c rown
,
dated Apri l 5 , 1620, i t is rec i ted :
In the County of Longford there are 3 3 undertakers to whom HisM aj esty hath ass i gned several proportions o f Land , the state of whichPlantat ion followeth . 4 th , Dan iel Gookin 500 A. Thi s is sold toMr. Edgeworth who hath besi des a Proport ion o f 300A as an undertaker ;and cou l d not buy this w i thout special L i cense which he hath obta inedunder great seal.2
The grant to D anie l Gookin was dated June 10, 1621 , andis recorded in the Paten t Rol ls o f Chancery fo r 19 J ames
1Harr is MSS . , Royal Dubl in Soc. ,11,68 .
2Harr is MSS .5 The tex t of the grant is : G rant to Dan iel Gook in in the C °
of Longf o rd .The lands of C oolermerigan 26 acres ; K i llenawse and Garrynegree 48 acres ; R os
SALE TO EDGEWORTH 37
Danie l ’s deed to Edgeworth , which is reco rded on the s ame
ro l l,was dated Ju ly 16 , 1621 , and reci ted th at
“ h aving obtainedthe King ’
s l i cense to al ien ate the l ands , he did so“ i n cons id
eration o f the sum of £3 50. Some i n te res t attaches to th istr ans action from the fact th at Franc is Edgeworth , the purchaser, was the ances to r o f Rev . Lovel Edgeworth , father o f Mari aEdgeworth the novel is t, and th at the tr act o f l and is now thes i te o f Edgeworthstown .
semyne, Lisduffe and Garriduff 78 acres pas ture and 29 acres bog and wood ; L issemagunen 96 acres ; L issard and C arribolum 101 acres ; Sh iroe and K i lderin 6 1 acres ;Bragw ie 90 acres pasture and 40 acres bog and wood , adj acent to the lands of L ismagunen , in the terr i tory of Ely O ’
C arrol l : rent for 500 acres pasture £6—5-0 Engl ishcurrency , and for 69 acres of hog and wood , 21. 1os . 2d.
,To ho ld in free and common
soccage, subject to the cond i t ions of the Plantat ion s of Longf o rd ; V i z.To al low of wood for bu i ld ing of houses on the p rem ises and sand and sl ates
dur ing the per iod of th ree years from date of the gran tTo cause h is several tenan ts in feefarm or f or term of l ife or l ives or years in fee
ta i l to bu i ld in town-redes (and no t d ispersed ly) for defence, and to exact a fine Of£5-0—0 per arm . for every house bu i lt apart.
To sew or plan t one Acre wi th hem p for every 500 acres in his possessu underpa in of 2os. for every year ’s neglect.
To be personally res ident f or the greater part of every year upon the p rem isesun less l icensed to absen t h imsel f by the Lord Deputy , and in that case to leave asuffic ien t Agent.Lastly , to render yearly to the Lord Deputy the p r ime b i rd out of every eyrey
of G reat Hawks that shal l bu i ld in his woods.
”
Anothe r gran t cover ing i dent ical ly the same l ands , though wi th sl i ght d i ff erencesin spel l ing , was recorded on July 15 of the same year.
CHAPTER IV
N the year 1620 Danie l Gookin p roj ected anenterp rise th at was des tined to h ave far- re aching influence upon the his to ry of h is des cendants
,— th at o f tr ansporting c attl e to the co lony
of Vi rgini a,and of founding a p l an tation in th at
dis tan t l and . The records of the Vi rgini a Comp any contai n the fo l lowing en try, unde r date o f
November 1 3 , 1620.
Wheras vppon a former treatie l had w‘”111
”Wood in the behalfe of
M ” Gookin for transportacon of Cattle outt of Ireland into V irgin ia ano ffer was made vnto h im after the rate of x“: a Cowe vppon certificate Ofthe ir saff e landinge, Prov ided they were fayr and lardge Cattle and of our
Engl ish breed . The sa id m”Wood hath now returned h is fyna ll aunswerethat hee cannott enterta ine the bargaine under x ij
“the Cowe w ithout
exceedinge great losse .
The answer was not, however, qui te final , as appears fromthe minutes of the Quarte r Court, held two days l ate r .
Thomas Wood be inge now w ill inge (though hee conce ived itt a hardbarga ine) to accept o f the offer of the former Courte, w°b was that for everieCowe o f our Engl i sh breed transported by h im or h is Agents safe and
sound to V irgin ia hee should be pa i de Eleuen pounde and for every SheeGoate three pounds tenn shi ll ings, vppon certificate att h is retume fromthe Gouemor there ; Hee moved therfore now that hee m i ght have some
assurance vnder the Compan ies Seale for the payment Of the sa i d Monnywhervppo the Courte ordered that accordinge to h is request hee shouldhave h is securitie confirmed vnder the Seale of the Company for w°b theygave order to m” Deputy to see itt done.
‘The m inutes of the meet ings con ta in no record of th is earl ier negot iat ion .
40 VOYAGE TO VIRG INIA
the Counsel l should be affi xed to that addressed to m”Gookin an’
d that
some o f y° Counsel] should s i gne the other to the Counsel] o f V irg in i a.1
On the twel fth o f the next month ,Augus t, 1621 , seven members of the Counci l s igned a le tter to the co lon i al author i t i es ,which was s ent by the ship “Marmaduke , and conta i ned thefol lowing p aragraph
W ee send you aga ine cop ies o f the letters and agreements w ith Mr.Gook in and recomend h is good enterta inment to you, and in particuler wese r iously advise that you do your best endevors to pay h im in tobaccothough a t one D wa i ght the cow , and to take as few cows as poss i b le may
be uppon mony heare to be pa i d by the com pany ; because our stocke isu tterly wasted ; let him have very good tobacco for h is cowes now at h isfirst vo iadge, for i f he make a good return it may be the occas ion of atrade w ith you from those parts, whereby you may be abundantly supp l ied ,not only w i th cattle, but wi th the most of these commod i t ies that youwant att better and eas ier rate than we from hence shalbe able.
2
Shortly afte r th is l ette r was disp atched D aniel Gookin set
s ai l fo r Vi rgini a in “The Flyinge H a rte ,” which he h ad ch ar
tered fo r the voyage . This voy age was i n sharp contras t tothat o f Si r W i l l i am Newce , who p receded Danie] by about amonth
,and
,ar r iving at h is des tin ation in O ctobe r, accom
panied by“ very few people
,s icklie, ragged and al together
w’
thout p’
visione,”3 died suddenly a few days a fte r l anding .
Far di ffe rent is the tale o f D an ie l Gookin’
s a rrival , as to ld byGove rnor Wyatt and his counci l , i n a lette r wri tten in J anu ary
,to the Comp any in London .
There arriued heere about the 22th of Nouember a shi pp from M ”
Gookin out o f Ireland wholy vppon h is owneAdventure, w ithoute any re latione at a l l to h is contract w ‘b
you in England , w °h was soe wel l furnishedw i th al l sorts of p
’
visione, as wel l as wi th Cattle as wee could wyshe a ll
men wou ld follow theire examp le, hee hath also brought w ith him aboute50 men upon that Aduenture, bes i des some 30 other Passengers, wee haueAccordinge to the ir des ire seated them at Newports news, and we doeconceiue great hOpe yff the Iri sh Plantation p'per yt frome Ireland greatemul ititude Of People wilbe l i ke to come h ither.
Records of the V i rgin ia C o .,i, 501
—502.
3 Ne i l] . The V i rgin ia C O . ,p . 240 .
3 Gov. Wyatt to the Company . Ne i l l,V i rg in ia C O. ,
p . 374 .
ARRIVAL AT NEWPORT NEWS 4 1
M ” Pountis hath had some conference wi th y° M”of the Iri sh sh i pp a
Dutchman, whose name ys Cornel ius Johnson o f Home in Ho l lande, whowho is soe farr in love wi th thi s C ountrey as he intendeth to return h i ther ;with in this Twelve moneth , and Of h im selfe Off ered to p
’
cure and bringeouer a fitt m” workman to bui ld Sawinge m i lls heere w°h
shall goe wi ththe winde.
1
Danie l ’s ar r ival was ch roni c led also by Captai n John Smithi n his “Gener al l H is to rie o f Vi rginia ” ?
1621—The 22d of November arrived Master Gookin out o f Ireland,
w ith fif tie men of h is owne and th irtie Passengers, exceed ingly wel l furn ished wi th all sorts of Provis ion and cattle and p lanted h im self at Nupors
Newes. The cotton in a yeere grew so th ick as one’s arme, and so h ighas a man : here anything that is p lanted doth prosper so wel l as in no
p lace better.
The day before D anie] l anded in Vi rgini a the Company inLondon he ld a meeting at whi ch
M ” Deputy gaue not ice of n ine Patents nowe presented in Court topasse the seale of the Compan ie hauinge been perticulerly exam ined bythe morn ings Court w”h d id approue o f them wch Patents were o f Twosorts the one o f such as were Aduenturers by moneys pa i d into the Treasury for w
°h they had allowed 100 acres o f land for euery s ingle share of
Twelue pound s Ten sh i ll ings the other be inge for P lanters only who hadallowed fi fty acres for euery person transported to V irgin ia : Accordingeto w Ch
two formes the sa i d Patents were drawne and accord ing ly engrossedready for the Seale .
Among these p atents was one “To Danie l] Gookin ofCorke , i n I re l and , X°
300 psons .
When , i n March , 1622, the news o f D anie l’
s s afe arr ival i nVi rgini a re ached London , i t was h ai led with j oy . At a meeting of the Vi rgin i a Comp any
,he ld on March th i r teenth
M” Deputy s i gnified that he had receaued of late certa ine intel l i gencethat m” Gookins Sh ippe was arriued in V irgin ia wi th 40 younge Cattlewell and safely landed , he therefore moued that forasm uch as diuers
others m i ght be much encouraged vpon this good newes to transportCattle out o f Ireland th ither Vpon reasonable condicons, that a h e m i ghtbe writt to m” Gookin by way of o ffer that i f any should be p leased tovndertake the l i ke performance they shall haue for euery He i fer safelydeliuered in V irgin ia 100 wa igt of good marchantable Tobacco w°h mocon
1 N e i l l ’s V i rgin i a C o .,pp . 285 , 286 .
2London 1624, p. 140.
42 THE IND IAN MASSACRE
was wel l approued o f and order giuen for a letter to be drawne to y1
e ff ect. l
Evidently the p ri ce of e l even pounds per head for hei fe rs ,spec ified in the contr act wi th D an ie l Gookin , was not so gre atlyto his dis advantage as his agent contended whi le the nego tia
t ions were pend i ng, fo r , at a court he l d on O ctober 24 , 1621 ,“Notice was allso g iven th at the r were ce rta ine suffi c ien t mencome out o f I rel and who woul d vndertake to tr ansporte mannyhundreds of C attl e to Vi rg i n i a this Sp ringe vppon the s ameCondicons th at m”Gookin had donne .
” 2 And again , at a cour the l d on Apri l 3 , 1622 :
m” Depty s i gn ified that vpon a proposicon formerly made, vpon the
good successe it pleased God to g lue m ” Gook in thi s last Sumer intransportinge h is people and cattle safely to V irgin i a certen gentlemen OfIreland nowe in Towne be inge much encouraged and not able to stay ti llnext yeare made an o ff er to vndertake the l i ke performance as m ”Gookinhad donn, so they m i gh t knowe and be assured aforehand at what ratesthey shou l d be able to put o f the ir Cattle in V irgin ia at the ir com ingethere wCh Off er the Court takinge into cons ideracon d id at length agreefor that the better encouragement o f such vndertakers they shou ld hauefor euery He i fer o f our ri gh t Engl i sh breed of twoe years o ld and v ards
del iuered safe and sound i n V irgin ia al lowed them there e i ther 130 wa i ghto f Tobacco or 1 1
1” in money at the ir elec n for w Ch they should haue theCompan ies Sea le for the ir securi ty .3
On March 22, jus t four month s to a day afte rD anie] Gookin firs t p l aced foot upon the soi l o f Vi rgin i a
,the
great m ass acre by the s avages took p l ace,when
,out o f a total o f
about four thous and settlers then in the colony,th ree hundred
and forty- seven were s l ain .
“This l amentab le and so unex
pected dis as te r,”s ays Captain John Smith
,
“ dr ave them al l tothei r wits ’
end . I t was twenty or th i r ty daies ere they cou l dresolve what to doe : but at l as t i t was concluded al l the pettyPl antations shoul d be ab andoned, and drawne on ly to m akegood five or s ix p l aces . Now for want o f boats i t was imposs ib le on such a sudden to bring also thei r C attl e and manyother th ings, which they h ad then i n pos sess ion , a l l o f whi ch
1 Records of the V i rgin ia C o .,i, 6 18 .
2Records of the V i rgin ia C o . ,i, 5 35 .
3 Records of the V i rgin ia C o . ,i,
RETURN TO LONDON 43
fo r the mos t p art at thei r dep arture , was burnt, ru i ned , anddes troyed by the S alvages . Only Ma ster Goohz
’
ns at Nuport’
s
news wou l d not obey the Commiss ioners’ command in th at
,
though he s carce h ad five and thi r ty o f al l sorts with h im , yethe thought himse l f suffi c ien t agains t wh at coul d h appen , andso did, to h is great c redi t, and the content o f his Adventure rs .
”1
Presumably Danie l and h is peop le h ad not wasted thei rtime during the four month s s i n ce they l anded , but had bui lh ab i tation s of some so rt, which , fo r secur i ty, we re sur roundedby p al is ades . I n the Vi rgin i a Pl ante rs ’ answer to “Captai nButl e r ’s In fo rmacon con cern ing the Colony,
” whi ch was wri tten on ly a ye ar l ate r , i t is s t ated “ the r is as ye tt no othe rArtifi c i a l] Fortificacons then Pallisadoes whero f allmost euerie
Plantacon hath one 8: diuers of them h ath Trenches .
As fo r gre at O rdin ance, there are l ikewi se at Newporte
Newes th ree , al l o f them servicable .
”
Among the manus c rip ts i n the possess i on of the Duke ofManches te r is a lette r from Wi l l i am Hob art to his father
,i n
whi ch i t is s tated th at M r . Gookin , at whose house GovernorWyatt and his wife were s taying
,h ad but seven men left
,th at
i t was uns afe to go out to l abour wi thout an armed guard , th atthere h ad been a second mass ac re o f between twenty and th i r typersons , and th at there was ve ry l i ttle tob ac co or coin in thecolony .
2 This l ette r is without d ate , but was p rob ab ly wri ttenin Ap ri l
, 1622.
At the end o f th is month , o r e ar ly i n May, Danie l Gookinle ft the new p l antation in ch arge of his servants and embarkedfo r Engl and in the “ Se a Flowe r
,
” c arrying to the comp any inLondon the fi rs t i nte l l igenc e o f the dis as te r th at h ad overtakenthe co lonis ts . The reco rds of the Vi rgini a Comp any showth at he was i n London and attended the cour t he ld on the l gthof June . Str ange ly enough no mention of the news of the m as
1General] H i stor ie, p . 150. The same accoun t is given by Purchas, who saysMaster Gookins a t Nuports—Newes , hauing th irtie fiue of all sorts w i th h im refused
that order and made good his part aga inst the sauva es.
” Purchas, His Pi lgr ims ; iv,1792. I n the same book , iv, 1785 , i t is sta ted that Master Dan iel Gook in ”
was the
tenth in a l ist of 26 patentees to whom patents were gran ted in 1620, and who had“Vndertaken to transport great mult i tudes of people and cattle to V i rgin ia .
1’Eigh th Report H ist. M SS . C om . ,p . 4 1
44 PATENT APPROVED
s ac re h aving been rece ived appears upon the minutes ; but th atis no doubt attr ibutab le to the cus tom of re cord i ng on ly matte rs upon whi ch formal action was taken .
Daniel ’s fi rs t bus iness i n London was to secure the frui tsof his enterp ri se , i n the shape of a p atent to h is p l antation .
He was present at the Prep ar ative Court of the Vi rgin i a Company
,he ld on Ju ly 1 , and at the morning sess i on o f the Quar
ter Cour t , he l d two days l ate r, when his p atent was app rovedfor confi rmation at the afternoon sess ion .
1 At this sess i on wasconfi rmed , also , Daniel
’
s purch ase , made soon afte r h is ar r iva li n Vi rgini a
,of 1 50 ac res of l and lyinge at Newports Newes .
” 2
I t was perhap s upon this tr act th at he m ade the beginning o fhis p lantation ,
wh ich he n amed Marie’
s Mount, in honour o f h iswife . The se ignory fo r whi ch he received a p atent was nominally 2500 ac res , but actual ly the tr act set as i de to him containedon ly 168 1 ac res according to an exac t survey made in the ye ar168 5
9
Flushed with the success th at h ad attended his Vi rgini aente rp rise
,Danie l now decided to take a sh are i n the New
Engl and Company. The minutes of the Counc i l o f th at co r
poration rec i te th at on Ju ly 5 , 1622,“ I t is agreed upon that m”
Gookyn sh al l bee admitted i n y9 new Grant upon p ayment o fhis adventure .
” Being s ti l l i n London on Ju ly 17 he attendedthe court o f the Vi rgini a Comp any
,held th at day
,and was
appointed one of a committee of seven to cons i de r what courseshoul d be taken to p reserve from “ l oss and imbeaz ellinge
”
the goods of the colon is ts s l a in by the I ndi an s at the time o fthe gre at mass ac re . Five days l ate r he took out h is patentfrom the crown to the 500 ac res i n county Longfo rd which heh ad sold to Francis Edgeworth th ree ye ars be fo re . Afterth is he was at l as t free to re turn to his home and fami ly i nI re l and .
Our next gl impse o f D anie l is found in the di ary of LordCork, where the fo l lowing entry was made on J anua ry 19,
1 Records of the V i rgin ia C o .,i i,65 , 73 , 90.
1 I b id . , i i , 89 .
3 G ran t toW i l l iam Cole, Apr i l , 1685 , recorded in Warwick C o . Va.
THE SHIP PROVIDENCE 45
M”Dan iel] gook in made 81 perfected vuto m e a general] Release of
a ll h is ri gh t 81 demaund Of and in the Manor o f Bever a ls C arrickeleyn,
for which (bes ides what I pai d S ir Warham St. Leger) I pa i d M”Gookinone thousand two hundreth and fli f tie pounds s ter : And made h im a leasetherof for 22 yeares at C l i per annum . 81 now in regard he extingu ishedthe Lease I m ade h im by pass ing m e a ffyne 81 Release , I renewed h islease for 1 8 years from M ichas Last, vppon h is surrender of my formerlease I m ade h im , he prom i s ing me to make all h is vndertenants new
leases on the same Rents 8c condicions they held before : of th i s mannor
he lets owt as muche as yelds h im Cl”. ster : a year, bes i des the K ingsrent and my Rent : 81. Keeps the house 660 acres Of the best Land freein h is own occupation ; which is ritchly worth one C l i ster : more perannum : M”Thomas petley of whome M” gookin purchaz ed it, hath alsos ithens Released to me a ll ri ght 81 errors in the ffyne .
l
As the purch as i ng power o f money i n th e fi rs t quarte r o fthe seventeenth centu ry was fo r mos t purposes from eight toten times as gre at as i t is to-day, i t wi l l be seen th at D anie lGook in
’
s i n come o f abou t two hundred and fi fty pounds ayear from Carrigal ine was a very comfo rtab le one .
After h is return to I rel and D an ie l set about disp atch inganother ship with p l ante rs and c attle fo r Vi rgini a . There isno eviden ce th at he made a second voyage him se l f. I ndeed
,
though “The Fly inge H arte h ad h app i ly b r aved the peri ls ofthe deep ,
his exper ience i n c ross i ng the Atl anti c i n a smal l shipbe ar ing
,bes i des the c rew, some e ighty p assengers and for ty
he ad o f c attle,c annot h ave been so agree ab le as to invi te repe
ti ti on un less as a m atte r o f necess i ty .
2 Daniel Gookin ’
s secondventure was the sending of the “Providence ”— whi ch was perh aps owned by him— in ch arge of C ap tai n J ohn C l arke who ,th ree ye ars before , h ad p i loted the M ayflower on he r memor
ab le voyage .
3 The arr iva l o f the Providence at its des tin a
1 L ismo re Papers, Set . I , 11, 67-6 8 . That the lease to Gookin d i d not includeal l of Lord Co rk ’s in terest in Carr igal ine is shown by another en try in h is d iary onApr i l 3 , 1624 “Th is da ie I agreedwi th Mr . Thomas Petlei ’s wi fe to make her a newlease in R ivercon f or xv i i yeares of the spi r i tual i t ies of Bever al ias C arrickeleyn ,
encreas ing her Ren t from the beginn ing of her new lease she is to pa ie me 40 mark sster : and afterwards cxxvj l z . xi ijs i i ijd . ster : per annum ,
and def ra ie bear al l othe rChardges , ord inary and extraordenary , 81 f ynde a suffi cien t curate .
” Ib i d . , i i , 125 .
2For a graph ic account of such a voyage seeW i l l iam Capp ’s letter to Deputy Ferrar, pr inted in Ne i l l ’s “ V i rg in i a Vetusta ,” p . 13 1 .
3 B rown . The Genes is of the Un i ted S tates , i i , 855 .
The m inutes of the V i rgin ia C O. con ta in th i s reference to C l arke , under date of
February 1 3 ,“Mr Deputy acqua inted the Court that one M”
. Jo : Clarke
46 A D ISTRESS ING VOYAGE
ti on,on Apri l 10, 1623 , is ch ron ic led by Chris topher D avison ,
Treasure r of the colony , i n a lette r from“ J ames C i ttye
”
toDepu ty Fer r ar
The Margett and John accounted a loss sh ip (after a long and ted iouspassage, much d istressed for want of su ffi cient prov i s ions) arrived hereabout the 7th or 8 th o f Apri l ] : Not long after (about the l oth day) thesh i p sent by M”
. Gookin called ( I th ink) the Provi dence came a lso to
Newport’s Newes .
Governo r Wyatt also wrote Fe r r ar : “H e re are two Shipsnewly come in the Margarett and John of whi ch wee were i ndespayre , and one from Mr . Gookin with 40 men for h im and
30 p assengers bes i des : the fi rs t is i n great dis tress fo r provis ion and l ike to be burdensome to the C ountrey fo r th at : theother very s c ant also , both h aving been long out , and suff e redextream ly i n the i r p ass age .
” And at the meeting of the Vi rgini a Company on November 19, 1623 , the Deputy p resenteda l is t o f ship s th at “ tr aded i n Vi rgini a th is Summer,
” amongthem “M”Gookin
’
s ship— 080 : Tunn s .
”
So far as we know this second ship was the l as t th at D aniel Gookin sent to Vi rgin i a . The venture cou l d hardly h avebeen a p rofitab le one . I f, as is mos t l ike ly, he b rought b acka c argo of tob acco , he m ay have h ad to dispose of i t at aheavy loss , fo r i n 1623 the London market was overs tockedwith th at commodity . But as i de from th is the p romised recompen se fo r transporting seventy coloni s ts i n the Providencewas not forthcoming . Bec ause o f the diffi cu l ties i n which theVi rg in i a Comp any was i nvo lved in the l atte r p ar t of 1623 , andwhich resu l ted in the ab rogation of its ch arte r a few monthsl ater , the p atent for the l and to whi ch D anie l was enti tled cou l dnot be is sued . This
, as may be imagined,was a grievous
dis appointment . Not unti l February 25,— two ye ars
be inge taken from V i rgin ia long s ince by a Span ish Sh ippe that came to discouer thatPlan tacon . That forasmuch as he hath s ince that t ime dor m the compan ie goodseruice in many voyages to V i rgin ia , he was an humb le su i tor to th is court, t hat hem i gh t be adm i tted a free b rother o f the Compan ie , and have some shares of landbestowed upon him .
” He was adm i tted and given two shares . Clarke was bornabou t 1 576 and was a pi lo t by profess i on . He sa i led for V i rgin ia w i th Dale in 16 1 1 ,and a t Po in t Comfort, in the summer of that year
, was taken pr isoner by the Spanlards and held un t i l about 16 16 . He d ied in V i rgin ia soon after h is arr ival there inthe Prov idence .
SERVANTS AT MAR IES MOUNT 47
afte r D anie l ’s de cease —did the Counc i l o f S tate fo r Vi rgin i aauthor ize the i ssuance o f the p atent, and i t was a lmos t th reeye ars l ater befo re i t was actual ly executed and de l ivered toh is son .
Thus , i t wi l l be seen , a cons i de r ab le pa rt o f D anie l Gookins
’ c ap it a l was e i the r tied up i n th is c l aim ,o r h ad found its
way in to the p l antation at M ar ie ’
s Mount . Upon th is p l antation he maintai ned a cons i de r ab le number o f se rvants . The
mus te r o f the inh abi t ants o f Vi rgini a,taken be tween J anuary
20 and Feb rua ry 7, gives the names of twenty who werethen on the p l ace .
1
MR . DANNIELL GOOKINES MUSTER
Servantes
W i l l i am Wadsworth agedW i ll iam Foockes agedThomas Curti s aged :Peter Sherwood aged All w0h Came in the
Gi lbert W h itfild aged 1621
R i se Gri ffin agedW i l l iam Sm ith aged :Anthonie Ebsworth aged
Isaye Delywarr agedHenry Carsley agedRogerWal ker aged :Edmond Morgan agedW i l l iam C larke aged : in the ProuidenceJoseph Mosley aged : 1623John Parratt agedRobart Sm i th agedW i l l iam Croney aged :W i l l iam Longe aged :Anne Ebsworth agedEllnor Harri s aged
Dead in th i s Flautatoone Armestronge
1Hotten ’s Or ig inal L i sts, p . 243 .
48 TWO FAITHFUL SERVANTS
From the l is ts o f the res i dents at other p l antations we havea lso the n ames of five others o f the p assenge rs whom Danie lGookin brought in The F lyinge H arte i n 1621 , viz . : Phi l ipChapman
,John Chi sman , Joane Godby, John Cur ti s, and
El iz abeth Ibottson .
1
The fi rs t m anage r o f the Mari e’
s Mount p l antation wasRich ard Gri ff i n ,
who appe ars to h ave been engaged fo r a termof five ye a rs . When he re l i nquished h is ch arge on November16 , 1626 ,
“ John Thurlby merchant, Thomas Coe and W i l l i amStreets , mariners , i n the behalfe o f D anie l Gook inge of Cary
goline i n the county o f Co rk within the k ingdome of I re l andesq
”” conveyed to him “ i n cons i der ation o f the good and hon
nes t se rvi ce the s aid D anie l Gooking and h is ass ignes h aveh ad and reced from the s ai d Ri ch ard Grifli n one hundred acres of l and be ing p art o f the l and be longing to thelordshipp o f the s ai d D anie l Gooking s c i tuate and lyeth aboveNewport News at the p l ace now c al l ed M aries Mount . ”
Gri ffi n was succeeded by Thomas Addison,who continued
as manager unti l J anuary, when , at his reti rement, hewas s imi l arly rewarded fo r his fai th fu l servi ce by a gi ft o f onehundred and fi fty acres , conveyed to h im by
“Danie l l Gooking o f Newport News i n Vi rgin i a
,gent . i n the behalfe o f
h is fathe r, Danie l Gookin of C arrigal ine .
2
1Hotten ’8 L i sts, pp . 250, 252, 25 3 , 254.
1 Reco rds of the General Court of V i rgin ia .
CHAPTER V
Februa ry, Danie l Gookin was i nLondon
,where he attended both ses s i ons o f an
“ Extr ao rdin ary Cour t ” o f the Vi rgini a Comp any
,held on the fourth o f th at month ; but h is
n ame does not appe ar i n the l is t o f those p resentat the “Gre at and Gene r al ] Quarte r Court,
” he ldon the fol l owing day . H e was , however, s ti l l i n
London and attended the next “Quarte r Court ” on May 14 ,
but was b ack in I re l and and at h is home in Carr iga l ine whenh is fathe r died the re on June 23 , i n
“ pe r fec t mind and mem
o’
i-y to the l as t, ac co rding to the wi tnesses to the nuncupativewi l l the o ld gentleman made a few hours be fo re he p as sed away .
By this wi l l J ohn Gookin cons ti tuted his son Vincent h is executo r
,beque athed to him the key of his ches t, and le ft the distri
bution of h is remaining e s tate to Vincent’
s dis c re tion .
Danie l was i n London again a ye ar l ate r, ende avou ring tosecure his p atent from the Virgini a Comp any . H e attended thecourt on June 7, 1624, whi ch, as i t turned out
,was the l as t th at
the company was to ho ld, fo r on June 16 i ts ch arte r was fo rmal ly revoked by Chie f Jus ti ce Ley . Nothing has yet come tol ight by which D anie l ’s movements during the next five yearsmay be traced . I n J anuary
,his e ldes t brother,Thom as
Gookin o f Ripp le Court, ~ died ; and in the autumn of 1628Danie l was i n London , where he was a wi tness at the tr i al o fa sui t b rought by his b rothe r- in- l aw Thomas Mil ton agains tJ ane Gookin the widow of Thomas
,to compe l he r as he r hus
50 PRESS ING DEBTS
b and ’
s executr ix to p ay a bond made by Thomas Gookin uponwhi ch Mi l ton was l i ab le as sure ty and whi ch J ane tried toavoid on the p le a th at i t was Milton
’
s Ob l igation .
1
On February 26 , the Earl o f Cork, who was thenin London
,made the fol lowing entry in h is di ary :
M” Gook in conveighed h is lease of carrickelyn to the two Bed les s,and M ”W m
petley (to thvse o f h is wife) , which petley hath thass ignment,
and the BD o f Corke bath in depos ite the orrigenall lease o f carrickleyn
ff or C“, for thuse wherof he hath xx“out o f the Rents ass i gned h im per
annum : Mr. Gookin a ffi rmeth h e pa i d M”Th° Petl ie for th inheritance
Of carrickelyn s i xteen hundreth pounds, 81 that he sowld i t vn to me for
12 and a lease therof for 22 years del ivered at C 1” per annum , whichhe gayns 2001” a year by, and now xj years ar therof expired , he w i l l notseale the t emayu o f h is tearm vnder 10001” ster.Nota : he made a former assurance therof to old M” gook in, to thuse
of M" gookin, 81 V incent is h is exc.
2
I n March, 1629, Mary Gookin was i n London , fo r Lord
Cork set down in h is di ary : “ I len t Mrs Gookin 2011 in golde ,on her husbands bi l l , to be rep aid the l as t o f He notedth is again on Apri l 2, the i tem
“To M” danie l l Gookin s W i fe ,on his b i l l , xxfi ,
” appe aring i n a l is t o f “The moneis I h avelent s in ce I c ame to London .
”
Danie l ’s tr ans atl anti c ventures had not yie lded the ri ch h arves t he anti c ip ated, and now at the age o f forty- seven he foundhim se l f so greatly i n need of money th at he was compel ledto dispose o f the le ase o f Carr igal ine , whi ch h ad al re ady beenpledged to secure var i ous debts . On June 1 5 , 1629, LordCork
,who was s ti l l i n London
,noted in his di ary
I have agreed wi th M ” danyell C ook ing to g ive h im e i ght hundrethpounds ster : for h is lease I m ade h im of my mannor o f C arrickeleyn, he
making me such assurance therof as my councel] shal l devise : I haueformerly on h is b i ll lent him which is to goe in part payment, andthi s day de l ivered h im other v1”: other moneis I am to furn i sh him heerw ithall to carry h im and h is wi fe wi th into Ireland , where a t Michas Iam (vppon my assurance [be ing] perfected) to make yt up and at
M ichas he is to yeald me vp the qu iett possess ion, to cleer the Blishop] o fCorke, Luke Brady, h is brother, V incent Gookin , to del iver me vp h is
1 See supra , p . 172L i smo re Papers , Ser. I , i i , 302, 303 .
3 Ib id . , 306 .
SALE OF CARRIGALINE LEASE 5 1
orrigenall lease, His ass igm t to the 2 Bel lews 81 Wm perley in truste, andto yea ld vp to me al l the counterparts of the leases he hath made
,and
them I am to m ake good .1
A week l ate r Cork arr anged to make a le ase of the c as tleand p loughl and o f C arrigal ine , to Mr . Thomas Daunt o f Tracton Abbey
,fo r the “R em aynder of danyel l gookins l e ase at
an inc rease o f V I”xvs s te r above the rental p aid by Danie l fo rthe enti re manor .2 The fo l lowing entr ies show in detai l howthe s ale of the le ase was consummated , and also th at D aniel
’
s
p ass i on for co loni a l ventures was not yet ab ated .
3 1 June 1629 (London) .I entered into bond o f 200“ to S ir ffardinando George for payment of
one C“for M ”Gook in, thi s 15 o f October next at M”Burlymach ies howse.
thi s is my debt and goeth in part payment Of the 800“ I haue, and am to
pa ie M ” gookin for the lease I made him o f carrickeleyn, which thi s da iehe hath covenanted to ass i gne over in truste to M ”W m W i sem an for myuse ; 81 I formerly pa i d h im xxv“. Then he is a t M ichas to abate me 50
“
for my M i chas Rent 81 iiij“x3 for the K ing’s Rent soe as at M i chas next
620“ 10sster :
,when he hath made my assurance, and del i vered M” wi se
man the possess ion to my vse.
3
1 J uly 1629 (London) .I sent letters to M ” W i seman to receav o f M” w al ley 620“ x” ster : to
satisfi M” gook in w i th , for h is lease I bought of h im o f carrickelyne to M ”
W isem an : tharticles between me and M” gookin ; the coppie o f my 10.
bicshOp noat for thorrigena ll lease thereo f : The COppie o f M ”gookins
deed in truste made to his ff ather to h is vse, with d irect ions to M”W isemanhow to manadg that purchaz e for me, and to take thassurances from M ”
gook in, from h is brother V incent, from both M ” Bellewes , 81 from W“
petley in h is name in truste to my vse, to del iver i t over to M ”Th° dauntas my tenant on M ichas day , who is to pa le me 105
“15
”ster : a year for
it. And I wrott to M” walley to pa ie that 620“ 10” when M ” W i seman
should requ ire yt for M” gookin.
4
22 February 1629/30 (Dub l in)I sent the wrytings between M” danyel l gookin 81 my se l f w ith my
d irect ions to M”W ””1 W i seman by John Turner to Sir Randa l l C leyton,
wi th request to h im to satisfie M” danyel l gookin 605“ ster : 81 I del ivered M ” gookin h is bond 81 myne of 200“ for the payment of one C“wherin I stood bound to h im for payment therof
,81 his b i l l to my cozen
Stockdale for payment of V“ whi ch I am to sat i sfy , whi ch makes cxxx“
1 L ismore Papers,Ser. I
,11, 326 , 327.
2L ismore Pa pers , Ser. I , i i , 328 .
3 I b i d . , i i , 3 29 , 3 30.
L i smore Papers, Ser. I,i i .
52 SAINT BRANDAN’
S I SLE
he hath had o f me in parte o f 800“ I am to pay h im for h is Interest inC arrickeleyn : The C“ I pa i d to S ir ffardinandoe George .
1
7 October, 1630.
S ir Randa l ] Clayton pa i d for me to M” danyel l Gookin (as the remayn
for the purchase o f the lease of carrickleyn) 6 15“3”9dthe K ings Rent
for Easter 1630,i i i ] xiij
”xjd, ffor my Easter Rent and ffees To Mr
S tockdale, for h is d ebt, I pa i d for h im to S ir ffardinando George byour bond C“; I lent h im in London xxv“: And in th is manner h is 800“
was pa i d him .
2
Vincent Gookin at th is t ime was serving as high sher i ffof the County of Cork, i n which pos t he acqu i tted himse l f sowel l th at on Feb ruary 1 3 , Lord Cork knighted him inthe Counci l Ch amber at Dub l in .
Sti l l al lured by vis ions of fortune to be gained i n l andsbeyond the s eas , Daniel sought and obtained from King Char lesa gr ant o f the myth i c al S ai nt Brandan
’
s is l e , then thought tol i e somewhere in the north Atl anti c , o ff the wes t coas t o f I rel an d . H is peti tion to the King was i n these words
To the K ings Most excel lent M a“°The humble Peticon o f Dan iel Gookin gent.
Sheweth that whereas y° Pet it ioner is, and hath for man ie yeers be inenot only a great affecter and Wel lwi sher to a l l the new Plantatons in y
°
late di scouered I lands and Cont inents in and beyond y° Seas. Butt also aPlanter and Aduenturer in the most o f them h im sel f ; Hold ing thoseworks s to bee o f great consequence and tend ing both to y° glorie of God
for y°
propogating of Chri st ian Rel i gion in places where for the mostsavage and heathen people d i d l ive and inhab it : Also to the great strengthen ing and enritch ing o f man ie Christ i an Monarchs Pr inces theire K ingdom s and subjects
,whoe by honest and industrious courses, doe discouer
and bring in such comodities, and ritches into your MamDom inions as
those p laces and I lands doe affoard, w°“
often prooue bothe necessarieand profli table to your M a“ and your subj ects.
And for that y° Pet i t ioner hath had cred i ble noti ce and informacon
by diuers Engl i sh travel lers merchants and other gent expert in maritane
a ff a ires and discoueries of a c erta ine I land ly ing in y° ma ine O cean Sea
betweene y° degrees o f fif tie one and fif tie five of Northerl ie lati tude, and
d i stant West and by South about three hondred leagues from y° Blasques
in your Ma“ Realme o f Ireland : w°“sa i d I laud be ing here tofore discouered
in part, was named and cal led Sa int Brandon or the I sle de Verde, and is
1L ismore Papers, Ser. I , i i i , 19 .
1 I b i d . , i i i , 5 5 .
34HIS DEATH
In May , 16 3 1 , the twe lve years’
l i tigation over the l o anmade by Danie l to J ordan Condon came to an end . Dan ie lh aving b rought su i t agains t D avid Power , one of Condon
’
s
sureties , ,Power sought to es cape l i ab i l i ty by fi l ing a counter
bi l l again s t D anie l i n the H igh Cour t o f Chancery . Answering
,D anie l p le aded th at the b i l l was
“vexatious and for thepurpose of de l ay .
” The court sus tained th is V i ew and at l as tD aniel got his judgement . This is the l as t gl imp se we get ofh im
.After the s ale of his lease of Carr igal i ne he removed to
the C i ty o f Cork and was o f Red Abbey in the p arish of St .
F i n Barr when he died , i n Feb ruary or March , OnApri l 3 of th at year letters o f adminis tr ati on upon his es t atewere granted to his widow and h is son Edward ( then a boy ofabout e ighteen ) , the bonds be ing s igned by M ary Gookin andher son Rich ard .
Apparently there was l i ttle to admin is te r . The inventoryof the decedent
’
s goods,made soon afte r his de ath , wi l l per
h aps be of Intere s t to h is descendants .
Ari Inventory of the goods of Dan iel Gook in, late of Red Abbeydeceased , taken by us Thomas Bate Of G i l l Abbey Merchant 81 Phi l i pDarrel l Gent. 81 appra i sed by us the 8 1“ day o f M arch 16 3 3 by V irtueo f a comm i ss ion to us d irected from the Cons i story Court o f Cork .
.S’
.
Impr im i s , two field bed steads wi th testers curta ins 81 va llances
,be ing decayed 81 appri zed at 01 . 00. 00
I tem three feather beds, two flock beds, two bolsters, 81 six
p i l lows, be ing o ld and decayed valued at O4 . 00. 00
I tem , three rugs, one caddow 81 four blankets 01 . 00. 00
I tem , two l i ttle tables, four small stools and two old
cha irs at . 00. 06 . 08
INVENTORY OF GOODS
IN A TRUNKI tem , seven pa irs of old sheets, s ix tablecloths four cubbert cloathes, three doz o f napkins. four towels, s ixpillobeares and a sui t of ch i ld
"
bed l inen va lued at
IN ANOTHER SMALL TRUNKItem , four bearing b lankets, two wrough t pillobearers 81three p incushions valued at
IN ANOTHER SMALL TRUNKI tem, two cloth sui ts, one cloak, s ix pa ir o f stockings, one
hat 81 a sword o f the deceased valued atItem
,one l i ttle j ug and a desk appri zed at
IN A HAMPERI tem , two chamber pots, one p int pot, one quart pot, threepewter d i shes, one l ittle flagon and a pew ter band potvalued at
Item , one Old brass pot, one pa ir pot hooks, two ironcrocks, one pa ir of tongs, fire shovels 81 one Smoothing iron appri zed at
I tem , two s i l ver beer bow ls, one wine how ], two salt-cellars, whereof one a trencher salt 81 twelve s i lver spoonsappri zed a t
Item , one book of Cooper’s works,one o f Boulton ’
s 81
three of Prestones in quarto and one BibleItem
, two thousand suttle pounds of tobacco , the greaterpart whereof hath taken wet, valued at 3 d the pound
I tem , an old pa ir of v irginals valued atI tem , a smal l nag, 81 old mare 81 a coult of two weeks
old
Item , the fourth part of a boat of seven tunes
DESPERATE DEBTS
02.
03
5 5
10. 00
00.
00. 00
04 . oo
06 . 08
13 04
Item ,one bi l l of Laz erus Havarde for one pound s i xteen sh i l l ings 81 e i ghtpence sterl ing valued at [amount not s tated].
Item , one bi ll o f Capta in Bruffes o f twelve pounds sterl ing valued at
[amount not stated].Item,
a bond o f M”W i ll iam Poore of Shangarry for payment of £40.
I tem , the rest o f the intestates goods were m ade over to h is Ch i ldren byff eeffment in trust to S ir V incent Gookin Knt. , W i ll iam Newce o f
Bandon Bri dge, Esq . 81 W i l l iam Booth of L incolnshire in the realmof England before the intestate ’
s decease . THOMAS BATEPH IL IP DARRELL
Exhi bited the 101“September 163 3 by Mary Gookin.
56 NAMES OF CHILDREN
Danie l and Mary ( Byrd) Gookin h ad five sons . Rich ard,the e l des t, was born about 1609 and n amed after h is gr andfathe r, Dr . Byrd . At the time o f his father
’
s de ath he wasapp arently s ti l l a membe r o f the p atern a l househo ld, be i ngdesc r ibed in the admini s trato r
’
s bond as Rich ard Gookin o f St .Finn Barre
,Cork
,Gent . , but as he did not se rve as one o f the
administrators i t m ay be th at he was engaged in some occup at ion th at made i t imp racti c ab le . Nothing has been lea rnedabout his c areer , though i t is certai n th at he died befo re 16 55 ,and fai r to p resume that he married , s i nce he alone o f al l themembers of the fami ly cou l d h ave been the father o f “ JohnGookin o f St . Dunstan
’
s i n the Eas t, London , marine r , concern ing whom also nothing is known excep t th at on November21 , 166 5, be ing then a
“ bache lo r aged about he married“Mrs Franc is Pi tt o f Stepney, widow, aged aboutEdward
,the second son , who was b ap tized at Ripp le i n
16 1 1 , died young . Next c ame Danie l , born toward the end o f16 12 ; then John , who was perh aps the twin brother o f D anie l ;then a second Edward , p rob ab ly born i n 16 1 5 , as he was oldenough in Apri l , 16 3 3 , to be cons ti tuted one of the adminis tr ato rs o f his father
’
s es t ate , yet s ti l l a minor , fo r h is mother wasappointed his guardi an on the s ame day th at the letters ofadmin is tr ation were i ssued . H e died , unmar r ied, befo re 16 55 .
I t m ay be th at there was a lso a daughte r Mary,born about
16 17 , fo r, on Ju ly 2, 16 3 5 , a mar ri age l i cense bond fo r the marriage of
“Marie Gowk ine” to “Hugh Bul l o ck of London,
gentleman” 2 was fi led i n the Ci ty o f Cork . I t s eem s morel ike ly, however , th at
“Mary Gowkine was Danie l Gookin’
s
widow . I f so,the marri age did not take p l ace , fo r about th ree
weeks l ate r Mary, who appears to have gone to vi s i t the fami ly
1Allegations for Mar . Lic. i ssued by V icar-Gen . of Archb ishop of Cant .
,1660—8 .
Har . SOC . Pub .,xxx i i i , 152.
2He was probably the Hugh Bullock of London ,gen tl eman
, who made h is w i l lOctober 20, 1649 , be ing then aged seven ty-two . I t was p roba ted November 2, 16 50,(P . C . C . Pemb roke , f . No w ife was men t ioned in i t. He left h is estate inV i rgi n ia to h is son W i l l iam , who was probably the autho r of the wel l-known book ,publ i shed in 1649 , en t i tled “ V i rgin ia Impart ial ly exam ined and left to publ ick V iew,
to be con s idered by all Jud ic ious and Honest Men .
” Men t ion wa s made o f W i ll iam ’
s wi fe El i zabeth , and ch i ld ren Robe r t and Frances,and of the testato r’s s i ster
Ann Mason and her daugh ter Ell ino r Mason .
CAPTAIN JOHN GOOKIN 57
o f her b rothe r- in- l aw S i r Vincent Gookin , then l iving at Bittonin .Gloucestershi re , died and was burie d the re on Ju ly 27 , 16 3 5 .
Danie l and J ohn,the thi rd and fourth sons of D anie l
Gookin , were p rob ab ly away from home at the time o f the i rf athe r ’s death . We know th at D anie l was at the Marie
’
s
Mount p l antation as e ar ly as 16 3 1 , when he was on ly eighteen ,and not unl ike ly J ohn may h ave been the re with h im . John ’
s
c aree r was a short one . On O ctober 17, 16 36 , he was gr anted
500 ac res of l and on the N ansemond River i n Vi rgin i a fo rtranspo rting ten persons to the co lony, 1 and i n the cou rse o fthe next five ye ars he h ad th ree additional gr ants aggregating1490 ac res more . I n 16 37 o r 16 3 8 he was appointed one of theCommiss ioners fo r keep ing month ly courts i n Lower Norfolk
,
and in 16 39 was a burgess fo r Upper Nor fo lk and attended theGrand As sembly th at met i n J ames Ci ty on J anuary Afew days prio r to Feb ruary 4 , he m arried S ar ah there l i c t o f Captai n Adam Thorowgood of Lynn H aven , LowerNorfo lk county . Captai n Thorowgood was one o f the principal men of the co lony . H is wife S ar ah was the fi fth daughte ro f Rober t Ofli ey, Tu rkey merch ant o f Grace s treet, London,whose wi fe Ann was the daughter o f S i r Edward O sborne
,
Knt . , Lord Mayor of London , 1 58 3 , by h is wife Ann , daughte rand so le he i r o fW i l l i am H ewi tt, Lord Mayor of London , 1 559,“ a merch ant o f great repute . S ar ah Oflf ey was baptized atS t . Benet ’s Apri l 16 , 1609, and was married to Adam Thorowgood at St . Anne ’s
,Bl ackfr i a rs , Ju ly 18 , 1627 . She bore h im
a son and three daughters , who we re l iving at the time of hermarr i age to John Gookin . By he r second husb and she h ad onedaughte r , Mary Gookin , born in 164 1 o r 1642,who was marri edabout 1660 to Captai n W i l l i am Moseley o f Rol les ton , LowerNorfolk , and afte r his death i n 167 1 , bec ame the second wi fe o fLieut . Colone l Anthony Lawson .
I n 1642 John Gookin h ad the ti tle o f C aptain , and on March29, 1643 , he was Commande r at a court he l d for Lower Norfolk .
3 He died on November 2, 1643 , being then on ly about
1Va . H i st. Mag . ,Vol . 5 , p. 458 .
2Ib i d Vol 5 , p 43 5 ; Vo l . 2. p 993 Lowe r Norfolk Co. Antiquary, i, 144 .
58 TOMBSTONE AT LYNN HAVEN
thi rty ye ars of age . Four ye ars l ate r his widow was marr i edto her th i rd husb and, Colone l Fr ancis Yardley , son of Governor S i r George Yardley . She died in Augus t, 16 57 , and wasburied bes ide John Gookin , at Church Point, Lynn H aven .
The tombs tone e re cted to the i r memory is the on ly one nowreadab le of those fo rmerly i n the church-yard there
,the others
h aving been submerged or des troyed by the in curs i on o f thesea . I t be ars the i ns c r ip tion :
Here l ieth y° body of Cap t John Gooking and a lso
y° body of M” Sarah Yard ley , who was wi fe to
Capt. Adam Thorowgood first,Capt John
Gooking 81 C o l lonell Francis Yard ley , whodeceased August 1657 .
PART I I I
DAN IEL GOOK IN OF CAMBR IDGE
62 GRANT OF VIRGINIA LANDS
he“ ancho red at evening, be fo re N ewport Snuw , where l ived a
gentleman o f the name of Goegen .
”1 Othe r th an thi s the re isnothing to
, show how long D anie l remained in the Colony atth i s t ime
,unle ss i t m ay be i n fer red from the date o f the orde r
o f the G ener a l Cou r t gr ant ing him 2500 ac res o f l and uponthe south s ide o f J ames River , th at he was s ti l l the re i n February, The l anguage o f the grant, which was not perfected unti l ne ar ly th ree years l ate r, is as fo l l ows :
To a l l to whome these p’
sents shall come, I S” John Harvy, Kt : Gov
ernor, Know yee that I the sa i d S” John Harvy K t . doe w”11the
consent o f the Counse l ] o f State accord ingly Gi ve and graun t unto Dan
iel] Gookin Esq” twoe thousand five hundred acres o f land,s ituate ly ing
and be ing in the upper C oun tie of New Norfolke upon the northwesto f Nansemond R i ver beginn ing at the South East s i de o f a Smal l C reeke,which lyeth in the m i dway betweene the mouth o f Chuckatuck at New
Town hundred Extend ing upwards upon Nansamond R iver South Westand back in to the woods North West, the sa i d Twoe thousand five hundred acres o f land be ing graunted un to h im the sa i d Dan ie l] Gookin
,by
order o f Court hearing date the o f ff ebruary 1634 be ing alsoe due
unto h im the sa i d Dan iel ] Gook in by and for the transportation at h isowne Expensts and Charges of fi f tie p
’
sons into this Co lony whose names
are in the record ment ioned under this pattent, To H ave and To Ho ld,
etc. , dated the 29th December
Tho” Curt i s Jon Curti sW ”n Wadsworth Gi lbert Wh itfieldJ °n Thomas Hen . PriceJ° ° Garner Phi l ] ChapmanW In Granger J
° n Roe
Gri ffi n Marfin Chas . Gri ffinJ° ° H i l l ier H ugh JonesJ°n Scott BurdenJon . Box Jos . MoslyEdwd Morgan Wal . M austTho” Browne Austin Norm anPeter Norman Chri st E lsworthGeo . Chi ld Thom as Add isonRoger Blank W ”m LongRobert Sm ith W m PensintW ”n Jewel l W m C larkeW m Cooney Esay Delaware1 N e i l l , V i rgin ia C arolorum,
p . 83 .
2Records Va . Land Offi ce,i, 5 1 1 .
Wm . Sm i thHugh JonesW m R i chard sW m HookerChas . KenleyW m Ell i sHen C oslay
J°n BucklandEdwd. BurdonBenj . BoxHen . NormanAnn E lsworthRodger WalkerThomas fli eldMorgan Ph i l l i psDan iel] Hopkinson
Hatchment used at the funeral of Thomas Gook in , Esqu i re ,of R i pple Court , Kent , in January , 1625 .
A DEFERRED RECOMPENSE 6 3
The in c lus i on i n th is l i s t o f the names o f fou r o f the ser
vants o f D anie l Gookin , S r . , who c ame i n The Flying H artei n 1621 , and o f five othe rs who we re l iving i n El iz abeth Ci tywhen the census o f February 16 , was taken , and uponwhose tran spo rtation into the colony the grant o f l and to thee lder D anie l h ad al re ady been b ased, sugges ts the poss ib i l i tyth at th is grant to his son may h ave been one o f those m adeby compl acent offi c i a ls upon s l ender p retext o f conformity tolegal requ i rements , e i the r fo r favour, o r the p ayment o f a smal lfee .1 As to the jus ti ce o f the grant the re c an be no ques t i on .
I t was a p art o f the defe rred recompen se to D anie l ’s father,
who h ad e arned thi rty-five hundred ac res by tr ansportingseventy co lon is ts i n the “Providence i nWhether the al ien ation of the Marie ’s Mount p l ant ation
was of e ar l ie r o r l ate r date th an th is gr ant we do not know .
I t was conveyed by Danie l and John Gookin to John Chandle r, but the l anguage o f the deed c annot be recove red and i tis unl ikely th at its date wi l l ever be known , as al l the e ar lyrecords o f Wa rwi ck county are des troyed and those o f El iz abeth Ci ty go b ack only to 1699 . I t is , howeve r , re fer red to ina gr ant to W i l l i am Cole
,i n Apri l , 16 8 5 , o f the remainde r o f
the tr ac t a fte r deducting 100 ac res conveyed to Ri ch ard Gri ffi non Novembe r 16 , 16 26 , and the 1 50 ac res given to ThomasAddison in 16 3 1 . The grant to Cole re ads
To all 81C . Whereas 81c. , Now know yee that I the sa i d FrancisLord Howard , Governor 81C , doe w ith the ad v i ce and consent o f theC ouncell o f State accordly give and grant unto the Hon
“16 W i l l iam Cole,Esq . , one o f his M a jest ies C ouncel l o f S tate of thi s Colony ffowerteenehundred thirty and one acres of land twe lve hundred and seaventeene
acres whereof lyes inWarwick County 81 the rema inder be ing twoe hundred and s ixteene acres 3 in E l i zabeth C i tty County commonly Ca l ledNewports News accord ing to th e most ancient and lawful] bonds thereofbe ing al l that can be found upon an exact Survey o f two thousand fivehundred acres o f Land formerly granted to Dan iel] Gookin Esq . , excepttwo hundred 81 fi fty acres formerly conveyed and m ade over by the sa i dGookin whoe together w i th John Gookin conveyed the a foresa i d ffourtene
1 See Campbel l ’s H istory of V i rgin ia, p . 3 50.
2See supra , p . 46 .
3 Obv iously an error in the record, for 1217 acres and 216 acres give a total of1433 , not 143 1 .
64 SECOND MARR IAGE
hundred thirty and one acres o f land to John Chand ler whoe conveyed thesame to Capt. Bened ict Staff ord from whome the same was found to
escheat in the Secretaries ofli ce under the hands and seals o f John Page,Esq .
,escheator Gener”1 1 of Warwick 81 E l i zabeth C itty Count ies 81 a j ury
sworne before h im for the purpose dated the th ird day of Apri l] 16 84 may
appeare 81 was s ince granted to the sa i d W i ll iam Co le, Esq . , and Capt.Roger Jones whoe made the ir compos i t ion accord ing to Act 81 s ince bythe sa i d Roger Jones ass i gned 81 made over to the sa i d W i ll iam Cole,Esq . , 81C .
Dated the 2oth o f Apri l], 1685 .
The fact th at the conveyan ce to Ch andle r was made byDanie l Gookin and John Gookin s ets at res t al l doubt th atCaptain J ohn Gookin was Danie l
’
s brothe r .When we get our next g l imp se of D anie l h e is i n London .
A li cense was granted by the Bishop o f London , November1 1 , 16 39, fo r the marri age of D anie l Gookin , Gentleman , of theparish of S t . Sepu l ch re, London , a widower , aged about 27, andMary Dol l ing
,of the p arish of St . Duns tan i n the Wes t, Lon
don,a spins ter , aged about 21 , whose p arents were dead . They
were to m arry at S t . Sepu l ch re’
s,but, as the ea rly regis te rs
of th at p arish were des troyed i n the Gre at Fi re o f 166 5, theprec ise date of the wedding c annot be determined . No recordof D anie l ’s previous marri age has yet come to l ight . The reis nothing to i ndi c ate whethe r i t took pl ace i n Engl and or inVi rg in i a . The parentage of his second wi fe is a lso an unso lvedp rob lem . The p arish regis te r o f S t . Duns tan i n the Wes treve als nothing about he r
,from whi ch i t m ay be i n fe r red that
her bi r thp l ace was i n a l l p robab i l i ty e lsewhere .
I n the inte rva l between his two vis i ts to Vi rgin i a there isreason to suppose that D anie l was , fo r a time at le as t
,engaged
in mi l i t ary s ervi ce , poss ib ly in Engl and, but more l ike ly i nthe N e therl ands . Captai n Edward Johnson
,i n h is “Wonde r
Wo rking Providence, c al l s him a “Kentish sou ldie r,” an
appel l ation which wou l d hardly have been bes towed bec ause o fh is command of the trained b ands i n Vi rgini a and Mas sachu
setts’
. Whateve r the se rvi ce,however
,its duration coul d not
h ave been longe r than a ve ry few years .
Early in 164 1 , Danie l and Mary Gookin, with thei r infantson
,set s ai l fo r Vi rgini a to make the i r home i n the new world .
IN VIRGIN IA 6 5
Opening be fo re D anie l there was the al lu r ing prospec t o f territorial lo rdship made pos s ib le by the grant o f l and obtainedthree ye ars be fo re ; whereas , being a younge r son and possessedof only moder ate means , the hope of acqui ring a cons i derab lel anded es tate in Engl and mus t h ave seemed ve ry far away .
Though i t is s c arcely pos s ib le to doubt th at he was al ready aPuri tan when he c ame ove r
,his re l igious faith c annot h ave been
an impe l l ing fo rce i n de te rm in ing him to settle i n Vi rgini a .The impu lse o f the Engl ish Pur i tans to seek a re fuge beyondthe sea h ad been checked and the tide of emigr ation to NewEngl and had been b rought a lmos t to an end by the hopeswhi ch the as semb l ing of the Long Parl i ament
,the yea r befo re ,
had awakened . Moreove r, i nto le r ance of open non- confo rmi tyto the Chu rch o f Engl and was then more m arked in thesouthe rn co lony th an i n the mothe r country .
On h is arr ival i n Vi rgin i a,Danie l p roceeded to the N anse
mond p l antation and took up h is res i den ce there . H is fe l l owcolon i s ts were not long i n recognizing h im as a m an of ab i l i ty .
He was made a burges s and represented Upper Norfolk inthe Grand Assemb ly which met at J ames town J anuary 1 2,
Upon the records his n ame appe ars as“ Captai n ”
Danie l Gookin , which very l ike ly indi c ates th at the ti tle wasacqu i red before he l e ft Engl and . H owever th at may be
,he
was soon given the ti t le i n Vi rgin i a . “At a court ho lden atJ ames Citty the nyne and twentyeth of June 1642. Present S”
W i l l i an Be rkeley kn” Governor 81 C . Capt. John Wes t Mr
Rich . Kemp Capt .W i l l i am B roc as Capt . Chris tWormley Cap t .Hum . H igginson . The com i
‘
c’
on fo r the moneth ly cour t o fUpp . Norfo lke to be renewed and the com r s to be as fo l l oweth : Capt . Danie l] Gookin comander , M” ff rancis H oughCapt . Tho . Burb age Mr J ohn H i l l M r . O l l ive r Sp ry, MrThomas Dew Mr Randal l Crew Mr Robert Bennett M rPhi l ip Bennett . The Capts . o f tr ayned B ands to be as fo l loweth : Capt . Danie l Gookin , Capt . Thomas Burb age .
I t is i n te res ting,i n vi ew of the c i r cum s tances o f his l ate r
l i fe,th at the duti es o f the se ofli ces soon brought D anie] i nto
1 Va . H i st . Mag., i x , 5 1 .
66 ANOTHER LAND GRANT
contact with the I ndi ans of the neighborhood, and th at one ofthe ear l ies t of the occ as ions was at the i ns tance o f h i s b rotherJohn Gookin
,fo r i t is reco rded in the orde r book of the Gen
er al Court o f Vi rgini a
At a Q uarter Court holden at James C itty the 22th of November1642. Present S”W i l l iam Berkeley Kn i ght Whereas Capt. JohnGookin hath represented to the Board certayne Outrages aud Robberyescomm i tted by the Ind ians belong ing to Nanz emond in the county of thelowerNorfolke,The Court hath therefore ordered accord ing to the requesto f the sa id Capt. John Gooking, That Authority be given to the Comander o f the Upp . Norfolke e ither by Lre or C ommicon to send to the Ind ianK ing o f Nans imond that those Ind ians who have com itted the Outragesmay be sent in to rece ive such condigne pun ishm
”as the nature of the
o ffense may justly m erri tt, as a lsoe to restore the goods stollen, wh ich i f heshal l refuse to pforme that then the sa i d Com ander shall have power toapprehend any of the Ind ians they can and to keepe them in hold unt i l]satisfaccon and restitq n be accord ingly made .
I n the autumn of th is ye ar D anie l re ce ived a p atent fo r anaddi ti onal fourteen hundred ac res of l and .
To all to whome, etc. , now know yee, that the sa i d S”W i ll iam Berkeley Kt. doe wth the Consent of the Counsel] of Stateaccord ingly give and graunt unto Capt. Dan ie l] Gookin ffourteen hundredacres of land s i tuate or be ing in Rappahannocke R iver about th irty-fivem i les upon the north s i de and beginn ing at a marked red ooke stand ingon the R i ver s i de on the westward s i de of a pond of water and extend ing forlength east north east three hundred and twentie pole unto a m arked redooke, and for bread th from the first ment ioned m arked tree by south, southeast l ine n i gh unto the R i ver s i de seaven hundred pole unto a m arked whiteooke stand ing on a po int on the westward s i de of the mouth of a smallcreeke and soe extend ing for length East North East three hundred andtwenty pole unto a marked pyne, and soe North North West parrallel tothe R iver Course unto the second mentioned red ooke, the sa i d ffourteenhundred acres of land be ing due unto h im the sa i d Capt. Dan ie l] Gookinby and for the transportat ion of twentie e i ght persons into this colonywhose names are in the record ment ioned under thi s pattent.
”To Have and to Hold ,
”etc. ,
”
Y ie ld ing and pay ing” etc. , whichpayment is to be made seaven Yeares a fter the date of these p”sents and
not before, alwa ies that the sa i d Capt. Danie l] Gook inh is he irs or ass i gns doe not p lant or seat or cause to bee seated on the
sa i d ffourteen hundred acres of land w t“ in the terme of three yeares nextensu ing after adm i ttance cult i vation” grant to be vo i d . Given by a GrandAssembly for the seat ing of Rappahannock R iver
“datedthe fouerth of November
6 8 VISIT OF PURITAN PREACHERS
This l etter, now known as the“Nansemond peti tion , . Ben
nett c ar ried to Boston , where he ar rived upon a smal l co as tingvesse l
,e a rly i n Septembe r . The peti tion h aving been re ad
to the peop le “upon a lec tu re day, the e l de rs m et
,
”
s aysWin throp
,
“ and set a day ap art to seek God in i t, and agreedupon three who might mos t l ike ly be spared . Two of thesedec l ined to go and the choi ce final ly res ted upon R ev .W i l l i amTompson of B raintree, an Oxfo rd graduate and a pre ache ro f dis tin ction , and R ev. John Knowles , a r ipe s chol ar fromEmanue l Col lege, who had been the p as to r at Watertown .
Wi th the con sent o f the i r churches , Tomp son and Knowlesleft on O ctobe r 7 fo r Taunton , where a p inn ace awaitedthem ,
and a few days l ate r they were j o ined by Rev . ThomasJ ames o f New H aven , who had fo r ten years been a faith fu lp reache r at Ch arles town . Eleven weeks were consumed inthe voyage to Vi rgini a . At He l l G ate the i r smal l c r aft waswrecked and they n a rrowly es c aped with the i r l ives . Anothe rves se l h aving been p rocu red at M anh attan, desp ite the co ldreception ac co rded them by the Dutch Governor
,
“ they set
s ai l i n the de ad of winte r, and h ad much fou l we athe r, so as
with gre at difli culty and dange r they arrived s afe i n Vi rgini a . ”“H ere
,
”
s ays W i nth rop ,“ they found ve ry loving and l ibe r a l
ente rtainment, and we re bes towed in severa l p l aces,not by
the governour, but by some wel l disposed people who des i redthe i r company .
”1
Among these we l l disposed persons Danie l Gookin wase as i ly the mos t p rominent
,and no s tre tch o f the imagin ation is
requ i red to see him wel coming the minis te rs with open hands .
By Gove rnor Berke ley, a ze alous and bigote d adhe rent to theChurch of Engl and, though they b rought le tte rs to him fromGove rnorW i nth rop , the i r reception was frig i d i n the extreme .
He to ld them bluntly that the i r p resen ce was not des i red,and as they pers is ted, neve rthe les s , i n s tr iving to spre ad the i robnoxious doctrine , he los t no time in taking s tep s to repe l thei nvas ion . At the next meeting of the As sembly
,i n March
,
1642 3 , the fo l lowing ac t was p assed :“ For the p reservation
1H i st. New Eng ,i i, 1 15 .
THE ACT OF CONFORM ITY 69
o f the puritie o f doctrine 81 un itie of the church , I t is en actedthat al l m in is te rs whatsoeve r whi ch shal l res i de i n the co llonyare to be confo rmable to the o rde rs and cons ti tutions o f the
chu rch o f Eng l and, and the l aws the re i n es tab l ished, and notothe rwise to be admitted to te ach o r p re ach
‘ publ i ckly o r
p rivatly, And that the Gov . and Counse l do take c are th ata l l nonconfo rmis ts upon noti ce of them shal l be compel led todep art the co llony with a l l convenencie .
”1
Afte r the en actment o f th is s t atute the Gove rnor was notlong i n getting r i d o f Knowles and J ames
,who le ft fo r New
Engl and i n Apri l . Knowles ar rived in Bos ton in June , bearingletters te l l ing o f the work o f the th ree miss i on ar ies ,
“wherebyi t appe ared th at God h ad greatly b lessed thei r min is try there
,
so as the peop le ’s hearts were much infl amed wi th des i re afte rthe o rdin ances , and though the s t ate di d s i l en ce the min is te rs ,bec ause they wou l d not confo rm to the order o f Engl and, yetthe peop le resorted to them in p rivate houses to he ar them as
be fo re .
” 2
Whi le there i s no pos i tive evidence th at Tomp son madeD anie l Gookin
’
s house h is headquarte rs , yet i t is more th anl ike ly th at such was the c ase . Certain i t is th at they werec losely assoc i ated at th is time ; so much , at l e as t, we le arn fromthe tes timony of Cotton Mather ’s oft quoted , and misquoted ,dogge re l :
Hearers, l i ke doves, flocked w i th contentious wing,W ho should be first. feed most, most homeward bring,Laden wi th honey, l i ke Hyb laean bees,They knead i t into combs upon the ir knees .
A constella tion Of great conver ts there,Shone round h im , and h is heaven ly glory were.
GOOK INS was one o f these ; by Thompson’
s pa ins,C HR IST and NEW ENGLAND a dear GOOK INS ga ins .
3
I t is e asy to i nfe r too much from this u tte r ance , wri ttenfifty-five ye ars afte r the o ccur ren ces des c r ibed , and e leven ye ars
1Henn ing’s S tatutes a t Large , i , 277 .
2W in th rop , i i , 1 16 .
3Magnal ia C h r ist i Amer icana , i , 440.
70 AN UNWARRANTED STATEMENT
afte r D anie l Gook in’
s death , and not to make suffi c ien t al lowance for the exigencies of metri c a l compos i ti on . The assertiono f John Fiske th at D anie l was a “ br and snatched from theburn ing,” a wayw ard son whose convers ion was fromworldl ines s or perh aps devi l ry r athe r th an from pre l acy,
”
is
nothing e lse th an gratu i tous assumption .
1
Unques tion ab ly i t was Tompson’
s i nfluence th at i nducedDanie l to remove to Mass achusetts . To the s ame source alsowe may with s afety attribute a s trengthening o f his be l ie f i nthe doctr ines of the Puri tans and the farming o f h is rel igiousardo r into a more active fl ame ; but, as he was one of the foremos t s igne rs o f the N ansemond petition, i t is equal ly ce rtainth at he was al re ady a convert b efore Tompson set foot onVi rgini a soi l .Afte r the pass age o f the act o f con formi ty , Vi rgini a was no
longe r an agree ab le pl ace for D anie l Gookin to l ive , and hesoon began to p l an fo r removal . Accomp an ied by Tompsonand othe rs , Danie l fi rs t emigrated , i n the summer o f 1643 , tothe neighboring colony o f M aryl and , where he acqui re d l andin the vi c inity o f South and Severn R ive rs , nea r the s i te o fAnnapol is .
” Though Lord B altimore and Governor C alvertwere Papis ts , the newcomers were not looked upon by themas i ntruders , but we re we l comed as mos t de s i r ab le , and Tompson l abored on in the colony unti l the l atte r p art o f 1648 ,
1Old V i rgin ia and Her Ne i ghbors, i , 304 .
Professo r F iske appears to have der ived h is inspi rat ion” from A Pur i tanColony in Mary land ,” by Dan iel R . Randal l
,pr inted in “Johns Hopk ins Un iv. Stud
ies,
”4th Ser.
,No . 6
,p . 10. I t would be d i ffi cul t to ci te a better i l lustrat ion of the
danger of d rawing upon the imaginat ion for one’s facts than is furn ished by the
fo l lowing extract : “But st i l l Thompson labored on among h is many converts . Of
these, Dan iel Godkin or Gook in the wayward son of a good old Pur i tan of that name,
was the most inco rr i gib le. However, the R ev. Thompson ’s pub l ic teach ing and
pr ivate expostulat ion converted him so completely from h is ev i l ways that the goodpeople were a l i ttle skept ical of his s incer i ty , and Dan iel left the home of h is fathers ,changed his name to Gook in
,and wen t to Boston , there to s i gnal i ze h imself by h is
good wo rks. Mather celeb rated Thompson ’s
'
work and part icularly th is wonderf ulconvers ion by wr i t ing thereon a poem , of wh ich I quote a stanza
A constel lat ion of great converts thereShone round h im
,and h is heaven ly glory wear ;
Godk in was one of them ; by Thompson ’s pa ins
C h r ist and New England a dear Godk in ga ins.
”
Thus too often is so-cal led h isto ry wr i tten .
2Terra Mar i ze , by Edward D . N e i l l,p. 79.
REMOVAL TO NEW ENGLAND 7 1
winning golden opinions by his qu i et, conse rvative, and Christi an cours e .
”1
Notwiths t anding the wel com e ac co rded him and the to le rati on disp l ayed by Governor C alve rt i n p rotecting al l settle rsi n the i r cons c ientious s c rup les , a short s tay convinced Danielth at M aryl and , under Papis t ru l e , was not the p l ace fo r h im .
Moreove r Mas s achusetts held out the powerfu l attr ac tion ofl i fe i n a Puri tan community, whe re he wou l d be surroundedby others holding l ike views with h im se l f, and th ither ,
“ h avinghis aff ection s trongly set on the truths o f Chris t and his pure
he made up his mind to go . The sudden de atho f his brothe r J ohn , at Lynn H aven e ar ly i n November , 1643 ,by b re aking the s tronges t ti e th at bound him to Vi rgin i a
,made
th is decis ion al l the e as ie r . So,abou t the beginning o f May
,
1644, le aving h is th ree p l antations i n the ch arge o f se rvants ,with h is wife and in fant daughte r ” he set s ai l fo r Bos ton .
Whi le they were engaged in the i r p rep ar ations fo r le aving,
Vi rgini a was p lunged into desol ation by the gre at I ndi an Mas
s ac re o f Apri l 1 8 , when so many of the co lonis ts l os t the i rl ives . The news of this dis as te r D anie l was the fi rs t to c arryto N ew Engl and .
1Terra Ma t ias, p . 8 1 .
”John son ’s Wonder-Wo rk ing Prov i dence of Zion 3s Sav iour in New England ,
p . 109 .
3 Samuel , his first-bo rn , had d ied before th is t ime.
CHAPTER V I I
HE ship th at bore Danie l Gookin and his fami ly to New Engl and ar r ived at Bos ton May 20 ,
1644 . Only with diffi cu l ty, and be a ring in mindthe ab sorption of the s eventeenth century men
i n the i r re l ig ious views , c an we , i n these d ays o funive rs a l to le ration and fai ths l ightly held , conceive the j oy th at D anie l mus t h ave fe l t when he
found himse l f b re athing the ai r o f a community where thePuri tan Church and the c ivi l s tate h ad been “ p l anted and
g rowne up ( l ike two twinnes ) toge the r l ike th at o f I s rae l i nthe wi lde rness .
”1 H is reception cou l d not we l l h ave been
mo re co rdi al . On May 26 , s ix days after his l anding , he wasadmitted to the Fi rs t Church in Bo s ton
,and on M ay 29, on ly
th ree days l ate r,he was made a freeman . I t was very uncom
mon for one to be al lowed to take h is oath so soon afte ra r riving within the jurisdiction
,and the unusual honou rs pl ai n ly
ev i nce th at D anie l ’s reputation had preceded him . W i thou tdoubt i t was his kindne ss to the miss i on aries i n Vi rg i n i a andthe i r repo rts of h is zeal and piety th at gained him th i s distinction . H e was now in h is thi rty- second year
,tal l i n s tature and
robus t in phys ique ; i n bearing grave and dignified . Thougha Puri tan o f the Puri tans
, s tern and uncompromis ing i n matters of re l igion , the domin ating notes i n his characte r were h istenderness o f heart and compass i on
,and h is abiding sense o f
1 “ The Book O f General Lauues And Libertyes Concern ing The In hab i tan tsOf The Massachusets .
” Camb r idge, 1648 .
72
FRIENDSHIP WITH JOHN EL IOT 73
jus ti ce . To such a n ature se lfish s tr iving fo r h is own advancement was impo ss ib le . No man cou l d be more ten acious ofhis rights , o r coul d mo re s toutly uphold them when cal led inques ti on . But what he ins is ted upon fo r himse l f, he free lyacco rded to othe rs ,— even to the despised red men , fo r whoseadvancement he l aboured so unceas ingly to the end o f his days .
The reco rds o f the Fi rs t Church i n Bos ton, o f whi ch R ev .
John Cotton was the p as to r , show th at“Mrs . Mary Gookin
,
or b rothe r C aptaine Gookin
’
s wi fe”
was admitted as a memberon O ctobe r 1 2
, 1644 . W i th th is church D an ie l and Marycontinued thei r afli liation unti l thei r removal to C ambridge
,
ne arly four ye a rs l ate r . During mos t,i f not al l o f the inte r
vening time , the i r res i dence was i n Roxbury, where they we rene ar neighbors of R ev . John El iot
,the famous p as to r o f the
Fi rs t Church o f that town , jus tly renowned as the “Apos tle ”
to the I ndi ans o f New Eng l and . I t is not improb ab le th atEl io t m ay h ave influenced D anie l i n se lec ting Roxbury as his
p l ace o f abode . Howeve r th at m ay be,a c lose fr i endship
soon grew up between them whi ch continued unbroken to theend o f D an ie l ’s l i fe
,and was cemented by many ye ars o f
l abour togethe r i n the se rvi ce o f the Lord . They were notfar ap art i n age
,El io t being on ly e ight ye ars the e lde r
,and
they h ad much in common bes i des thei r adhes ion to the s amere l igious tenets . Both were men o f b road views
,i n m any ways
open-minded fo r the i r day and gene ration ; both were s imp lei n thei r l ives and o f the se rene temper th at conquers manydi ffi cu l ti es ; both had the r are gi ft o f symp athy combined withc almnes s o f judgement. Aus te re and into le r an t i n matte rs ofdoctrine they undoubtedly were , but i n th at they were only thep roduct of the i r age . Tole ration , as then conce ived , was a s ino f the fi rs t magni tude . I t is the ch i l d o f doubt, and in the seventeenth century few men h ad any doubt whateve r th at theywere right i n the i r re l igious be l ie fs , and that those who di ff eredfrom them were as ce rtai n ly wrong . The p revai l i ng view waswel l fo rmu l ated by N athanie l Ward .
“Every to le ration o f falsere l igions o r opin ions , he wrote ,
“ hath as many erro rs and s i nsi n i t as al l the false re l igions and opinions i t to le r ates .
”1 Re l i
1 S imple Cobler of Agawam , p . 8 .
74 THE NEW ENGLAND THEOCRACY
gion s pers ecution was the n atur al sequence . The men o f New
Eng l and did not mean to be c rue l and unchar i tab le, but i n the i reyes the dissemination of unsound doctrine was mons trousi n iqu i ty, des tructive al ike to the sou ls of m en and to the kingdom of God upon e arth . And so , whi le they recognized theimposs ib i l i ty of coe rc ing bel ie f, they neve rthe less fe l t i t thei rbounden duty to infl i c t dre adful penalti es upon the uno rthodox .
The New Engl and o f El io t and Gookin was essenti al ly atheoc racy . Rel igion fi l l ed men
’
s thoughts and was regardedas the on ly re al conce rn in l i fe . Church and s tate were notmere ly l inked together ; they were one and the s ame, fo r theChurch was the State . Citizenship was confe r red upon thoseonly who h ad rece ived b aptism and the Lord
’
s supper . Theminis te rs were the mos t i nfluenti a l men in the co lony, the mos trespected and be loved . The es teem in whi ch they were he ldwas we l l dese rved . They were , i ndeed, a s i ngu l ar ly ab le andle a rned body of m en
,who s trove with a l l the i r might to exem
p li fy i n the i r l ives the puri fying e ff ec t o f the doctr ines theyp re ached . Such men as John Cotton , Thomas Shep ard , J ohnElio t
,Thomas H ooke r, Nathanie l Ward , Rich ard Mather,
Roger W i l l i am s,Davenport
,Chauncey, Norton , Duns te r ,
s chol ars al l , and many of them graduates of C ambridge andOxfo rd ,— wou l d h ave been notab le i n any envi ronment . Tothe members of the i r flocks thei r i nte rmin ab le p r ayers andlong—drawn-out sermons aff orded not mere ly sp i r i tua l so l
ace and re freshment ; they we re a source o f keen inte l l e ctualp le asure as we l l , and to a l a rge extent fi l l ed the p l ace th ati n mode rn l i fe is o ccupied by secu l ar ente rtainments .
“Mr .Torrey s tood up and p rayed ne ar two hours , but the timeobl iged him to c lose , to our regre t
,wrote a H arvard grad
uate , 1“ and we cou l d h ave gl adly heard him an hour longer .”
Le arn ing was held in high es teem . Not only the c le rgy,but
many o f the le aders among the l ai ty, as the e l de r and younge r
Wi nth rop , Thomas Dudley, Simon B rads treet, W i l l i am Brews te r, W i l l i am Bradford, John Pynchon , John H aynes , and
1Quoted by J . L . S ib ley , Harv. G rad . , 566 .
76 THE SOUTH R IVER PLANTATION
anothe r o f his negro servants were murde red by two I ndi ans ,who were a fte rward app rehended and b rought to jus ti ce . Atthe tr i al ,
“Mary,the servant who had e s c aped , notwithstand
i ng the seve r i ty o f he r wound , was the chie f wi tness . But
W arco sse, the Emperor, h ad sen t down to S t . Mary’
s someart i c l es found in posses s i on o f the suspected I ndi an s , andwhich i t was known h ad belonged to Cap tain Gookins . Andthe I ndi an s , who spoke th rough inte rp rete rs , confessed at thetri al they we re p resent a t the murde r— at one moment admitting
, at the next denying , thei r gu i l t,‘ fe a r fu l and des i ri ng
’
s aysthe reco rd ,
‘ to conce al i t . ’ They were convi c ted, senten ced ,and executed on the s ame day .
”1
One othe r mention o f Captain Gookin in connection withthe South Rive r p l antation is found i n contemporary re co rds .
When , in March , 16 54/5 ,W i l l i am Stone , who had res igned as
Governor o f Maryl and unde r Lord B altimore the p recedingJuly, organized an a rmed fo rce agains t the exis ting autho ri ti esand arr ived o ff the mouth o f the r iver Severn with two hundred men in twelve boats
,he chased a smal l New Engl and
tr ading vesse l belonging to Captai n Gookin , which was i nch arge o f Captai n J ohn Cutts , and fi red seve r al shots at her .
”
On May 29 of th is ye ar, 16 55, a su i t betweene Eli as Parkman
, p lainti ff e, 81 Capt . Dann . Gookin de fendant, i n r e fe renceto the s aid Parkm an
’
s voyage to Vi rgini a, was dec ided by theGener a l Cour t of the co lony o f Mass achusetts Bay . The reco rd s ays : “The Court, on hearing of the c ase and al l p arti esconcerned there i n , doe judge th at al though the re were fivepersons , old 81 young, ship t aboard the s aid Parkman by thedefendent, yett, i n regard two of them we re very young he sh al lbe al lowed fo r tr ansporting three persons and a h al fe on ly thesome of seven pounds , and fo r a p arce l ] o f goods whi ch he c arried twenty shil l i ngs ; o f W °1 fower pounds tenn shi l l ings is foundpaid i n a p arcel ] of tob acco ; but nothing due to the p laint f fo rthe fowe r thous and of bre ad we1 was ship t on anothe r vesse l ] ;so th at the Cour t finds fo r the p l a inti ff th ree pounds tenn shi ll i ngs, and two pounds five shi l l i ngs and eight pence cos ts .
1Geo rge Lynn Lachlan Davis, in The Day S ta r of Freedom ,
” Bal t imo re, 185 8 .
3 E . D . Ne i l l , Terra Maria , 123 .
AN INEFF ICIENT FOREMAN 77
Fi fteen ye ars l ater D anie l was s ti l l i n te res ted in the coas ting trade . The town of Cambridge , on November 14 , 1670,“G r anted to the owne rs of the Ketches th at are to [be]bu i lded i n the town l ibe rty to fe l l timber upon the commonfo r the bui l d ing of the s ai d Ke tches . The owne rs wereD anie l Gookin , Wa l te r H as tings , and S amue l Champney . I nAp ri l , 1672,
they recove red ten pounds damage and cos ts o fcourt, aga ins t W i l l i am Carr , fo r unworkman l ike conduct i nbui lding the ves se ls , whi ch , as appe a rs from the County Cour tReco rds , were o f th i rty-five and twenty- e igh t tons . Smal l asthey seem to us nowadays , i t appea rs f rom Randolph
’
s n arrative th at more th an two- th i rds o f al l the vesse l s owned i nthe colony i n 1676 r anged i n s ize from s ix to fi fty tons . Acur ious depos i tion re l ating to Carr
’
s de l inquen cy is i n pos sess ion o f the compi le r o f this his to ry . I t is i n the h andwri tingof Captain Gookin .
Dav i d F i ske Aged about 49 : yeares beeing sworen sa i th that heewrought w t“W i l l iam Carr upon the vessel ls bu i lt by h im in Cambri d geabout 4 months in the winter 1670 81 I Do say 81 Afli rme y
t W i ll i amCarr master o f the worke D i d not fo llow h is worke d i l i gent ly h im sel fenor improue 81 imploy the hands y t wrought w 1“ h im w °“ was no t lessthan six or seauen som times ; and in particuler when hee had sett out apeece o f worke to hew or fitt hee would Repa ire under the shed 81 s i tt 81smoke 81 when y” worke was done the workmen were fa ine to goe 81 ca l lh im to sett out more worke ; 81 the whi lst hee d i d it they were fa ine tostand st i l l w°“ was an occas ion of loss o f much t ime
, Wheras hee m i ghteas i l y have prepared worke ready aga inst th e o ther was done also I dofurther Afirme y
t hee the sa i d Carr d i d seldome whi le I was the ir Do an
hours worke or two in a day w t“h is owne hands . And also I do say yt
I saw h im order the cutt ing of the best oake p l anks in the yard for R i bben. Further hee sa i th not.
Taken upon oath th is 1 : of Apri l]1672 before me
DAN IEL GOOK IN
Thomas Longhorne aged about 5 1 sa ith that w°“is aboue written is Truth81 further hee add s yt hee be ing saw ier in the yard from first to Last dothJ ud ge that the owners Are damnified about 10 : pounds in Respect o f
the t imber sawed 81 gotten for the vessells that l ies there part Of it in the
yards unused .
CHAPTER VI I I
HE Genera l Cour t, on March 7, confirmed to the town of Cambridge a conditi on a lgrant
,made near ly th ree ye ars e ar l i e r , of
“al l thel and lying upon Sawesh in Ryver , and be tweenthat and Conco rd R yver, and between th at andMerrim ack Ryver, not p revious ly granted bythe Court . This te rri to ry
,then des ignated as
Shawshine, i n c luded the p resent town of B i l l e r i c a , p arts o fBedford and Carl is l e
,and a p art o f Tewksbury, or o f Chelm s
fo rd,o r both . No genera l divis i on o f the l and was made
be fore 16 52, but a number o f gr an ts were m ade to i ndivi duals . The e arl i es t o f these was on Apri l 9 , 1648 , when , at agener al meeting the who le town , h aving h ad
“spec i a l warn
ing to meet fo r the dispos i ng of Shawshine ,” one thous and
ac res were set as ide “ fo r the good o f the chur ch ,” and “ also
the re was granted to seve r al breth ren th at had no house- rightsi n the town
,i f they did des i re i t
,
” f a rm s at Shawshine“ Imprimis , Capt . Googine a farm ,
i f he buy a house inthe town .
I f th is were intended to help a wave r ing deci s i on i t seem sto have ac compl ished its purpose . A house was bought fromEdward Col l i ns . I t s tood on the e as te r ly s i de of Crookeds treet (now Holyoke s treet) about a hundred feet south o fBraintree s treet (now H a rvard s treet) , on the s i te now occu
p ied by the c lub house o f the H as ty Pudding Club . Theremoval from Roxbury m ay h ave anted ated the p romise of
78
80 CAMBRIDGE NEIGHBORS
was s ti l l Captai n o f the C ambridge Company and seems toh ave been rathe r i ndis c riminately addres sed as such , even afte rhe had att a ined the highe r rank .
Ea s i ly the mos t dis ti ngui shed res i den t o f C ambr i dge , whenD anie l Gooki n went there to l ive , was the min is te r , R ev .
Thomas Shep ard , one of the mos t eminent o f the New Engl and c le rgy, and a m an renowned not only fo r h is l e arn ing andh is ski l l as a p re ache r but fo r his c le a r judgement, s agaci ty andfo res ight . H is house on Br ain tree s tree t was but a sho rtd is tance from D anie l
’
s , and the two men formed a c lose friendship whi ch , howeve r , was soon cut short by Shep ard
’
s suddende ath , i n Augus t, 1649 . This event c aused gener a] l amentation and g loom throughout th e co lony, but was p arti cu l a r lyfe l t by the members o f his congregation , and by none morekeenly, i t may s afe ly be s ai d , th an by his fr iend and neighbor D anie l Gooki n .
1 O thers of D aniel ’s espec i a l fr i ends i nthose early d ays we re Deacon Ri ch ard Champney, the th ri ftyRu l ing Elde r o f the Cambridge Church , who l ived almos tdi re ctly oppos i te h im on H olyoke s treet, and Edmund Fros t ,the othe r Ru l ing Elde r , of p ious memory, but not gi ftedwith the worldly wisdom of his as so c i ate . Bes i des these therewere Edward Co l l i ns , Edward J ackson and his brothers Johnand Ri ch ard , Edward Go ff e , and Edmund Angie r, al l men o fsubs tan ce and weight i n the town . But the c loses t and mo s tendur ing friendship was th at fo rmed with Thomas Danfo rth
,
the bri l l i ant and fo rce fu l young man o f twenty- six, who , whenD anie l se tt led in C ambridge , h ad al re ady been for three yea rsSe lectm an and Town Cle rk
,— ofli ces whi ch he he l d for many
years unti l the duti es of the h igher pos i tion s to whi ch hewas c al led made i t necess ary to re l ieve him of the bu rden ofthese . This fr iendship l as ted and grew c loser and s tronge ras l ong as Danie l l ived . I t was founded on a communi ty o fide as th at he l d the two men fi rmly togethe r i n time of s tres swhen they worked cour ageous ly s i de by s i de b re as ting popu l a r c l amour unti l i n the end they overc ame i t and fin al lyturned the tide i n the i r favour .
1 Shepard ’s son , Thomas , afterward the m in i ster a t Charlestown , who was a lad offourteen when his father d ied , chose Dan iel Gookin as h is guard ian .
A VISIT TO ENGLAND 8 1
I n the spring o f 1649 Danie l was chosen as Deputy fromCambridge to the Gener al Court, he l d i n Bos ton May 2, andon the 4th he and Captain Pri ch ard were appointed a committee “ to draw up lawyes fo r women s dowryes .
” That he wasnot re-e le cted the fo l lowing ye ar is attributab le to his h avingbeen c al led to Engl and . The reco rds of the Gener a l Courtshow that on May 23 , and agai n on May 30, 16 50,
“Danie lGookin , Edward Col l i ns , with the res t o f the ove rseers 81 ex"
of the est. o f Mr Tho” Shepp ard ,” presented a peti ti on to se ll
l ands . Danie l , howeve r, h ad prob ab ly set s ai l befo re th i s time .
He was i n London in Ju ly, fo r on Julv 24 the Counci l o f Stateat Wes tmins te r o rdered the i s suance of a warrant to D anie lGookin to expor t to New Engl and 30 b ar rels of powder, 10tons o f shot and le ad , and fi fty arm s fo r the use o f the p l antation .
” 1 This seems to indi c ate th at th e voyage to the mothercountry was unde rtaken , i n p art at le as t, upon the publ i c se rvi ce . Though the king had been b rought to the b lo ck theyear be fo re , and Cromwel l had
“
pacified” I re l and with fire and
sword , and a tempor ary c alm in S cotl and h ad been b roughtabout by the c ap ture and execution o f Montrose
,and i n Eng
l and the Puri tans were c le arly i n the as cendant, i t was s ti l la dis tr ac ted country at the time o f D anie l ’s vi s i t . H avingaccomp l ished the bus i ness th at took him thi ther, or, i t m ay be ,finding th at l i ttl e c ou l d be done under exis ting condi tion s , andh aving
,i t may be assumed, p aid vis i ts to some of h is cous
ins , whom he h ad no t seen for n ine ye ars ,”he took the e arl i es toppor tunity of returning to his fami ly . That he h ad beenlo ath to l e ave them may wel l be im agined , fo r his son Danielwas bo rn dur ing his ab sence .
I n the sp ring of 16 5 1 Captain Gookin and Mr . EdwardJackson were returned as Deputi es from Cambridge to the
1Br. R ec. Oflice Interregnum Entry Book , xxxv i , 13 .
2These cous ins were the on ly relat ives he then had left. Samuel Gookin , sonof his uncle John , was in London . Thomas Gookin , son of his uncle Thomas , l ivedin Harbledown near Canterbury ; John , h is elder b rother, the lo rd of the manor ofR i pple Court , was a royal ist, and probab ly l iv ing in Par is. V incen t Gookin , son of
his uncle V incen t, was in I rel and , occup ied wi th offi cial dut ies, hav ing been appo intedby Cromwel l one of the Comm iss ioners of the Revenue. His b rother, Capta i nRobert, and the younger ch i ld ren of S i r V incen t were also in I rel and . Bes i des thesesome of the daughters of Thomas may have st il l been l iv ing.
82 ELECTED ASSISTANT
General Court . When the Court met, on May 7, Danie l waschosen Spe ake r . The s ame day he was n amed as one o fa committee o f ten
,he aded by S imon Brads tree t,
“ to cons ide r the o ff ences on doctrin al points by Mr . MarmadukeMathewes
,hearing to be June 1 1 next at the Shipp in Bos
ton . On the 22d o f the month he was appoin ted one of acommittee to dr aw up i ns tructions fo r the Commiss ione rs o fthe United Colon ies ; and on the 26 th he was p l aced on acommittee to dr aw the c ase agains t M r . Rich ard Le ade r
,
accused o f rep ro aching and s l andering the Cour t.” I n 16 5 1
he was also chosen Assoc i ate fo r the County Court, held atCambridge .
At the e l e cti on he l d May 26 , 16 52, Danie l was chosen anAs s is tant, o r one of th e Counci l o f eighteen magis tr ates towhom
,with the Governo r and the Deputy Governo r, the gov
ernmen t of the co lony was entrus ted . To th is ofli ce he wasre- e lected continuous ly fo r a period o f thi rty-five ye ars
, s aveonly i n 1676 when he suff ered de fe at bec ause the popu l ace
,
maddened by the I ndi an war then r aging, mi sconstrued hisnoble c are o f the fr i endly I ndi ans and i nc luded him withthem in the i r unre asoning indign ation . The functions o f theAss is tants were not mere ly execut ive . They acted also as
judges , being ass igned from time to time to ho ld cour t i nvar ious pl aces with in the jurisdi cti on . Says Cotton Mathe r :“The freemen of New Engl and h ad a gre at vari ety of worthymen among whom they might chuse a number o f M agis tr atesto be the ass is tants of thei r Governours , both i n di recti ng thegener a l affai rs of the l and
,and i n dispens ing o f justi ce unto
the peop le .
”1 H aving mentioned a number o f them ,
andamong them Danie] Gookin , he goe s on to say,
“ th at thesen ames are prope r and worthy to be found i n our ChurchH i s to ry wi l l be acknowledged when i t i s cons i de red , not onlyth at they were the membe rs of Congregational churches
,and
by the members of the churches chosen to be the rule rs o fthe Commonwe alth ; and th at thei r exemp l ary behaviour i nthei r magis tr acy was general ly such as to ‘ ado rn the doctrine
1Magnal ia , i , 14 1 .
84 SERVICE ON COMMITTEES
ham . Late r i n the ye a r he was one of those appointed toexamine the s tate o f H arvard Col lege . He was also on acommittee whi ch cons i de red a remons tr ance m ade by twen tynine o f the men of Woburn, who wished to be a l lowed toh ave a min is ter who woul d p re ach certai n doctri nes th at h adbecome rul ing views with them , and whi ch a fte rward c ausedthem to remove to Rhode I s l and .
CHAPTER IX
APTAIN GOOKIN was fo r the thi rd timee lected As s is tan t on May 3 , 16 54, and was p resen t at the meeting of the Cour t hel d th at d ay .
Thereafte r we lose tra ck of h is movements fo rmore th an a ye ar . The p rob ab i l i ty is th at duri ng the summer or autumn he s ai led fo r Engl and, whither he was c al led by person al bus i ness ,
whi ch app arently was an e ffo rt to secu re the p rope rty le ft byhis e lde r b rother Edward Gookin, o f whose es tate he was onJuly 3 , 16 55, appointed adminis tr ato r . I t was necess a ry inthose days to take p ass age when and as opportuni ty o ffe redand i t may be th at D anie l h ad to l e ave home be fo re the b i rtho f his son Solomon , who c ame into the wor ld on June 20, but
l ived less th an a month , dying on Ju ly 16 . Whe the r his dep arture was sho rtly before, o r not long afte r these events , we maybe sure that he went away re luc tan tly and with an anxioushe ar t
,but sus t ai ned by his ab iding fai th th at his de ar ones
were i n the h ands o f the eve r—l iving God . H e had reason ,too
,to fee l th at he cou l d re ly upon the p rudence and judge
ment o f his wife Mary , and th at good fr iends and neighborswou l d be re ady to look afte r he r and the chi ldren in c ase o fneed .
The i n te rva l s i n ce D an ie l’
s l as t V is i t to London h ad wi tnes sed many ch anges . Cromwe l l h ad been proc l a imed Protec to r, and now ,
fo r the fi rs t time i n fourteen ye ars , an e lectionh ad been he l d, and the fi rs t Protector ate Par l i ament was i n
8 5
86 CROMWELL’S JAMAI CA PROJECT
sess ion . Among its members was Danie l’
s cous i n , VincentGookin
,who
,l ike him se l f, was a m an of high aims and unswerv
i ng devotion to the p ath of duty . Vin cent was then i n themids t o f h is s truggle i n oppos i ti on to the I rish tr ansp l anting .
H is p amphlet,“The G re at Case of Transp l antation in I re l and
dis cussed,” was pub l ished on J anuary 3 , 16 55 , and in the s to rm
whi ch i t awakened Danie ] h ad an opportuni ty o f Observinghow much mora l courage is requ i red to withst and popu l a rc l amour, l i ttl e th inking that he wou l d h imsel f h ave to undergoa s imi l a r expe rien ce twenty ye ars l ate r .The mind o f C romwel l , at th is per iod, was much occup ied
with his resolution to extend the power of Engl and beyondthe seas , and at the s ame time , by s tr iking a b low at thedominion of Anti ch ris t, to further the we l fa re o f
“ the peop leo f God
,
” whom he he l d i t his spec i a l miss i on to p rotect. AtChris tm asti de he had disp atched Admi r al Penn and Gene r a lVen ab les on the i r i l l- s tarred expediti on to wres t the Wes tI ndies from the grasp of Sp ain . Fai l i ng mise rab ly i n the i rattack upon San Domingo , they turned the i r attention toJ am ai c a . There they we re more suc cess fu l , the Spanish garri son being too smal l to make a s tand agains t even such afo rce as the t atte red remnants of Venab les
’ a rmy . A l andingwas made at K ings ton on May 10, 16 55 , and the is l and bec amean Engl ish possess i on .
The news o f th is conques t re ached Cromwel l on Augus t
4 , i n a letter from Ven ab les . Detai ls were soon forthcoming . Penn arr ived at Plymouth on September 1 , and was fo ll owed on the 10th by his as soci ate whom he h ad supposedto be morta l ly i l l when he le ft for home . The expediti on wasa bitte r dis appointment to the Protecto r . The acquis i ti on o fJ amai c a aff o rded smal l consol ation for the fai lure to gain sucha footho ld i n the Wes t I ndies as woul d domin ate the tr aderoute o f the Sp anish tre asu re ship s . Sti l l , as the is l and h ad beentaken he de te rmined to ho ld i t . The English garrison , a disorgan ized and cowardly mob
,deserted by thei r commander
,
cou l d not be re l ied upon,even with the ai d o f the rein fo rce
ments unde r M aj or Sedgwick whi ch h ad been disp atched as
e a rly as June 1 1 , when the news of the H i sp anio l a dis as te r
88 CROMWELL’S INSTRUCTIONS
his H ighness as ye advi ce o f the Counsel l W °“ are i n hoc
ve rb a .”
Instructions given unto M”Dan iel] Gookin.
I . You sha l l upon the rece i pt o f these Instruct ions repa ire aboardthe Ketch the Fratern itie bound for New England in wh ich you are bythe bless ing of God to take your passage thi ther where be ing arrivedI I . You sha l l app ly your sel fe to the Govern“ Magi strates and Gen
eral ] Courts of the Engl ish C olonyes or to such Churches Townes or
Persons of the Engl ish the ir as you shall find to be for the advantage o f
the present serv ice, and acqua int them That it hath p leased God to put
the I sland o f Jama ica in Ameri ca into the hand s and possess ion of thisS tate. The army sent from hence into those parts in December 1654hav ing landed a t the Towne cal led Jago De la be i ga the tenth of May andthat wee are assured as well by several] Letters from thence Dated the25
1“of July last as by General] Venables and General] Penn the first
whereof came from thence the 25111 day of July and the latter the 25 1“day
of June That our ff orces are in the ful l possess ion thereo f The peop lewho were found upon that place [ the number whereo f were about 1400]be ing fled to the h i lls with an intent ion to get over to some o ther partsof the K ing o f Spaynes Dom in ions Save that some of the Negroes Portugueses and others doe da i ly subm itt them selves to our C omannder in
C h i efe there to be by h im D i sposed of .I I I . You shal l descri be unto them the content, s i tuation and good
nesse o f the sa i d Is land as the same is expressed in the Paper now del iveredunto you wh ich W ee rece ived from our O ffi cers and Comm i ss ioners as
also the plenty of horses and other cattle wh ich are thereupon and you
shal l alsoe let them know the goodnesse sa fetie and conven iences forTradeo f the Harb°” where our m en now are fortifieing and o f other H arboursthat are in that I sland .
IV. You shall assure them that of the Army which landed the tentho f M ay the ir are between six and seven thousand men wel l Armed andthat s ince that, v i z” the beginn ing of July last W ee have sent from henceanother Regiment of ffoote Cons i st ing o f e i ght hundred sould iers Drawnout of our Ol d Regiments wi th provi s ions o f Bread and other necessaryesfor the whole army for e i ght months imbarqued in twel ve Shi pps Ei ghtwhereo f are good men of warr w th which M a io” Robert Sedgw ick is sentas a C om” in the C i v i l] affa ires, and that there is also a squadron o f eleaven
sh i pps o f good fforce under the comannd of V i ce Adm“Good son bes i desthe sa i d e i ght Shi pps o f Warr and one other Shi pp of war o f countenancein al l to the number o f Twenty w i th o ther Sh i pps o f Burden and v ictuallers, all w”“
are appo inted to tema ine in those Seas and attend unto thatserv ice.
V. You shal l assure That W ee shalle through the b less ing of Godendeavor to defend the sa i d I sland aga inst al l attempts whatsoever and forthat purpose sha l l Constantly send further Suppl ies both of men and shi p
CROMWELL’S INSTRUCTIONS 89
p ing from hence as l i kewise of bread and other provisions unti l ] the
I sland is ab le to supply it selfe. Our intent ion be ing i f the Lord Pleaseto have a good ffleet a lwa ies in those Seas.
VI . Thi s be ing the true State of that a ff a irs and the real ity of ourIntent ions there in W ee have thought i t exped ient to send you into the
aforesa i d Colon ies and peop le to expla ine and Declare these things untothem and to make them an Offer of removing themselves or such numbersof them as shalbe thought convenient out o f those parts where they noware unto Jama ica wh ich W ee have done chiefly upon these ensueingreasons amongst many others.
1 . Our des ire is That thi s p lace ( i f the Lord so p lease) may be
inhab ited by Peop le who know the Lord and walke in his ffeare that bythe ir l i ght they may enl i ghten the parts about them which was a cho i seend of our undertaking this Des i gne, and m i ght alsoe from amongstthem have persons fitt for Rulers and M agistrates who may be an encour
agemtto the good and a terror to the evi l] doers.
2. Out o f Love and aff ection to them sel ves and the fellow feel ingW ee have alwa ies had of the d i ffi culties and necess ities thay have beenput to contest with ever s ince they were dr iven from the Land of the irNativity into that Desert and barren W ildernes for the ir Consciencessake w°“ wee could not but make man i fest at thi s tyme when as W ee
th inke an oppertun ity is offerred for the ir enlargem”and removing o f
them out of a hard C ountrye into a Land of p lenty .3 . Cons idering that God by His provi dence through the many
d i ffi culties and necess it ies they are exerci sed w ith had put it into some
of the ir hearts to seek a new p lantation and parti cularly them of New
Haven who (as wee are informed) are upon thoughts o f removing intothe Bay of De La-Ware and that the D i stance between New Englandand this I sland is not soe great but w i l l aff ord a greater conven ience of
Trade and correspondence w ith the ir brethren they leave behind themthen the Bay before mentioned , W ee have thought fitt to m ake th isoffer to them And for their better incouragement there in you are to maketo them these fol lowing PrOppositions.
1 . That in case any entire Colony Or C olonyes or a Cons i derablenumber of Persons w i l l transp lant themselves th ither such part o f theI sland ly ing next some good H arbour shalbe set out unto them as sha lbe
answerable to the ir numb" and shalbe graunted to them and the ir he iresfor ever w i th all ed ifices Horses Cattle tame or wy ld , ffi sheries woodsTrees fruits and Profitts thereupon the same not be ing alreadie or shal lnot before an agreement made w t“ them be sett forth to some PlantersTo be held in free and COffiOIl Soccage wi thout any rent for the firstseaven yeares and then one penny an Acre and noe more.
2. That they shall have Libertie graunted to them for the Space o f
seaven yeares to hunt take and D i spose of to the ir owne use such horsesand other Cattle as are or shalbe upon the sa i d Island the same not
90 CROMWELL’S INSTRUCTIONS
be ing m arked by or belonging to other Planters Subject neverthelessto Such rules and D irect ions as to the ir hunt ing and take ing o f HorsesCattle and other Beasts out of the ir owne bounds and lym itts as shall fromtyme to tyme be made by the persons authori zed for manageing the
Aff a ires of the sa i d I sland .3 . That His H ighness wi l l Graunt them Letters Patents under the
Great Seale of Incorporat ion wi th as Large Priviledges and Imunityes
both for C hooseing the ir offi cers and otherw i se as are graunted to any
C itye or towne Corporate wi thin the C omonwealth of England .4 . That ne i ther they nor the ir servants shall without the ir owne
Consent be drawne out into the W arrs unless it be in case o f Invas ionor Rebel l ion and for the defence o f the sa i d Island .
5 . That noe C ustome exc ise impost or other duty shalbe sett andimposed for the Space of three yeat es to be accomp ted from the Dayof Septemb
” which shalbe in the yeare of our Lord 1656 upon any the irgoods or merchand izes of the groth production or manufacture of the
sa i d I sland wh ich they shall transport into the C omonwealth .
6 . That h is Highnesse wi ll take care and be oblidged to appo intefrom tyme to tyme Such a Governo” and C or‘ fiander in Ch iefe o f the sa i dI sland and such persons to ass i st h im in the m anagement of the aff a iresthereof as shalbee m en of Integritye and feareing God and that he wi llfrom tyme to tyme elect and const itute some from amongst them to be
of that number who for the ir fidelitye prudence God l iness and honestie
may be fitt for such Trust And that as speedy as may be a C ivi l] Gov
ernment shalbe setled agreeable to the word of God, and as far as thecond ition o f that p lace wi ll adm itt, to the Lawes of England , where provi s ion sh albe m ade that the Churches of Chri st shall have l i berty and
protection in all waies of God l iness and Honestie.
7. That towardes the transportat ion of themse lves the ir Servants andEstates His Highnes wi l l furn ish them with S i x Sh i pps o f conven ientburden i f they des ire that number and also a fi tting convoy, They undertaking
.
to vi ctual] Shi pps o f burden from the tyme the sa i d Shi pps shal larr ive in the ir ports for the purpose aforesa i d unt i l] they have performedthe ir voyage.
8 . As to the quantity and proportion of Land to be appo inted forthem accord ing to the first Propos it ion you are author i zed to propoundThat such quantity of Land shalbe set forth as w i l l answere the proport ion of twenty Acres for every M ale of twe lve yeares old and upwardsand ten acres Per Pol l for a ll other M ale or female to be transported asa foresa i d .
9. That the sa id quant ity of Land shalbe set forth unto them withinS ix weeks after the agreement made for the ir transportat ion and Significat ion of the ir des ires on that behalfe to the Comander in C h iefe or C om“
intrusted for that purpose to whom you shal l d irect yo” sel fe or any otherpersons concerned here in in prosecut ion of the prem ises or any part of them .
CHAPTER
ANI EL ente red upon his emp loyment i n th i saff ai r with m any misgivings . H is miss ion , indeed
,was fo redoomed to fai lure from its incep
tion . Not only we re important cons i de r ationsoverlooked i n the h as ti ly formul ated instruct i ons , but New Engl and was fa r from being theb arren wi lderness th at Cromwel l supposed, and,
to the s tu rdy co lonis ts , l i fe i n the trop i cs did not appear soal luring as his im agination p i c tured i t . Moreover , any le aningsi n th at di re ction they might h ave ente r tained
,were dispel led
by news whi ch re ached them of the mel ancho ly fate o f the soldiers who formed the J amai c a gar rison . On November 5,16 55 , whi l e D anie l Gookin was s ti l l deta ined in Engl and ,Maj or Sedgwi ck
,who h ad been sen t out with the fresh regi
ment that le ft Engl and in June and arr ived at Kings ton O ctobe r I , sent the Protecto r a dishearten ing repo rt .
“ For the army,” he wrote,
“ I found them in as sad anddep lo r ab le and dis tr acted condi ti on as c an be thought o f,and indeed think
, as never poor Engl ishmen were in : thecommanders— some de ad, some s i ck, an d some in indiff erent he al th : the soldie ry— many de ad
,the i r c a rc asses lying
unburied in the highways and among bushes many ofthem that were al ive walked ' l ike ghos ts o r dead men , who, asI went through the town , l ay gro aning and c ry i ng out,
‘ Bread,
fo r the Lord ’
s s ake"’ The mis fo rtunes o f th is shi ftles s anddisorde rly rabb le
,of whom Sedgwick comp l ained,
“Dig o r
92
A TRYING VOYAGE 93
p l ant they nei the r c an no r wi l l , but do r athe r s tarve thanwork
,
” though due to thei r own imp rovidence and abso luteneglect of a l l s ani tary p re c auti ons , was attr ibuted by them tothe unheal thfu l ness of the is l and .
Though D anie l’
s i ns truction s were issued on September26 , he was not ab le to l e ave Engl and unti l about the l oth o fNovember
,when he final ly set s ai l . The Counc i l o f State
p assed an orde r on December 19“ fo r the p ayment o f 501 . a
day demur r age whi ls t the vesse l was wai ting to receive M r .Gookin who was bound to New Engl and on the Commonweal th se rvi ce ,
” and on May 1 5 , 16 56 , the Admi r a l ty Commis s i one rs autho rized the p ayment to Pe te r Cole , owne r o f the“Frate rni ty
,
” o f 171. 10s. fo r seven days ’ demur rage , pursuantto s ai d o rde r .The winte r p ass age ac ross the Atl anti c i n a smal l c ra ft did
not p rove to be a p leasure trip . The wo rds “ trying ” and“ exerc is ing which Cap tai n Gookin used i n des c rib i ng i t indic ate th at he met wi th grave peri l as wel l as dis comfort . How
eve r,the voyage was s a fe ly ac compl ished at l as t and on J anua ry
20, 16 55/6 , the Fr ate rn i ty arr ived at Bos ton Two days l ate rD anie l wrote Sec reta ry Thurloe as fo l l ows
DAN IEL GOOK IN TO SECRETARY THURLOE
Sr
In obed ience to your comaunds, these are to give acco”: that it p leasedthe Lord two dayes s ince, to land me safe in New England a fter ten weekesof an exerc is ing passage from Isle of W i ght, and here find ing a shi ppreadie to sett sa i le to the barbadoes, and some persons therin to passe forEngland ; w°“
opertun ity I thought it exped ient to take, see ing the ir is noprobab i l ity of another for a good space . It is l ittle y”I cann at p”sentaquaint yo
” hono” w”“concern ing the a ff a ire of h is Highnes comitted tomee, but only in general] some pr inci pal men in the coun try doe we l lresent the des i gne o f h is h ighnesse 81 I doubt not but wi l l promote the
same ; only some unworthy persons (that came from thence, have as Iunderstand) brought up an evell report upon the I sland in Respect o f theunhelth fulnes therof, how farr it may be pre j ud i ci al I cannot yet resol ve,but hOpe not much : I trust (through God
’
s ass istance) Not to he wanting in my duty, and to g ive you full in format ion as th ings R i pen, w°“ Ides ire the Lord to accompl i sh to his owns G lory and His Highneses sat i sfact ion. So with my humble servi ces 81 harty pra iers that the Lord wouldBless 81 prosper a ll yo” wa igh ty aff a ires ; des iring excuse for thi s abrupt 81
94 FIRST REPORT TO THURLOE
scribled letter, beeing surpri sed through shortnes of t ime, humbly take ingleave, I Rema ine
Your humble servantBoston in New England DAN I EL GOOK IN
January 21 1“ 1655 1
The s ai l ing o f the ship fo r Barb ados being del ayed, thisl e tter was supplemented two days l ate r by another , of s imi l a rcontent but more c arefu l ly wri tten .
DAN I EL GOOKIN TO SECRETARY THURLOE2
Sr
Your commands obleidging me to give inteligence by all oppertun ities,i t was exped ient not to om i t th i s per the Barbadoes, no other beeing l i keto off er it selfe for a good space ; it is but very l i ttle h itherto that I have toacqua int your honer w ith , see ing i t is only fouer days s ince my arr ival] inNew England after ten weeks o f a try ing passage from the Isle o f W i ght,it cannot yet bee collected upon any grounds o f certa inty what wi l l be thei ssue of my Imploy. I hope the best, and trust through God
’
s ass i stancenot to be want ing in my utmost endevours. I have communi cated thematter to the Governor and some other princ i pal] men, who seeme to
resent things very wel l, and prom i se the ir best counsel] and incouragement,
be ing possessed of h is Highnesse ayme at God ’s honer therin, togetherw i th h is special] respects to th is people. As for other coloneys that areremote, and where I expect most may be done, I cannot addresse mysel fto them unt i l the sharpness of the winter be past, which for the presentrenders the wa ies impassab le, but in the interim , shall prosecute the workein thi s Coloney.There are two things rece ived by the people that seeme obstacles to
the worke ; one is the unhelth fulness o f the i s land occas ioned by an evell
report ra ised by some unworthy persons that have come from thence intothese parts ; the other is strong fears of cont inuell invas ion and disquiett
by the Spanyards . I hope that both may be taken o ff or eased when truthis d iscovered . I can conclude noth inge, but comm it the success to the
Lord who worketh al l things accord ing to the councel] of h is owne wi ll .W i th my humble serv ices and unworthy prayers for the Lord ’s presenceand grace continually to abide wi th h is H ighness and h is helpers, tostrengthen and incourage the ir harts and hands in the Lords worke, withmy perticular respects to your honour I remaine
S irYour aff ectionate and humb le servant
Boston, January 241“ 1655 DAN IEL GOOK IN
1 Rawl . M SS . A 34 , 609 . The date of th i s hast i ly wr i tten letter is man i festlyan error. I t should have been dated January 22.
3 Raw] . M SS . A 34, 689.
96 OBSTACLES ENCOUNTERED
sons which otherwi se ’
tis probable would have ingaged to remove, onlysome few about 100 have subscri bed , 81 those not very cons i derab le forqual it ie . But i f the Lord should please to give the state e ither H i span iola,C uba
, or any other l ikly and healthful] p lace , I have good reason to
beleeve that Sundry cons iderable psons and Churches W 1“ the ir ofli cerswou ld Transplant from hence into those parts (but as for the I s land of
Jam a i ca, though, through the favor of God late intel igence o f the 71“
o f
M arch last from the C om issioners g ive great hopes that the Lord isreturn ing to vis itt the remnant yt is left wt“ heal th 81 cure 81 also theygive great incouradgment concern ing the fert i l i ty and C omoditie o f the
sa i d Island , which tyd ings I have endevored to publ i sh, but what thee ffects then may bee, as to the drawing in o f persons it beeing hard lyyet knowne fully , I cannot determ ine) . But thi s place namely Jama i cathrough m any hard reports of i t hath at p”sent but a low esteeme in theseparts, 81 in some respects as I conceve much worse y” it deserves. Butyet notw ithstand ing the ir are about 20 persons wherof some are God lyand of C reditt who intend 81 des ire to pass from hence to the sa i d I sland ;81 I have by advise from the C om issioners ordered that they m ay passtheither in a ship of the states lately come from thence 81 now here ladeing masts 81 deales, for the fleet ; wherof is Come
-
i der one M art in, beeingto resume about 6 weeks hence unto Jama i ca now i f the Lord p lease to
carry them safe and that the I sland he l i ked by them (as I trust it may)then j they intend to fetch or send for the ir fam i l ies 81 upon the ir goodinteligence It is very probab le that d ivers wi l l remove, and in the interim( i f the Lord s thoughts be) to transplant any Cons i derable number of persons from hence, tis poss i ble that upon this last newes I may shortly heareo f greater mot ions among the peop le then formerly . Thus I have as
briefly as I could perticulerly declared to yo”Hono” the substance of whatis hi therto done.
There is one th ing further that I des ire to ment ion w°“ is an obiec
t ion I meet W“ from some princi pal persons,y” incl ine to transp lant, 81
indeed the mot ions o f such w i ll draw or hinder m any, i f His Highnes seecause to remove it, tis probable it may further the work ; They say the iris no incouradgement in the propos i t ions for m in i sters or men o f p lace butwhat is equal] wi th other men, now i f a m in i ster 81 h is people shouldremove the peop le w il not be in capacity to ma inta ine the ir m in isters 81o ther publ icke persons yt attend publ icke worke un t i l] they bee for some
yeates setled 81 have by the b less ing o f God ga ined some estate 81 y°rather forasmuch as they who transp lant from hence are d isabled to carrythe ir estates theither, w°“ cons i sts principaly in catle 81 land , now therefore i f the ir were some annual] alowances proposed for such persons fora few yeares unt i l] the peop le were inabled to ma intayne y“ , or othermeanes contri ved i t would take of thi s hindrance .
I am hartily sorry that my serv i ce hath hetherto beene of so l i tleprofitt unto His Highnes 81 the state, (whom I des ire through the
A JAMA ICA COLONIZATION HANDB ILL 97
strength of God to serve with a fa ithful] hart d i l igently) but I trust h isHighnes w isdome 81 yo
“ wi l cons i der the providences of God that hathoccurred and also remember some l i tle ment ion I m ade o f my feares thi sway before I came forth upon thi s imploy, but yet I am not out o f hopethat his H i ghnesses god ly intent ions 81 des ires in th is great worke in the
West ind ies, 81 elswhere w ilbe owned 81 crowned w”“the Lords B less ing
in his best season. Thus wi th my most humble servi ce p”sented 81 earnestpra ires unto h im upon whose shoulders all Gou
”nment is, That he wi l l in
favor give h is gratious p”sence 81 ass i stance unto h is Highnes 81 yo
”
Honours in all emerg
s
encies I Rema ine des irous to Bee :
His Highnes 81
yo” Honersmost humble 81ff a ith fu] servant
DAN IEL GOOK INCambrid ge in N . E .
M ay the Io”h 1656
Accomp anying th is l e tte r was a tr ans c r ip t of the orde radopted by the Counc i l at thei r meeting i n Bos ton
,March 7,
Wheras Capt. Dan ie] Gook in hath p”sented to the Counci l] a letterfrom h is H ighness, the Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England
,
81 H ath shewen unto us also the instruct ions w°“ hee receued from h is
sa i d Highnes, in both which it appeares that the sa i d Capt. is imployedto Comun icate to the seueral l Townes and inhabi tants of th i s Juri sd ict ion.h is Highnes propos itions to remoue such o f the inhabitants as shal l des ireto be transplanted to Jama i ca The C ouncel l read i ly graunts the sa i d Capt.Gookin l i berty to Com un icate h is sa i d Instruct ions to any or euery C on
gregation or Towne wi th in thi s Jurisd i ct ion, accord ing as hee shal l seecause, And for that end he is at h is Libertie to imploy any meet personor o ffi cer to Congregate the sa i d peop le for that end on any lecture or
other weeke day .By the Counci l]
EDW ARD RAWSON Secrety
A copy was a lso enc losed o f the p rinted announcementhere given in fa c- s imi le .
To a ll Persons w hom these may CONCERN, in the Severa l
Townes, and Plan ta tions of the UNITED C01.ON1ESin NEW-ENGLAND .
I t is hereby declared , That h is H ighness the Lord Protectour of theCommon wealth of England 81c : hath Comm iss ioned and Impowered
98 INDUCEMENTS TO EMIGRATE
M”D an iel Goohin dwell ing at Cambr idg in the M assachusets, to makeagreement wi th any conven ient number of the Engl ish in the Co lon ies o fNew-England , who sha l l des ire to remove themse lves or fam i l ies intoyamoria in the West-I ndies, now in possess ion o f the State of England ;And for the ir better Incouragement, His H ighness (bearing a speci al a ffect ion to the people o f New England , and be ing very des irous to have the
sa i d place inhabi ted by a stock of such as know the LORD, and walk inh is Fear, ) wi ll graunt them , Sh i ps for transportat ion ; a suffi cient proport ion of Land to them and theire heires for e ver near some good harbour inthe sa i d I sland ; Protect ion (by God
’
s b less ing) from all enem ies ; a shareo f a ll the Horses, Cattle, and other beasts , wi ld and tame upon the p lacefreely. Together wi th other Priviledges and Immun i t ies, the parti cu larswherof may be known by those who shall see cause to address them sel vesto the sa i d Dan iel Goohin (or such as h e shall des ire to be helpful] here in,whose names are underneath expressed in wri t ing) 1 who wi ll be ready tomake ful l agreement w ith them accord ing to h is H ighness Instruct ions,and take the ir reci procal] Ingagements and Subscri pt ions to remove accordingly. Farther it is des ired that such as incl ine to the Des i gn aforesa i dto make known themselves w i thout delay it be ing h is H ighness Pleasurethat the work of Transporting should be begun before the end of September next.
Dated this 25 of Ma rch 1656 .
From the outset i t mus t h ave appe ared to D an iel th at i twas s c arcely worth whi l e to pers is t i n the face o f such adverseconditions . By midsummer he regarded h is t ask as pr acti c a l lyat an end, as is shown by his next lette r , wri tten Ju ly 24 .
DAN IEL GOOK IN TO SECRETARY THURLOE 2
R i ght Honerb“Please herby to understand
,that I have wri tten several] lets by way
of Barbados, 81 comited them to the fa ith fullest persons I could meet w ith,
some wherof (I trust) are long s ince come to your hands, but I never hadoppertun itie to wr ite d irectly from hence unt i l] thi s p”sent (and I saw not
any nessesseitie for an expresse) . I have given pticular acct. formerly whatsuccesse h is Highness aff a irs (comm ited to me) hath found in these pts, thesumme wherof is that the generalitye of the god ly in al l the Country docordialy Resent h is H ighnes good w i l l, faver, 81 love, as wel l in th is as othermatters, 81 do unfa inedly (I trust) beare upon the ir harts before the Lord ,h im his work 81 helpers, and I have ground to th inke that al l the Engl ishC oloneys wi ll see cause in perticuler lets of thanks to manefest the ir duty
1 None appended to th is copy .2Raw] . M SS . xxxi x
, 43 1- 2.
100 ENDICOTT’S LETTER TO CROMWELL
back to England , for the I ssueing a hu i snes of some concernment to me,
which i left a t my com ing away , unfin ished (but comm itted i t to friendswho have m ade no progress there in .)Thus R i ght Hon
b“ des iring h art i ly to pray to the Lord for h i s grat ious presence 81 ass i stance to fo l low h is Highnes and helpers, and thatyo
” persons 81 pra irs may be neare unto the Lord day and n i ght that hem ay ma inta ine the cause of h is servant 81 the cause of h is people Israel 81doe every day in the day as the m atter shall require, 1 humbly take leave,Intreat ing to be acco
wdone of the number of h is Highneses 81 yo”Hon
ours Fa ith full (though unworthy) servantsDAN IEL GOOK IN
Cambridge in New Englandxxi iij
”“v”“month
1656
On O ctober 23 Governor Endicott i n the n ame and W“
the consent of the Gener al] Cour t, addres sed a l ette r to theProtecto r
,i n whi ch he s aid : “We received by C aptaine
Gookin yo”H ighnes p ropos alls fo r the removeall o f some o fo“ to the I s l and of J amai c a , W °“ by o
r o rder we re comun icatedto the peop le o f th is JurisdiEon ,
i n comp lyance w”h yo” H ighnes good and p ious i n tentions of p l an ting the p l ace w”h suchas th rough the b les s ing o f God m ay hopefullie p romote ades igne so re l igious : But i f by the i nte l l igence from thenceo f the mortall itie of the Engl ish there , the motion heereanswereth not expectation M ay i t p le ase your H ighnes notto impute i t to us as declyn ing yo
rse rvi ce , much less as dis
ac cepting yo r favor 81 endeavours of p romoting what m ayconduce to o
r wel fare .
”1
A month l ate r D anie l fe l t cons tr ai ned to make yet anotherreport . Even the s c ant measure o f suc ces s i ndi c ated i n hisl as t l e tte r h ad faded away .
DAN I EL GOOKIN TO SECRETARY THURLOE 2
R i ght HThe fru i t o f my labour in h is Highnes servi ce (through the disposeing
hand of God) be ing rendered very unanswerab le to h is p ious intent ions itis hard ly worth my troubl ing your honour with the recital] thereo f, onlyduty obleidging me to fa ithfulness, I shall acqua int your honour how thingsnow stand in refference to that a ff ayre.
1 Raw] . MSS . A xl i i i, 125 .
I b i d 24 1 .
CONDITIONS IN JAMAICA 101
In several] letters by way o f Barbadoes, and one from hence , whichwas the only d irect convayance (hi the r to pro v i dence p”sented) , I s i gn ifiedto yo
” Honour in perticuler my proceed ings in that servi ce, the sum e
whereof was to declare What I had done in order to promote h is Highnesgracious tenders, to p lant the i sland o f Jama i ca wi th som e god ly peoplefrom these parts ; and to that end I personal ly travil led to the se veral] co lonies, vi z : C onect icut, New Haven ,
and New Pl imouth , and Bay , whod id all thankfully resent h is Highnes great love and favour, and I conce ivehave wri tten to that end. But the great d i ffi culties and discouradgment
the Engl i sh have grapled wi th in that place,be ing fu l ly known heere, have
m ade the most cons i derable persons s low to appeare or ingage, to transp lant for the p
”sent
,lest they shou l d bring them selves and fam i l ies into
great inconven iences ; on ly there wa s about three hundred souls that subscri bed , who for the most part are young persons under fam i ly governm ent
,
and many o f them females , and for qual i ty of low estate, but d i verspersonal ly god ly . Three of thi s number tooke oppertun it i e to passe to
the i sland in Ju ly last ( in a sh i p o f the state’
s that loded masts heare) tod i scover the cond ition and sutableness of the i sland for them selves and
freinds to move unto ; two o f wh ich three persons returned from the sa i dI sland about four da ies s ince in a vessel o f thi s country that was there theybrought letters to me and a packe tt and a s ingle letter for yo” honour,which I have del ivered to James Garre t, commander o f the shi p Hopwe l lnow bound for England the first winde, wi th expresse charge to send i tupp w i th all speed after h is arri val ]. These two persons that are returned(for the third abides the ir for further tria ll) do repo rt some thing for encouradgment and someth ing th e Contrary . To the first they speak fu l ly o f
the fertilitie, pleasantness, and present healthfulness o f the I s land and how
much good may, in a l l probab i l i ty, bee done the re by an industrious and
d i l i gent people . The discouradgements they relate are the weak, low, and
careless posture o f the Engl ish upon th e place in order to settlement, wi ththe scarci ty o f victua ll and the ir whole dependance upon forra igne supp lys,neglect ing p lant ing for th e moste part ; also the death of the ir friend M a jorRobert Sedgw icke and som e others add s to the ir present d i scouradgements ; and they apprehend that the poore people engaged are no t in afitt posture to remove a tt present, see i ng the ir numbers for qual i ty and
quantit ie is too weake to setle and cary on a plan tat ion for the honour o fh is Highnes or thier owne com fort . Yet thi s I perce i ve, that severa l ] o fthem stand much incl ined to remove
,and some W l ll goe , i f shipp ing pre
sent, and many more, i f the Lord so please to change the face o f things
hereafter.I doubt not but the packett from thence wi ll spare me a labour in
rec i ta l] o f what I heard from thence . The ir present stra i t is want o fbread and some other prov i s ions whero f some late supply is transportedfrom hence. The ship Church , fly-boate, one Evans commander, sentth i ther for that ende, which shi p landed abou t 90 cwt of biske tt and above
102 FATE OF THE COLONISTS FROM NEVIS
2500 bushells of pease, whose d i spatch and furtherance from hence, abouta month past, I gave my help unto, be ing therunto des ired by letters fromthe Comm i ss ioners a t Jama i ca.
0
I have noe more at present to add but my humble service to yourhonour, and my poore prayers to the K ing o f Heaven to preserve, gu i de,strengthen, and prosper h is H ighness in the Lorde’
s worke. whom fa ithful ly to serve as th e Lord enableth , shall be the studdy and des ire of
S” h is H ighness andyour honours
servantDAN IEL GOOK IN
23dof the 8 1“month
1656
I n November Luke Stokes , the Governo r o f Nevis, re
moved to J amai c a wi th “ no less th an 1600 of the poore rinh ab i tants of his is l and,
”1 and se ttled at Port Morant . These
peop le h ad long been accus tomed to Wes t I ndi an l i fe, yetbefo re they h ad been three months i n the i r new home theylos t two- th i rds of thei r number , i n c luding S tokes himsel f.After this addi tion al evidence o f the dangers to whi ch co lonists i n J amai c a exposed them selves , furthe r eff or t on the p ar to f D anie l Gookin was c le a r ly pe rceived to be use less . I nJune he sent a l ette r whi ch m ay be regarded as his finalreport .
DAN IEL GOOKIN TO SECRETARY THURLOE 2
R i ght Honb“
The disposeing hand of God hath so rendered that a ff ayre of transplant ing New England people into Jama i ca, that a further account isscarcely worth his H ighness knowledge ; yet d uty obl iedgeing me, I darenot om itt i t. So it is, that s ince the retume o f those that went to V iewthe I sland from hence, and the intel l i gence by the last of them , of the
mortal itie amongst the Nevis planters, such a d ampe is put to the mostactive ingagers, that all are s i lent to a remove at present. I am apt tothinke, that d ivers of them wi l l find cause to repent of th is the ir cha inge,and breach of prom i se, see ing there is no just cause of discouradgement
as I can perce ive. As for that of Nevi s men, that p lace (as I hear) wasom inous to the Spanyard for unheal thfulness ; and all men, even thosethat went, report the del icasy and fert i l i ty of the I sland , wh i ch, by God
’
s
1Gard iner , H ist. C om and P rot. Ed . 1903 , iv , 223 .
Raw].M SS . A l i,185 .
CHAPTER X I
LTHOUGH i n June, 16 57 , Danie l announced
h is i n tention o f s ai l ing fo r Engl and in the nextship
,
” the opportuni ty did not come fo r near lyfive months . When at l as t i t di d arr ive , he h ada narrow es c ape from lo s ing h is l i fe . Thi s is thes to ry as to l d by him se l f :
”
But An . 16 57, in the month of November, 1 Mr.Mayhew , the son,
2 took shi pp ing at Boston, to pass for England , aboutsome speci al concerns
,intend ing to return w i th the first opportun i ty ; for
he left h is wi fe and ch i ldren at the V ineyard : in truth h is heart was verym uch in that work, 3 to my know ledge, I be ing wel l acqua inted w i th h im .
He took h is passage for England in the best o f two sh i ps then bound forLondon, whereof one James Garrett was m aster. The other sh ip, whereofJohn Pierse was commander, I went passenger there in, wi th Mr. Hezeki ah U sher sen ior of Boston and several other persons. Both these shi pssa i led from Boston in com pany. Mr. Garrett’s shi p , which was aboutfour hundred tons, had good accomodations, and greater far than the otherand she had aboard her a very ri ch lad ing of goods, but most especial ly o fpassengers, about fi fty in number ; whereof d ivers of them were persons o fgreat worth and v irtue, both men and women ; especi ally Mr. M ayhew ,
Mr. Davi s , Mr. Ince, and Mr. Pelham , all scholars. and masters of art, as Itake it most of them . The second of these, vi z . M r. Dav i s, son to one of
that name at New Haven, was one o f the best accompl ished persons for
learn ing, as ever was bred at Harvard College in Cambri d ge in New England . Mysel f was once intended and resolved to pass in that shi p : butthe m aster, who somet imes had been em ployed by me, and from whom Iexpected a common courtesy, carried it something unk ind ly as I conce ived ,
1November 13 . See D iary of John Hul l in T r. Am . An t. Soc. i i i,18 1.
3 R ev. Thomas Mayhew,jun ior, of Martha’s V ineyard .
3 Preach ing to the Indians, wh ich he d id in the i r own tongue.
104
SERVICE AT DUNKIRK 105
about my accomodations of a cabin : which was an occas ion to d i vert me
to the other shi p, where I also had good company, and my l i fe also preserved , as the sequel proved : For this shi p of Garrett’s peri shed in the
passage, and was never heard of more.
” 1
Arriving i n Engl and about the time of the summary dissolution of the second Protector ate p ar l i ament on February 4 ,
afte r its short and s to rmy second sess i on , Danie l foundth at s i n ce he s ai led away, two ye ars be fore, a noti ce able ch angeh ad taken p l ace i n the temper o f the people . Res tl es snessunder the arbi tr ary rul e o f the M aj o r Gener als , and dis satisfac ti on with the ascendancy of the mi l i tary p arty were be comingvery gener al . And in sp i te o f the intens i ty o f his Puri tanismsome echo mus t h ave re ached him o f the growing re actionagains t exces s ive re l igious enthus i asm
,—a re action
,which
,fo l
lowing Cromwe l l ’s wi l l i ngness to ac co rd l ibe rty o f consc ienceto others , was the h arb inge r of the age of ito leration . I t wasi ndeed an eventful time . I n June c ame the j oyfu l news o f thede fe at o f the Sp anish fo rces by the Engli sh and French a l l iesat the b attle o f the Dunes , fo l l owed a few days l ate r by thefo rmal de l ive ry o f Dunki rk into the h ands o f the Engl ish .
Then,at the beginn ing of Septembe r, c ame th at c rue l b low to
the hopes o f the Pur i tans , the death o f the Lord Protecto r,awakening app rehen s i ons th at we re to in c rease d ai ly as the
i ncompeten cy o f his suc cessor bec ame more mani fes t .I t wou l d , perh ap s , be pos s ib l e to trace D anie l
’
s movementsdur ing th is year i f more h ad been le arned about the “
spec i a lcon ce rnment ” th at took him to Engl and . Wh atever i t was ,progress appe ars to h ave been s low . Wh i l e wai ting
,othe r
o ccup ation was pos s i b le . So he sought and ob tained thepos t o f co l l ector o f cus tom s at Dunki rk, the minutes of theCounc i l o f State fo r March 10, re cording th at he was“ to be commiss i oned to rece ive the duti es Thisp l ace was app aren tly a temporary one , fOr duri ng the summerhe l ai d a peti tio n be fo re the Counc i l i ntimating h is des i re fo rsome employment,
“ at Dunki rk i f poss ib le .
”3 This received
1 H ist. Col lect ions of the I nd . in New Eng ,chap. i x
3 Cal . S tate Papers Dom . 1658-59 , p . 302.
3This seems to po in t to Dunki rk as the pl ace of res i dence of Edward Gook in .
The Letters of Adm in istra tion i ssued by the Preroga t ive Court of Can terbury ran to
106 RETURN TO NEW ENGLAND
favo rab l e cons i de r ation . The Committee fo r Dunki rk, onAugus t 30, recommended th at Mr . Gookin
“be nomin atedDeputy Treasure r a t W a r , to res i de i n Dunki rk, and rece iveand p ay al l moneys fo r the fo rces there, and a lso fo r conti n
gencies , th at the ac counts may be bette r kep t, and he is to berespons ib le fo r al l , and communi c ate the s tate o f a ff ai rs as
occ as i on requ i res .
”1 The appointment was a c cordingly made
by the Counc i l o f S tate , September 2,When
,on May 25, 1660, King Charles I I s ai led ac ros s the
Engl ish Channel to l and at Dover, where the c l i ff s“were
cove red by thous ands of gazers, among whom s c a rce ly onecoul d be found who was not weeping with D anie lGookin
,h aving embarked for home on the s ame ship 4 th at
h ad brought him to Engl and a l i ttl e more th an two yearsearl ier, h ad looked fo r the l as t t ime upon his native l and
,
and was seve r a l d ays out upon the long voy age ac ross theAtl anti c . W i th him as fe l l ow p assengers were the regi c ides
,
Gener a l Wh al ley and Colone l Goff e, who h ad thought i t prudent to flee to the new world be fo re Ch arles shoul d ar rive andtake up the reins of government . Had the di ary whi ch Go ff ekep t from May 4 , 1660, the day he left Westmins te r , unti l theye ar not been des troyed when the Bos ton mob set fi reto Gove rnor Hutchinson ’s house, we shoul d no doubt h avemany inte res ting detai ls conce rning th i s voy age and aboutD anie l Gookin duri ng the seven month s the regi c ides spenti n C ambridge . All o f th is di ary th at survives is a tr ans cr ip to f a few entri es .
12d. 3m [M ay 12, 1660] -The K ing was proclamed at Gravesend ;there was m uch rejoycing among the people, but God
’
s people lamentedover y° gt t profaneness wth wch yt Joy was express
’
d. It was observedyt many dogs d i d yt day run mad ; 81 dyed suddenly in y° Town.
Dan iel Gook in , natural , l awful] , and only b rother of Edward Gookin ,l ate in the
parts upon or beyond the seas, batchelor, deceased” (Adm . Act Book , Jul y ,1 Cal . 8 . P . Dom . 165 8
—9 , p. 16 1 .
”I b i d. , p . 165 .
3 Macaulay , H ist. of Eng ,ch . 1 .
”Presumab ly the “ Royal Exchange,” wh ich was the name of the sh i p commanded by Capt . Pierce in 1668 .
3 Hutch inson , H i st. Mass. Bay,Ed. 1795 , p. 197.
108 ENGL ISH DISSATISFACTION
cons i de r wh at shou l d be done about the i r app rehens ion"Againon March 8 we find his n ame re corded among those p resent ata meeting of the Counci l when a warr ant for the ar res t o f thejudges was i ssued 1 and given to a deputy who was sen t as f aras Sp ringfie ld on the i r tr ack , but, as was no doubt expe cted,returned empty handed . These pretended e ff orts did notdece ive the gove rnment i n Engl and , and the show of e arnes tendeavor fo l lowing the receip t, a few days l ate r , of an o rder forthe regic ides
’ ar res t— the se a rch fo r them being then comm itted to two ze alous royal is ts— was made too l ate to c reate adi ff erent impress i on . An Engl ish cor respondent of Rev. JohnD avenport o f New H aven wrote , Octobe r 28 , 166 1 :
“The Bays ti r r ing soe much fo r the Apprehending of W : 81 G : s ignifie
at p resent hee re but l i ttl e , because they were so l ong with them81 then didReal izing that the diss atis facti on o f the Engl ish government
wi th thei r re ception of Wh al l ey and Goff e,as also with thei r
5ers isten t dis regard of the n avigati on l aws , and various otheracts o f i nsubordin ation , th re atened to invo lve them in gravedi ffi cu l ties , the Gener al Court when i t met on May 22, 166 1 ,attempted to remove some of the c auses o f o ffence . At thec l ose of the sess i on a Committee was appointed “ to cons i de rand debate such matte r o r thing of pub l i c concernment touchi ng our p atent, l aws , p rivi leges , and duty to his Maj es ty, asthey i n the i r wisdom sh al l judge mo s t expedient
,and dr aw up
the resul t o f thei r app rehen s i ons , and p resen t the s ame to thenext se ss i on fo r cons i de r ation and app rob ation , th at so ( i f thewi l l o f God be) we may speak and act the s ame thing
,becom
i ng prudent, hones t, con s c ien tious, and fai th fu l men .
”
The report, s igned by Thomas Danforth,and p rob ab ly
written by h im ,is an exceedingly adro i t document . Wh i le
setting forth the duty o f al l egi ance to the King,and i n ciden
tal ly afli rm ing th at“The warr ant and le tte r from the King ’
s
maj es ty, fo r the app rehending o f Col .Wh al ley and Co] . Go ff e,ought to be di l igently and fai th fu l ly executed by the autho ri ty
1 Suffolk Deeds v , 1 1 1 .
”Quoted by Geo rge Sheldon ,in Whalley and Goff e in New England , pr in ted
as an introduct ion to the new edi t ion of Judd ’s H isto ry of Had ley .
GOOKIN’
S OATH OF ALLEGIANCE 109
o f this country, s tre s s is l ai d upon thei r l iberties under the i rch arte r . These are set fo rth and defined in eight p aragraph s ,of whi ch the l as t one we l l summarizes the pos i ti on m a i ntaineddu ri ng the long s truggle th at fo ll owed , by the p arty o f wh i chD an fo r th and Gookin were the leade rs .
“We conce ive anyimpos i tion p rejudi c i a l to the country con tr ary to any jus t l aw ofours , not repugn ant to the l aws of Engl and , to be an in fr ingement o f our r ight .I n the i r atti tude o f res is tance to a l l encro achments on the i r
charte red rights , these s turdy Puri tans never wave red .
“Danie l Gookin, be fore he took the o ath of al legi ance in Court,May 24th , 166 5, did openly and p l ain ly dec l are th at i n takingth at o ath he wou l d be so unders tood as not to in fringe thel ibe rty and p rivi leges granted i n h is Maj es ty ’s roya l ch arte rto the Gove rno r and Company of M ass achuse tts
,whereof he
is a membe r, and unto wh ich he is swo rn fo rmer ly . Bos tonthe 24th of May 166 5 . DAN IEL GOOK IN .
” 1
I t was th is sp i ri t o f unwi l l ingness on the p art o f the co lon ists to submit to a rb i tr ary government that h ad led the Engl ish gove rnment, i n 1664 , to appoin t a bo ard of commiss i one rs ,cons is ting of Col . Rich ard Nicho ls , S i r Robert C arr , GeorgeCar twright
,and S amue l M ave ri ck
,to vis i t New Eng l and and
enfo rce the i r subj ection . Fortun ate ly , Colone l N i cho ls , thesen io r membe r o f the commiss ion , was a man of sense . Nev
ertheless , much fr i c tion was engendered by the i nvi tation,
but so shrewdly was the controversy managed by the Gen
e ra l Cour t, th a t i n the end the commiss i one rs we re discomfited and obl iged to return wi thout h aving accomp l ished the i robj ec t . Credi t fo r th is is due i n l arge measure to Gookinand D an fo r th
,whose eff orts we re unti r ing . When Colone l
N i chol ls ar rived in Bos ton , they, togethe r wi th Edward Co ll ins , W i l l i am Parks , and Lieut . Hopes ti l l Fos te r, were cons ti tuted a committee “ to cons i de r o f th e matte rs p resentedby h is maj es ti es honorab le commis s i one rs . On the s ameday Gookin and D anforth were appoin ted on anothe r comm ittee,
“ to cons i de r o f al l the p apers de l ive red in to thi s Court1Mass. Arch ives , cvi , 1 32. A s im i l ar statemen t by Danforth
,dated May 26
,
1665 , is also p reserved in the same vo lume.
1 10 REFUSAL TO ANSWER COMMISSIONERS
by Colonel ] Richard N icho l ls 81 the res t o f his maj esti es commiss ioners .
Later i n the s ame month—May, I 665 - it was o rde redby the Gener al Court,
“ th at the Gouerno”, Deputy Goue rmo”,Capt . Danie l Gookin , Mr Thomas Danforth , Maj o” Gefi ll Jn°
Leueret, 81 the sec retary be a com i ttee to peruse al l the letters81 writings o f publ i ck conce rnment th at h ath p as t th is Cour tin thei r tr ans acti ons w”11 the hono”able comissioners , 81 wh at isof pub l i ck concera i t to be sent to Engl and, 81 to take orderfo r the sending o f them to such persons as they
,o r the m aj or
part o f them , sh al l judg meet ; who are a lso impoured o r themaj o” pt of them ,
to act i n al l th ings as they sh al l judg meete ,
to s end fo r Engl and by the fi rs t and second sh ip s cop ies prep ared to fo l l ow th at al l m ay be imp roved fo r this co lon iesadvantage .
”
The detai ls of the long controve rsy wi th the Commiss ioners have often been to ld, and need not he re be dwelt upon ,except as regards one in ci dent i n whi ch Cap tain Gookin figu res . Carr wrote Lord Arl ington
,the Engl ish Sec reta ry o f
State , unde r date o f Decembe r 14 , 1665 :“Col .Wh al ley and
Go ff we re entertained and fe as ted i n every p l ace a fte r theywere to ld they we re tr ai to rs and ought to be app rehended .
They were furnished at Cambridge with horses an d a gu ide ,and sent to New H aven fo r s ecur i ty . Capt . Danie l Gooking,being reported to h ave b rought ove r and to m anage thei res tates , the Commiss i one rs se ized his c attl e i n the King ’
s Province fo r h is Maj es ty ’
s u se, but he re fused to answer be fo rethe Commis s ione rs , so no more was done i n i t . Cap t . Pierce
,
who tr ansported Wh al ley and Goff i n to New Engl and,may
s ay something to thei r es tate . They o f th is co l ony say th atCh arles I gr anted them a ch arte r as a war r ant agains t h imse l f and successors , and so l ong as they p ay the fi fth o f al lgo ld and s i lve r o re they are not obl iged to the King but byc ivi l i ty .
”1
1 Cal . 8 . P. C O] Am . and West I nd . 166 1- 8,p . 345 . The warrant for the se i z
ure of Dan iel Gook i n ’s estate was i ssued a t Warwick
,March 21
,
CHAPTER XI I
HE Gener a l Cour t on May 1 5 , 16 57,“ I n ansr to
the m ocon o f M aj o” Symon W i l l ard and Cap t
Daniel ] Gookin i n re ference to theire pub l i ckservi ce donne
,
” granted them five hundred acresof l and apiece . I n O ctober, shortly be fo re C aptai n Gookin s ai led fo r Engl and the Cour t o rderedth at his gr ant “ be l aid out i n some convenient
p l ace on the e as te rmos t s i de o f Pequo t Rive r ; and on the 26 th
of M ay fo l l owing Captain Geo rge Dennison reported th at heh ad l ai d out
“unto Cap t . D anie l] Gookin , i n the Pequot coun
tri e,five hundred ac re s of l and , being bounded on the wes t wth
Poquatucke River, on y(3 south w”11 the Sound, on the e as t wt h
Thomas Prenti ce,81 on the north W“ the W ildernes .
Return ing from Engl and at the end of Ju ly, 1660, Danie lfound that Southertowne , as the p l ace where his gr ant wasl o c ated had been n amed
,was c l aimed by Rhode I s l and men ,
who had tresp assed upon the l ands and th re atened the se ttl e rs .
A warr ant fo r the ar res t o f these sundry rude fe l l ows ,”
issued O ctober 8 , l 66 1 , by Gove rnor Endi cott, Deputy Governo r Be l l ingh am
,and D an ie l Gookin , resu l ted i n the commit
ment o f Tob i as S aunders and Robert Burdett unti l they shou l dp ay a fine of £ 100 ap ie ce .
1 After th is quie t re igned unti l thefo l l owing sp ring, when the Rhode I s l and Gener a l Court tookcogniz an ce o f the matte r , as appe a rs by the fo l lowing document
,whi ch is on fi l e i n the Mass achusetts archives , though
1 Records of the Colony of R . I . and Prov. Pl an tat ions, i , 155- 6 .
1 1 1
1 12 THE PAUCATUCK CONTROVERSY
cur ious ly no mention o f i t appe ars upon the re cords of theRhode I s l and Court . 1
At a General] Court begun the 2oth of M ay 1662, holden at Warwicke, in h is M a jesty ’s name for the C ollony of Provi dence Plantat ions, 81C .
Ordered , by the author ity abovesayd, that the following proh ib itionbe s i gned by the Recorder, and sent unto Capt. Dan iel Gookin and to
every other person that i t m ay conceme, vi zWhereas the Court is in formed that you the above named C apta ine
Danye l l Gookin, or any other person or persons not having the leave of
this C ollony’
s Court, are endeavour ing to force into thi s juri sd iction and
to take possess ion o f land s wi thin the same at or about Pawcatuck. a l iasMisquamacott, by bu i ld ing, fencing, p lanting and otherwise, which yourforceable entrance be ing whol ly w i thout the leave and contrary to the
m ind s of thi s C ollony, is, in a very h i gh degree contrary unto the peace,crowne and d i gn i ty o f our Lord the K ing.
And therefore you, and every of you are in h is M ajesty ’s name
required to des i st from and forbeare such instrusions as you w i llanswer the contrary at your own perill,
”81C .
The annoyance continu i ng, Danie l and the other gr anteescompl ai ned to the Commiss i one rs fo r the Un i ted Colon ies ,whotook up the matte r at a meeting held in Bos ton , September 4 ,1662, and addressed a lette r to the Rhode I s l and Cou r t
Gentlemen : Wee are en fo rmed your p eop le p ro ceed withan high h and
,and p retend autho ritie fo r theire acting, and offi
ce rs c al l ing them se lves Cons tab les reddy as s is t them in thei rI njuries and off encive (truly wee m ay say) wi cked demeanoursbui l ding upon the l and ; th re atening C aptaine Gokens ten ant,to c arry him to pr ison and drive away his c attle ; euting hisgr asse ; by giueing i l l example to Pequot I ndi ans th at are i nsubj ection to us ; by profaning the s abb ath , and se l l ing greatquanti ti es o f l iquors to them ; which once and againe weethought meet to p resent to you cons i de ring th at the r ather
(though wee cou l d not ez ely) the pe rsons afo res aid acted wi thout youer Incurragement, bec ause wee h aue seen a war ran ts igned by youer Recorder , Joseph Torey, warn ing C aptaineGokens and othe rs to advi se and forebeare any furthe r o rfuture posses s i on o f any o f the l ands att o r about Pocatuck,
1Records of R. I . and P rov. P lantat ions, i . 463 .
1 14 MANY ACTIVITIES
(being an Neck of Land) s ittuate lying 81 being in the PequittCun tery on Pawcutuck Rive r,
” 81 C .
I t m ay we l l b e th at the smal l benefit he h ad been ab le toreal ize from the grant o f the Paucatuck farm , was one of the“severall cons i der ations e speci a l ly moving ” thereto
,th at led
the Gene ra l Court, on O ctober 1 1 , 166 5, to make D an ie lanother gr an t o f five hundred ac res . This , at his reques t, wasset out to him “betweene Concord 81 Lanc as te r bounds , nextadjoyning to the I ndi an p l antation c al led Nashobah
,
” and theloc ation was confirmed by the Cou rt on May 27, 1668 .
The extent and varie ty of D anie l ’s pub l i c servi ce at thisperiod we l l me ri ted the addi ti on al grant . He mus t, i ndeed,have been near ly i f no t qui te the bus i es t m an i n the colony
,
and the s a l a ry o f th i r ty pounds a ye ar , whi ch he rece ived as
As s is tant, c an h ardly h ave been an adequate compens ationfo r the time he gave to the aff ai rs o f the commonweal th . The
records o f the co lony show th at he was a fai th fu l attendant atthe ses s ions o f the Gene r al Court and at the meetings o f theGovernor and Counc i l .” No other membe r was more ac tive .
We find him engaged on many committee s , to audit the Treasure r ’3 ac count ;
“ to find out the bes t way and me ans to m akeagreement and contrac t wi th an hones t pe rson to p rose cute theI ndi an tr ade ” on the beh al f o f the s tate ; to tre at with the min tmas te r “ fo r al lowing such an annual ] some as may be agreedupon as a meete hono rarium ; ” to dr aw up o rder s conce rningthe mi l i ti a ; to V is i t H a rvard col l ege and examine the Tre asurer
’
s ac counts ; to dete rmine the di ff erences be tween Pres ident Dun s te r and Thomas Danfo rth ; even to l ay out l andgrants i n the Paucatuck region . These are on ly a few out o fmany th at might be n amed . More important we re des ign ations to hold the County Courts , as fo r Norfo lk Countyi n 1660, fo r Suff olk i n 1663 , and h is appointment i n 1668 as
one of the Commiss ioners of Revenue from impos ts . I n thel arge r affai rs of S tate , h is c le ar judgement and s agacious coun
1 Counci l meet ings appear to have been held a t all hours. I n Prov. Papers of N .
H. , i , 273 , is p r in ted a letter from Governor Bel l ingham ,July 12, 1665 , in wh ich he
refers to exped i t ing a messenger to Camb r idge to cal l Gookin ,Danforth and o thers
to meet at the Governor’s house in Boston , “ by s i xs of the clocke th is morn ing.
”
EXTENT OF PUBLIC SERVICE 1 5
sel were high ly valued and often c al led i n requ is i ti on . Wheneve r “uncomfo rtab le di ff erences ” arose between the towns , o rwith othe r co lon ies , his name was a lmos t ce rtai n to be p l acedupon , and often at the head of, the Committee deputed to dea ltherewith . Such ass ignments were not in frequen t and sometimes i nvo lved cons i de r ab le l abour, as wel l as the exerc ise o fgre at p ains and disc r imin ation .
W i th al he had his routine bus i ness as a magis tr ate to attendto , bes i des whi ch h is f arm s h ad to be looked afte r and the tr adewith the Maryl and and Vi rg i ni a p l antations .
1 Sti l l he foundtime to do h is ful l duty as Captai n o f the Cambridge tr ainedb and ; to attend rel igious servi ces and lec tures with punctili ous regul a r i ty ; to take his p ar t i n c atech is i ng the youth o fC ambridge ; to serve the town as Sele c tm an from 1660 to1672 ; to pe r fo rm the m any ne ighborly ofli ces th at necess ari lyente red l arge ly into the l i fe of one dwel l ing i n a smal l andremote communi ty . Nor is the tale yet to ld . As Superin
tendent o f the Pr aying I ndi ans he h ad to spend much of his t imei n j ourneys th rough the wi lde rnes s to thei r severa l settlements
,
bes i des l is tening to thei r appe als when they c al l ed upon h imin C ambridge ( as they appe ar to h ave done r athe r frequently) ,and accomp anying El iot when he went among them to p re ach .
And as emp loyment fo r his l e isure hours he p roj ected ands te adi ly worked upon a h is to ry o f the co lony, —o f whi ch ,un for tun ate ly
,but a smal l fr agment has survived .
Only one i ns tance is reco rded of D anie l ’s dec l in ation o fa publ i c trus t . The pub l i c ation , i n 1662, of some re ligioustr acts whi ch the minis ters thought too l iber al , resu l ted i n ano rde r by the Gene r al Cour t th at no books shoul d be pr intedi n future unless app roved by two ofli cial l i c ensers . Danie lGookin and the Rev . Jonath an Mitche l l were appointed
,but
refused to ac t. As the court h ad adj ourned , and no p rinti ng cou l d be done without autho riz ation by the l i c ensers , thep re sse s had to s tand idle unti l the Cour t convened i n M ay,
1He may perhaps have made a voyage to V i rgin ia in 1664 . By the GeneralCourt on May 18
,
“ Capt . Dan iel Gookin i s hereby des i red 81 appo in ted to keepe theCourts in Portsmouth or Dover 81 Yo rke, for th is year, if he come home 81 be wel l , ”but he does not appear to have served .
1 16 DISPUTE WITH THE ANABAPTISTS
1663 , when i t was o rdered th at the Printing Presse be at l iberty as fo rmer ly ti l l th is court sh al l take fur ther o rder, and thel ate o rde r is hereby repealed .
”
A glimp se o f D anie l in s ti l l another c ap ac i ty is a ff orded byan account i n a manus c rip t found among the D anforth p aperso f a “ publ i c dispute” with the An ab ap tis ts ,
“ th at i t might bede te rmined whethe r they were e rroneous o r not .” 1 S ix em inent c le rgymen were nomin ated to m anage the dispute on thePedobaptis t s i de , whi ch was appointed to be Apri l 14 , 1668 ,i n the meeting house i n Bos ton at 9 o
’c lock in the morn ing .
But l es t the se s ix l e arned c le rgymen shou l d not be a matchfo r a few i l l i te r ate B aptists , the governour and magis tr ates werereques ted to meet wi th them ,
” and so Danie l Gookin’
s n ameappears i n the l is t o f deb ate rs . I t was an anim ated sess i on
,i n
whi ch the Baptis ts were wors ted, not being ab le to convincethe i r opponents . I n Ju ly some o f them were imprisoned fo rheresy
,the warrant fo r the i r a rres t being s igned by D anie l
Gookin and five others .
1Mass. H ist. Soc. Col ls. 2 Ser. v i i i,1 1 1 .
1 1 8 LETTER TO FERDINANDO GORGES
province of M a ine, as also the C la ime m ade to the same by the j uri sd ict ionof M assachusetts, and now things grow up to a greater d i ference than formerly betwene them and you : be ing stud ious of peace and un i ty in wa ies
o f ri ghteousness among the Engl ish in thi s wi lderness I have p”sumed to
set before you a few cons i derations touching thi s aff a ire where in my des ireis to intend yo” honno” and benefitt as wel l as the pub l ique good beforehinted .S” tis not unknowne to you (I conce ive) how the body o f the peop le
in that province several years s ince (be ing wearied w ith anarchy amongthem selves) made the ir earnest app l i cat ion unto the juri sd i ction of the
Bay for protect ion and government, and accord ingly were accepted uponart i cles, subm itting and swearing fidel i ty to the same, which agreementwas to continue inviolab le unt il] the supreme power in England d i drelease them ,
after w°“t ime the extent of the l ine o f the M assachusettspattent to the N . E . (never before stated) d i d accord ing to the j udgmento f good artists there in imployd, take in the greatest part i f not all yo”prov ince ; under w°“
settlement those parts have rema ined in a qu iet posture for sundry yeares , but of late they have been interupted upon p”tenceof comm iss ion for your sel fe, the consequences whereof hath tended m uchto the d i sturbance of the peace and good government o f that p lace, and Ibeleve hath brought but l i ttle profitt to yoursel ves, for the body of the
people in conscience to the ir oath and art i cles st i l l adhere to the gov”ment
of the Bay, and frequently make the ir adreses to it for protect ion and just i ce
, and yo" doe not appear to have strength and interest enough to
com pose and sati sfy them . The j uri sd ict ion o f M assachusetts have not
been forward to enter into a contest w thyou in thi s matter, find ing i t d i ffi cult
to rule we], a remote and d i v i ded people, but the frequent sol i c itat ions ofthe people in that province urging a performance of covenant hath put themupon endevors to p
”serve peace and order among them and suprese the
contrary . And for that end comm iss ioners have been once and aga ine
sent and com pos i t ions made w th yours, But p”sently aga ine broken bysome among them on p
”tence of yo
” authority so that now it is probableyou wi ll heare, and y3 w”“ great agravations, that Mr. Jordan is secured ,the on ly end whereof is to p
”serve pub l ique peace, for some men there
are in the world who are impatient of any power that wi ll brid le the irlusts and d i sorders .
This be ing the state o f that affa ire I pray Sir,cons i der whether i t wi ll
not be advi sable for you not too read i ly to enterta ine pre j ud ice from thosemens inform ation nor yet countenance them in the ir act ings which Iassure you are ne i ther for your honour nor profi t
,but to consult whether
i t be not now for your interest to m ake some honorable compos i t ion wi th thej uri sd iction of M assachusetts for y°” C la ime which I beleeve they w il comp ly withal] rather than ingage in a contest wi th you ; and wi l l not th i smore conduce to you
” ad vantage then a cont inual exhausting (what youcan rationaly expect from them i f not more) for the support of the govern
LETTER TO ROBERT BOYLE 1 19
ment there bes i des the hazard and d i scouragement of the more sober andindustrious part of the people do desert the place, which they are ready todo as I heare i f things rema ine as they are, and a s for yo
” propriety in any
lands possessed and improved you may st i l l retayne ym i f you please
som in a letter or imploy some person to deale in it you may
hav ble 1some o f money pa i d you for your C la ime .
S” I des ire you w i l l seriously cons i der what is here p”sented whichyou m ay bee assured is from one that wi shes your best good , so des iringthe Lord God to d irect you here in that you may doe that which is mostfor his glory and yo” best good craveing excuse for my boldness with thepresentiment of my respects and servi ce, I t ema ine S”
Yours to hono” and serve youDAN IEL GOOK IN
Cambrid ge in New England,June 2 1663
Thi s l e tte r , written , as has been s ai d, with consummateski l l and ingenu i ty
,might h ave led to resu l ts more speedi ly
th an i t did, but fo r the i nte r fe rence o f the royal commiss ioners , who thought to set everyth ing at res t by p ass ing an ac t“ fo r ene rvating the autho ri ty of both the claym ing p arties
”
and p l ac ing the disputed te r ri to ry di rectly unde r th at o f theKing . Neverthe less
,the controversy dragged on
,and l i ttl e
p rogres s had been m ade when , ten years l ate r, the ques ti ons atissue we re des c r ibed in a lette r addres sed to the H onou r ab leRobe rt Boyle
,the autho rship of whi ch may be confidently
as c ribed to D anie l Gookin,though i t may be th at some o f the
other s igners took p art i n its compos i tion .
GOVERNOR LEVERETT AND OTHERS TO ROBERT BOYLE 2
Honourab le S ir,As an add ition to your former k indness, touch ing the present of m asts
sent from thi s colony to h is Majesty , we are lately in formed that you havebeen p leased to speak on our behal f in the ears of h is most excel len tM a jesty, our gracious Sovere i gn, when our adversaries, by the ir hardspeeches and false suggestions have laboured to al ienate h is royal heartand affect ions from us ; wh ich favour of yours (to a peop le that are so
great strangers to you, and so undeserving your love) calls for grat i tude .
And therefore, should we be s i lent in our most thankful acknowledgementthereof, first unto God, that hath so incl ined your heart, and nextly to
1To rn off wi th the seal .
”L ife of Boy le, by Thos . B i rch , p. 453 .
120 LETTER TO ROBERT BOYLE
yoursel f, as an instrument (and i f we may presume to say) an ad vocatefor thi s part of God ’s poor church in the w i lderness, it wou ld render usmost unworthy o f our p rofess ion.
S ir, we need not put you in m ind , that the poor church of Chri st in
al l ages, even from ri ghteous Abe l’
s time unto this day , hath not wantedad ve rsaries : the ancient enm i ty , which God hath put between the two
seeds, wi l l never reconci le ; that examp le in Ezra’
s and Nehem iah ’s t ime
do su ffi cient ly ev ince th i s ; for although the people o f God then had amp lecharters from those great princes, Cyrus and Artaxerxes, yet God was
pleased , for the tria l of h is church, and the i l lustrat ion of h is own glory( in the ir sa l vat ion) to perm it a Sanba l lat, a Tob iah, and others
,falsely to
accuse that people, to those princes, of d i sloyalty . S ir, we hear, that ourad versaries there are p lott ing and des i gn ing aga inst our peace ; so muchthe more cause have we to lye in the d ust before the Lord , imp loring h isass istance and salvat ion, as the matter sha l l requ ire . And also it is our
d uty , not to neglect the use o f that l ittle means, that is left us, in order tothe preservat ion o f our qu ietness and l i bert ies ; among wh ich , this appl i
cat ion to yoursel f, and by you to our most gracious K ing (whose royalheart th e Lord hath graciously incl ined hi therto to favour our ri ghteouscause) is the princi pal.Sir
, we hear o f several th ings aga inst us, which we do not parti cularlyunderstand , but so far as is int imated to us, we wi ll m ake bold herebriefly to ment ion them , wi th our answers to them .
I . Our loyalty is quest ioned . To th is we answer (in all hum i l i ty,not boast ingly) that the demonstrat ions o f our loyalty are known to thousands ; part i cularly 1 . W e never procla imed or acted in the nam e o f the
late power in England in h is M a j esty ’s absence, as al l other remote co l
on ies d id . 2. It is known, that in our publ i c prayers, as wel l as in private fam i l ies, we pray for our K ing . 3 . When a squadron of h is shi ps,under Sir John H armon, commander, were in the West Ind ies , stre i ghtened for provi s ions ; we freely and seasonab ly sen t a shi p laden wi thprovi s ions for the ir supp ly . 4 . In that presen t of a sh ip laden wi thm asts, sent for th e supp ly o f h is royal navy . Those two last things costthi s poor colony some thousands o f pound s ; and we have not heard thatany o f h is M a j esty ’s colon ies (though far exceed ing us in ri ches) havegiven h i gher demonstrat ions o f the ir loyalty .I I . W e are sa i d to be faCt ious in the princi ples o f rel i g ion . Answer.
I f Mr. Perk ins, and those good old Puri tans, in K ing Edwa rd the VI thand Q ueen E l i zabeth
’
s t ime,d id , in the ir princi ples or rel i g ion, teach ev i l
doctrine (which we conce i ve no true Protestant wi l l say) then m ay we be
rendered such ; for our rel i g ion and princi ples are the same for substancewi th those old Christ ians and reformers cal led Puri tans .
I I I . It is sa i d , we are a d ivi ded people. W e acknow ledge it is amatter to be greatly bewa i led , that the church of God, al l the world over(by reason o f man ’
s weakness and infirm ity) doth labour under d ivers i ty
122 PURCHASE OF THE GORGES CLAIM
taking them under us hath been a des ire to do them good , outward ly andinward ly ; especially to encourage a p ious and able m in ister to l i ve amongthem , and to preach th e Gospe l to them , whi ch, through the favour ofGod, hath been in some measure atta ined . Before they came under us,we know noti of one preach ing and p ious m in ister in five or six vi l lagesthere, and s ince (through God
’
s favour) they have been wel l provi dedtherewith . Godly m in isters indeed were very shy to go among them to
l ive, before they were settled under th is government ; and at such time,
when the comm i ss ioners took them o ff from us, and settled some j ust iceamong them selves, it was but a l i ttle whi le after the comm i ss ioners weregone, but that people fe l l into such d ivi s ions and confus ions, that m any o fthe ir m ini sters left them ; and the people aga in earnestly sued to us for
protect ion and government, find ing no benefit (as they alledged) by such , asthe comm i ss ioners had appo inted to rule them . Peradventure Mr. Gorgeand some others may apprehend , they are deprived o f honour and profitby us in th is matter ; but, we be l ieve,
‘
as it hath, so it w i l l be found , thatne ither the one nor the other would accrue to them, i f they had it underthe ir power, accord ing to the ir des ire.
Thus, nob le S ir, we have m ade bold to g ive you an account (asbriefly as we could) of what we hear is obj ected aga inst us, and our
answer ; comm i tting al l to your goodness and w isdom, to make use of as
you shall see occas ion.
So des iring, in all hum i l ity, your pardon for our presumpt ion, in g iving you this troub le, with our cord ial prayers unto the God o f all m ercy andgrace, to pour upon your head and heart h is richest bless ings ; wi th our
most humble service and love to you presented , we take leave, des iringalways to rem a in,
Your honor’sMost aff ect ionate friends and servantsJOHN LEVERETT, GovernorSAMUEL SYMONDS
,Deputy Governor
DAN IEL GOOK IN , Ass i stantRICHARD RUSSELLTHOMA S DANFORTHJOHN PYNCHONWILL IAM STOUGHTONEDWARD TYNG
This is a dupl icate of a letter sent in December last. Dated in Bostonin New England
,M ay 10, 1673 .
More th an five ye ars were s ti l l to e l apse be fore the aff ai rwas final ly adjus ted by the purch ase o f the Gorges c l a im forthe sum of £ 1250 . The fin al repor t upon the matte r
,made
to the Gene r al Court, was dr awn up by D anie l Gookin and is
dis tinguished by its c le ar and cogent re asoning .
St. August ine’s C hurch , Northbourne, Kent.
In te r ior of the old church , R i pple , Kent .
124 FINAL REPORT TO THE GENERAL COURT
Obj ect ion 1 It is probable our i l l w i llers w i l not bee wanting inthe ir endeavors to incense our gra tious K ing aga inst us 81 Aleadge y1 byth is Acqu i s it ion wee asp ire after dom in ion 81 enlargement o f territorywch is not for h is hono” or interst to Adm itt.
Answ er I f h is matie should receve any impress ions aga inst us in
th is case, and declare disa tisfaction— ir is then t ime enough to Returneh im such Answer as becomes Dut i ful and loyal] subj ects .
O bj ect ion 2 I t is a great some of mony to be pa id for it 81 the
country be ing great ly im poveri shed by the late warre, 81 much in debt arenot in a good capacity to d i sburse thi s sume without great inconvence .
Answer 1 The some of 12501starl ing w”h is the some to bee payd
for it is not as wee conceve so cons i derable but the country may pay itwi thout any great determent especial ly cons i der ing the advantages acrew
ing therby before hinted 81 i t is very probable yt some purchasers wilsoone appeare to by some parcel] o f this land to re imburse the treasury o fy” country ; Truly we conceve God hath put an oppertunty into 0
” handby thi s purchase o f y
t province w°“wee should thankfu l ly accknow léd 81
improve for Gods hono” and the pub l i ke good ; 81 not through feare of
cont ingent events, decl ine, thi s opertunty.
Ans . 2 : I f upon Experience wee find it Burthensome or inconven ientfor us there is no cause to doubt (as wee j udge) but wee may ease o”selveswi thout any damage to the country .
3 Obj ect ion In thi s pattent it is required that the Rel i g ion profesedin the Church of England , and Eclesiastical Gouerment therof shalbe proffesed setled 81 establ ished in 81 through the sa i d province ; Thi s injunctionmay prove A Snare to us.
Answer 1 The Rel i g ion of the Church of England , in the Doctrinal]part of it conteyned in the 39 Art i cles, is sound 81 orthodox 81 for the
substance therof is not on ly professed by all protestants generally but by ourselves also, hence there is no reason for any good C h tian to th inke it a snare.
Ans. 2 as for the eccles i ast i ca l Gounment o f England,which is estab
l ished by the lawes o f that land ,Although in our j udgment wee d i ffer fromi t, yet wee m ust remember wee are proh ib i ted in our Charter o f the Mas
sachusetts, to make any law repugnant to the laws o f England , of whichlawes thi s is one, therfore m ay not make any law aga inst it.
Ans 3 I f it should happen that any of h is Mam”
subj ects that doe or
shal heraf ter l ive there, should profes 81 practi se in m atters o f Rel i g ionAccord ing to the church o f England , is there not as Good reason for us toAdm i t them , that act therin not aga inst any law m ade by us, As to perm itquakers and other perswas ions d i f. from us, to practi se the ir rel i g ion con
trary unto our lawes 81 that not in remote parts of the country but in o”
ch iefest towns ; They that profes Rel i g ion accord ing to the Church o f
England owne Good 81 sound princi p les in doctrine 81 are obed ient to civi lorder, But the other persuations oppose both . Therfore which are l i ke tobe the best ne i ghbors 81 Subj ects let Reason Judge.
FINAL REPORT TO THE GENERAL COURT 1 25
Objection 4 There was an inconven ience unto thi s General Courtin the number of Deputies Sent from that province in former times whichhave had to great an influence upon our a ffayres ; 81 yet the peop le of y
1
province have pa i d l i ttle or nothing to support th i s Goum t 81 be ing few81 poor are l i ke to do l itle for y° future for o” Benefit 81 therfore wer l i keto bee burthensom rather than benificia l .
1 Answer The number of Deputyes in y1 CountyAccord ing to reason
may 81 ought to be l im i ted to a lesser number 81 accord ing to the ir ab i l i tythey are obl i ged to pay taxes as others doe ; for now those priviledges
they had before by Arti cles are ext inct.Thus des iring the lord to gu i de 81 d irect the hon“16 Court in the con
clusion that it may bee for Gods honour 81 publ i ke good we tem a ine yo”Humb le servants
DAN I EL GOOK IN SenBARTHO GEDNEYWILL IAM JOHNSONJo . W AYTE
CHAPTER X IV
nothing e lse do the s te r l i ng tr ai ts o f D anie lGookin
’
s ch ar acte r s tand fo rth more s al ientlyth an in his work among the I ndi ans of M as s achusetts . The s to ry of th at work is the reco rdo f l ong years of p ains taki ng e ff ort and sel f- s ac r ificing devotion ; o f s te ady pe rs is tence in the faceo f difli culties and dis cour agements ; o f unwaver
i ng dete rm ination , matched on ly by th at o f his fr i end andas soci ate
,the s aintly El iot . I t was work th at c a l l ed fo r never
fai l i ng tac t,
fi rmness tempered by dis c retion,p atience
,and
kindly sympathy . To these qua l i ti es, pos sessed i n ful l measureby both El iot and Gookin
,the suc ces s th at attended the i r
l abours may be as c r ibed . Another essenti a l qual ific ation wasabundance o f “ the judgement o f Chari ty,
” to quote Danie l ’sown ph rase .
“ For my own p art, I h ave no doubt, but amful ly s atisfied ,” were his words i n speaking o f the I ndi an converts
,
“ th at dive rs of them do fea r God and are true be l i eve rs ;but ye t I wi l l not deny but th at there m ay be some of themhypocri te s , th at p ro fess re l igion, and yet a re not sound hearted .
But things th at are sec ret be long to God ; and th ings th at a rereve aled, unto us and our ch i ldren .
” 1
“Things th at a re se c ret be long to God I I n this p regnan texp res s i on is revealed the atti tude of mind with whi ch hereg arded his fe l l ow men . And what e loquen t tes timony i tbe ars to the loftines s of his sou l"
1H ist. Col lect ions of the I nc] . in New Eng , p. 183 .
126
1 28 ELIOT’S COADJUTOR
upon the south s i de o f the Char les r ive r, abou t four o r fivemiles from his own house ; where l ived at th at time Wab an
,
one of thei r p rin c ip a l m en , and some I ndi ans with him .
” I nhis ac count o f th is memor able occ as i on , El iot s tates th at hewas ac compan ied by “ th ree othe rs , one of whom was i n al lp rob ab i l i ty h is fr i end Gookin . Certai n i t is th at D anie l wasi n the h ab i t o f attending these di s courses , whi ch were con tinued fo r sever a l ye ars unti l the I ndi ans removed to N atick , fo rhe rel ates an i ncident abou t an I ndi an conve r t n amed H iacoomes , to l d him by the R ev . Thomas M ayhew, J r .,
“ i n tr ave ll ing on foo t between Wate rtown lecture and Cambridge , theI ndi an th at was the pr incip al person conce rned being withhim . This was e i the r i n 1649 or e ar ly i n 16 50 .
Be ing away from the co lony a good dea l during the e ar l i e rye ars o f his res i dence in C ambridge, i t is l ike ly that Captai nGookin was drawn into the I ndi an work gr adual ly . By theye ar 16 56 the se ttlements , o r as they were denom in ated
“ p r aying towns , s ix i n numbe r , o f the I ndi ans who had madep ro fess i on o f Chris ti ani ty and fo rmal ly submitted to the government o f Mass achusetts , had become so we l l es t abl ished thatthe Gene r al Cour t found i t des i r ab le to appoint and empowe r“ one o f the Engl ish magi s tr ates to j o i n wi th the chie f o f the i rrule rs , and keep a highe r Cou r t among them ; extending the
power o f thi s cour t to the l ati tude of a county cour t amongthe Eng l ish ; from the jur isdic tion whereof noth ing fo r goodorder and gove rnment c ivi l o r c r im in a l is excepted, but appe als ,l i fe, l imb , b ani shment and c ases of divo rce .
” Obvious ly thefi ttes t o f the Magis tr ates fo r th is pos i ti on was Eliot’s chos enassoc i ate and co adjuto r , a l ready, fo r his i n te res t in the i r welfa re and in fos te r ing thei r educ ation , known as the I ndi an s ’
f r iend . Dan ie l was acco rdingly appointed the fi rs t ru ler, o rSuperintendent
,of the Praying I ndi ans . This was i n 16 56 , not
l ong afte r his return from Engl and,and whi le he was engaged
upon the bootles s miss i on fo r the co lonization o f J amai c a .H e ente red upon h is duties with ze al , but being c al led b ackto Engl and the next yea r , Maj o r Gene ra l Humphrey Athe rton o f Dorches te r was appoin ted in h is s tead . Though Danie lre turned in the summer o f 1660, Gene r a l Atherton continued
IN CHARGE OF PRAYING INDIANS 129
to serve unti l the fo l lowing ye ar , when he was taken i l l anddied . Then
,on November 27 , 166 1 ,
“ i n answer to the peti tiono f M” John El iot i n beh al f o f the I ndi an s ,
” Captai n Gookinwas again appointed “ to keep Courts amongs t ” them . I nth is po s i tion he continued unti l the ab rogation of the Ch arte rGove rnment, i n 16 86 . As in te rp reted by thi s fai th fu l se rvanto f the commonweal th
,the duties imposed were not l ight . He
has to ld us h im se l f i n wh at they cons is ted . Afte r rec i ting theo rders p assed by the Gener a l Cour t,
“ For the be tter o rder ingand gove rn ing the I ndi ans subj ect to us
,e spec i al ly those o f
N ati ck,Punkapaog, and the requi rement th at he shou l d
on ce a ye a r make known to them “such necess ary and whole
some l aws , which are i n fo rce , and may be m ade from time totime
, to reduce them to c ivi l i ty o f l i fe, and to dete rmine al lc auses a ris i ng thereunder, except a few of which cogn iz ancewas reserved to the Gene ral Cour t, he proceeds : 1
“ Bes i des the work above mentioned , tr ans ac ted by theEngl ish magis tr ate and his ass i s tan ts , the re are sundry othe rth ings done by h im in orde r to the i r good ; as the making o f orders , and giving ins tructions and di rections , backedwith pen alti es , fo r p romoting and p ractis ing moral i ty, c ivi li ty
,i ndus try, and di l igence in the i r p arti cu l a r c al l i ngs : fo r
id lenes s and imp rovidence are the I ndi ans ’ great s in,and is a
kind of second nature to them , whi ch by good example andwholesome l aws
,gradual ly app l ied
,with God ’
s b less i ng maybe rooted out.
Likewise It is the c are o f th is Engl ish m agis tr ate,i ntrus ted
with th is aff ai r , to make and execute good orders fo r keepingholy the s abb ath day ; and that the peop le do attend the pub l i cworship o f God ; and th at s choo ls fo r the educ ation o f youthbe settled and conti nued among them ; and to p rovide th at theI ndi an te achers ” and ru l e rs h ave some smal l encouragement
1 H i st. Col lect ions of the I nd . in New Eng ,chap . VI .
”Further on he says “ The i r teachers a re general ly chosen from among themselves—except some f ew Engl ish teachers— of the mos t p ious and ab le men amongthem . I f these d id no t supply , they would generally be dest i tute : f or the learnedEngl ish young men do not h i therto incl ine or endeavour to fit them selves for that service
,by learn ing the Ind ian language . Po ss i b ly the reasons may be : F i rst, the
d ifli cul ty to atta in that speech . Second ly , l i ttle encouragemen t wh i le they prepare
1 39 CAPTAIN GOOK IN’S HONORARIUM
dis tr ibuted among them ,ac co rding to the peop le ’s ab i l i ty
,
whi ch is done out o f the tenth s o f thei r ye ar ly in c rease of a l lsorts o f gr ai n and pu lse . This t i the is set ap art at the ingathe r ing and th reshing of the i r gr ai n , and b rought in to one p l acei n each town
,as due unto the Lord ; and is disposed of by
o rder o f the Court, fo r support o f those that attend publ i cse rvi ce i n both o rders , i n th at p l ace p roportion ably .
“ Bes i des the p arti cu l a rs above mentioned, there a re sundryother th ings
,th at fa l l unde r the cons i de r ation o f the Engl ish
magistr ate, th at h ave gre at i nfluence i nto the i r re l igious concern
,and h ath frequent oc c as ions and opportuni ti es to p ress
chris ti an exhortations upon them for the i r sou l’
s good .
”
Afte r p ass i ng to some othe r m atte rs,he adds : “ Befo re we
conc lude this ch ap ter , i t may not be impertinent fo r the bette rc le ar ing of th ings , to remark, th at the Engl ish m agis tr ateattending th is servi c e among the I ndi ans
,never h ad any com
pensation fo r his t r avai l and expenses i n th is kind, e i the r fromIndi ans o r Engl i sh i n New Engl and ; though i t is wel l known ,he h ath , as wel l as the i r te ache r, Mr . Eliot, had many we ary
journ ies among them ye ar ly, and unde r sundry tri als , when heis fo rced to l odge i n the i r woods and wigwams .
l But theH onour ab le Corpo r ation at London , fo r p rop agating the gospe l among the I ndi ans i n New Engl and, have been p le ased ofl ate ye ars , by the h ands of the i r de legates , the honoured Commis s ioners o f the uni ted co lon ies i n New Engl and, to con fe rupon h im out o f the pub l i ck s to ck , at fi rs t fi fteen pounds , nowtwenty pounds , New Engl and money, pe r annum , and as anhonora rium fo r his se rvi ce among the p r aying I ndi ans . This is
for i t. Th i rd ly , the d i ffi culty in the p ract ice of such a call ing among them ,by reason of
the poverty and barbar i ty , wh ich cannot be grappled wi th , un less the person be verymuch mort ified , self-deny ing and of a pub l ick spi r i t, seek ing greatl y God ’s glory ;and these a re rare qual ificat ion s in young men . I t is but one of a hund red that is so
endowed .
”
1 I n another pl ace he says : I have often lodged in the i r w i gwams ; and havefound them as warm as the best Engl ish houses. I n the i r w igwam s they make a kindof couch or mattresses , firm and strong , ra ised about a foot h igh from the earth fi rstcovered w i th boards that they spl i t ou t of trees ; and upon the boards they spreadmats generally and somet imes bear sk in s and deer sk ins. These are large enough f orth ree or four persons to lodge upon : and one may e i ther d raw nearer or keep a t amore d istance from the heat of the fire , as they please ; f or the i r mattresses are s ix or
e i ght feet b road .
”
1 32 JOURNEY TO THE NIPMUCK COUNTRY
incouragem”, w
°“they leave to yourselves for the measure ; and my humblerequest is that it may be hono
”able. I f I thought it were needful, I could
p”sent you w
th reason s w”“ I doubt not but would be accepted by you.
Thi s is one, that doth necessari ly bring much resort to h is house, and o f
such as cah ot in comon ci v i l i ty and human ity be sent away wt“out enter“
ta inmen”. Which I intreat your prudent cons i deration of .
The Hon”able Corporation doe require of me to g ive them int imat ion how a greater revennue m ight be best imployed in this work : nowmy Opinion hath allways bene, y1 the send ing forth and supporting fitt inginstrum“ is a necessary and I conce ive, the best way , to p
”omo te th is
worke ; and you see yt D ivine Provi dence hath ri pened more fe i lds
towa rd thi s harvest, w°“ call for more labourers, and wi l l m u lti p ly the
labours o f such as he there in imployed ; w”h a ff ord s another reason of anhonorable incouragm t
to Capt. Gook in, whose busynesse doth muchinlarge, had he wherew‘“
to aff ord answerable attendance.
”
I n 1668 th e Corpor ation ’
s revenue ,“ because o f losses i n
the great London fi re,
” had fal l en so low th at the Commiss ioners were reques ted “ to ab ate a l l ch arge th at is not essenti al ] tothe being of this good worke .
” An swering this , the Commiss ioners s ai d in the i r rep ly
Nor doe wee understand that your caution there in respects Capta inGook in , whose great labour and good success there in is of such use that i fnot attended by him must bee by some other or the want thereof w ilbeesoon found .
The account given by Danie l o f a j ourney whi ch he andEl iot took to vis i t seven “ new p ray ing town s i n the N ipmuck country
,
” aff ords a l i fe- l ike p i cture o f these devoted menengaged in the work they h ad so much at he art .
“The Indi an s of some o f these towns began to hearkenunto the gospel abou t th ree years s in ce
,o r thereabouts . I n
Ju ly 1673 , Mr . Elio t and mysel f m ade a j ourney to vis i t someof them , and encour age and exhort them to p roceed in theways o f God .
“This yea r again , on the 14th o f September l as t, 1674 , weboth took another j ourney . Our des ign was to tr ave l furthe ramong them
,and to confirm thei r sou ls i n the chris ti an
re l igion , and to settle te achers i n every town , and to es tab l ish
AT CHABANAKONGKOMUN 1 3 3
c ivi l gove rnment among them . as i n other p raying town s .
We took with us five or s ix god ly pe rsons who we intendedto p resent unto them for minis ters .
“The fi rs t o f these new pr aying towns is Manchage ,1 whi ch
l ieth to the wes tward of N ipmuck rive r , about e ight mi les ;and is from Has sanames itt,
”wes t and by south , abou t ten mi les ;and i t i s from Bos ton abou t fi fty mi les
,on the s ame rhumb
For this p l ace we appointed W aabesktam in , a hopefu lyoung man , fo r the i r m in is te r
“Above five mi l es dis tan t from hence is a second townc a l led Chabanakongkomun 3 Mr . Eliot p reached untothi s peop le, and we p rayde and sung p s alm s with them
,and
they we re exho rted by us to s tand s te adfas t in the fai th . Apart o f one night we spent i n dis cours i ng with them
,touch ing
m atte rs o f re l ig ion and c ivi l o rder . The teache r Joseph andthe con s tab le J ames went wi th us unto the next town wh ich isc al led Maanexit 4 The i nhab i tan ts are about twenty famil ies
,and
, as we compute , one hundred sou ls . Mr . Eliotp re ached unto thi s peop le out o f the xx ivth Ps . 7 to the endL if t up your heads , 0 ye ga tes , a nd he ye lift up, ye everla stingdoors
,and the hing of glory sha ll come in ( ice. After se rmon was
ended , we presented unto them John Moqua , a p ious andsobe r pe rson the re present, fo r the i r p resent m in is te r , whi chthey th ankfu l ly accepted . Then the i r te ache r n amed
,and set
,
and rehearsed, a su i t ab le p s a lm ,which be ing sung, and a con
clus ion with p raye r , they we re exhorted,both the te acher to
be di l igent and faithful , and to take c are o f the flock,whe reof
the Ho ly Ghos t h ad made him ove rsee r , and the peop le alsoto give obedience and subj ection to him in the Lord .
”
“ Be ing s tr aightened fo r time , they passed by the fourthvi l l age , and p roceeded to W abqu is s it , i n the southwes t co rnero f wh at is now Woods tock , Conne cti cut .
“W e c ame th i the r l ate i n the even ing,upon the 1 5th o f
Septembe r and took up our quarte rs at the s agamo re ’
s wigwam
,who was not at home : but h is squaw courteous ly admi t
1Oxford .3 G rafton .
3 Dud ley .”The no rtheast part of Woodstock , Conn .
1 34 AT WABQUISSIT
ted us,and p rovided l ibe r al ly, i n th e i r way, fo r the I ndi ans th at
ac companied us . This s agamore inc l ines to re l igion , and keep sthe meeti ng on s abbath days at h is house , whi ch is sp aci ous
,
about s ixty feet i n length , and twenty fee t in width“We be i ng atW abquis s it, at the s agamore
’
s W igwam,dive rs
of the p rin c ip al peop le th at we re at home c ame to us , withwhom we spent a good p art o f the night i n p raye r , s i nging ps alms , and exho rt ati ons . There was a pe rson amongthem
,who s i tti ng mute a gre at sp ace, at l as t sp ake to th i s
e ffect : That he was agent fo r Unkas,s achem of Mohegan
who chal lenged right to , and dominion ove r , th is peop le o fW abquiss it and s ai d he , Unkas is not wel l p l e ased, th at theEngl ish shou l d p ass over Mohegan r iver, to c al l his I ndi ansto p ray to God .
“ Unto wh i ch speech Mr . El iot fi rs t answered,th at i t was
his work to c al l upon al l men every where , as he h ad oppor
tun ity, e speci al ly the I ndi ans , to repent and embrace the go spe l ; but he did not meddle wi th c ivi l r ight o r juri sdic tion .
‘When he h ad done spe aking, then I de c l a red to h im ,and
des i r ed him to in form Unkas what I s aid , th at W abquiss it
was with in the jur isdi ction of M ass achusetts , and th at the government of th at people did bel ong to them ; and th at they dolook upon them se lves conce rned to p romote the good of al lpeop le wi thin thei r l imi ts
,espec i al ly i f they embraced chris ti
an ity . Yet i t was not hereby intended to abridge the I ndi ans achem s o f thei r jus t and anc ient right ove r the I ndi ans , i nrespect o f p aying tr ibute o r any othe r dues . But the m aindes ign of the Engl ish was to b ring them to the good knowledge o f God i n Chris t J esus ; and to supp ress among themthose s i ns o f drunkenness , i do l atry, powowing o r witchc r aft,whoredom , murde r, and l ike s ins . As fo r the Engl ish , theyhad taken no tr ibute from them ,
nor taxed them with anything of that kind .
“ Upon the 16 th d ay of Septembe r, be i ng atW abquiss it, as
soon as the people we re come together, Mr . Eliot fi rs t p r ayed,and then preached to them in the i r own l anguage out o f Mat.vi . 3 3 . Fi rst see/z the kingdom of heaven ,
a nd the righteousness thereof ,and a ll other things sha ll he a dded untoyou. Thei r te ache r S amp
1 36 ARROGANCE OF COLONISTS
muck I ndi ans , a gr ave and p ious man , o f the ch i e f s achem’
s
blood of the Nipmu ck country . H e res i des at H assanamesitt ;but by fo rmer appointment, c al l eth he re, together wi th some
others . The p ri n cip a l m atte r done at th is court,was fi rs t to
con s ti tute John and So lomon to be ru l e rs of this peop le andco- ordinate i n powe r, c lothed wi th the autho ri ty o f the Englishgovernment, which they ac cepted : also to a l low and approveJ ames Speen fo r the i r m in is te r .
“Afte r this bus in ess was over, i t be ing night be fore we hadfin ished the cour t, there was an I ndi an present, whi ch c ameinto the W igwam about an hour be fore . He was belonging toW eshak im or Nashaway . Thi s I ndi an des i red l iberty tospe ak ; which being admitted, he made a speech with muchaffection and gravi ty to th is e ffect : To dec l a re that he be l ongedto W ashakim ne a r Nashaway ; and th at he was des i rous ly wi l ling
, as we l l as some othe rs o f his peop le,to p r ay to God ; but
th at the re we re sundry o f th at people very wi cked and muchaddi cted to drunkennes ss , and the reby many di sorde rs werecommitted among them ; and the re fo re he e a rnes tly importuned me , th at I woul d put fo rth powe r to he lp in th at c ase ,to supp res s the s in of drunkenness . Then I asked him
,
whethe r he wou l d take upon him the offi ce o f a con s table, andI wou l d g ive h im powe r to app rehend drunkards , and takeaway the i r s trong drink from them ,
and bring the del inquentbe fo re m e to re ce ive punishment . H is answe r was , th at hewou l d fi rs t spe ak with his fr iends , and i f they chose him ,
ands trengthened his h and in the work , then he wou l d come to m e
fo r a b l ack s ta ff and power . I asked him whethe r he werewi l l ing to have J eth ro to go and p re ach to them : to which here ad i ly complied
,and seemed joyfu l the reat . After thi s dis
cou rse,we conc luded with s i nging a p s alm and pr aye r ; and so
re ti red to res t . And the next morning e arly, be ing Septembe rthe 1 8 th , we took our le ave of the I ndi ans , and p assed toM arlbo rough ; and from thence re turned to our own hab i tat i on s .
At the time these words were wri tten, i n November, 1674 ,Danie l es timated the number o f I ndi an conve r ts to be no lessth an e leven hundred sou ls . The gre ates t obs tac les agains t
A SLANDEROUS REPORT 1 37
which El iot and Gookin h ad to contend arose even more fromthe arrogance and cup idity o f the i r fe l l ow co lon is ts th an fromthe s avage ry and in tra ctab i l i ty of the I ndi ans .
“ I am notigno rant,
” Danie l wrote,“ th at there are some pe rsons , both
i n O ld and New Engl and,that h ave l ess thoughts o f this work ,
and are very prone to spe ak diminutive ly thereo f. WhenMaj o r Gibbons was sen t agains t the Narragan setts , i n 1645 ,he was i nstructed “ to h ave due regard to the dis tance whi chis to be ob se rved be twixt Chris ti ans and B arb ari ans , as wel li n wars as i n othe r negoti ati on s . By the common peop lethe I ndi ans were gener al ly regarded with mingled contemptand fe ar . I nso lent and even bruta l tre atment by the whi teswas far too frequent . And , to quote D anie l Gookin
’
s words,
“ though al l s trong drink is s tr i c t ly p rohibi ted to be so ld toany I ndi an i n the M as s achusetts co lony , upon the pen al tyo f forty shi l l i ngs a p in t ; yet some i l l- dispo sed peop le , fo rfi l thy luc re ’s s ake
,do se l l unto the I ndi ans secretly
,though
the I ndi ans wi l l r a re ly discove r the i r evi l me rch ants— theydo r ather suff e r whipping or fine th an te l l . H e reby they arem ade drunk ve ry often ; and being drunk, a re many times
outr ageous and mad, fighting wi th and ki l l i ng one anothe r , ye asometimes the i r own re l ati ons .
” I n anothe r p l ace he s ays : “ Ih ave o ften se rious ly cons ide red what course to take
,to re s tr ai n
th is beas tly s in o f drunkennes s among them ; but hithe rtoc annot re ach i t . For i f i t were po ss ib le , as i t is not, to p reventthe Engl ish se l l i ng them s trong drink ; yet h aving a n ativel iberty to p l ant o rch ards and sow grain , as b ar ley and the l ike ,o f whi ch they may and do make s trong drink th at doth ineb riate them : so th at noth ing c an ove rcome this exorb i tancy,but the sovere ign gr ace o f God in Chris t ; whi ch is the onlyantidote to p revent and morti fy the poison of s in .
Although the nob le and di s i nteres ted ch aracte r o f D anielGookin
’
s work among the I ndi an conve rts committed to hisch arge was app reci ated at its true worth by the p rin cip al meno f the co lony
,among the l ess i nte l l igent o f the peopl e s l ande r
ous tongues were not wanting to defame him when anythingoccurred to awaken the fe ar and h atred with whi ch m any ofthem regarded thei r s avage neighbors . I n the spring o f 167 1 ,
1 38 LETTER TO THOMAS PRINCE
when app rehens ion was c aused by the th re aten ing atti tude ofKing Phi l ip
,a report was c i rcu l ated th at the tes timony given
by an I ndi an at Plymouth imp l i c ated D anie l as h aving usedwords to infl ame the trucu lent chi e f toward the peop le of th atco lony . The sugges ti on th at th is tes timony was given out
by the Plymouth autho ri ti es l ed D anie l to address a sp i ri tedle tte r to Thomas Prince .
DAN IEL GOOK IN TO GOVERNOR PR INCE l
Honoured S ir,I understand , by a paper brought hither by Mr. Southworth, (be ing a
copy o f some Ind ian testimony left upon record there) , where in I am
accused for speaking words to a Nat i ck Ind ian, tend ing to an imate Phi l ipand h is Ind ians aga inst you. S ir, I look upon i t favoring of as l ittle chari tyas j ust i ce, to rece ive, record , and pub l ish Ind ian reports, tend ing to the
infamy of any Chri st ian man,m uch more a person in pub l i c p lace, wi th
out any other demonstrat ion than such figment and falsehood as usuallyaccompany the Ind ians’ tales. I Charge no person wi th do ing thi s th ing ;ne i ther do I des ire to know who it is; the Lord forgive him or them as Ido , that have been the inventors or fomentors o f such a false and reproachfu] scanda l .S ir
,let me say to you in the words of truth and soberness
,and upon
the fidel i ty of a chr ist i an, and in the presence of God, before whom a l lthings are naked and open, that such a th ing never entered into my heart,m uch less into my l i ps ; ne ither d i d I , to my remembrance
,e i ther see or
speak w ith any Natick Ind ian for several months before I heard of th i sreport ; nor ever d i d I speak or l i sp to any Ind i an o f Nat ick, or other, theleast word about the bus iness, s ince first I heard of those d i ff erencesbetween your co lony and the Ind ians. At the court o f ass i stants, M archs itt ing last, at the time when your letter came, and the court cons i dered ofit,my own conscience, and others present there, can witness how for
ward I was to strengthen your hands in that matter ; but first to try allways'
of prudence to i ssue your controversy : but in case the Ind ians be notreduced to order, then to gi ve forth our utmost ass istance, as the case shouldrequ ire. And of th i s, both yourself and all others may rest assured , thatth i s report is a devi sed thing ; and I m ay say of it as Nehem iah
, (vi d .
Nehem i ah vi , that there is no such thing, but the authors o f it havefe i gned i t out o f the ir own heart, to thi s end my hands m i ght be weakened in the work God hath comm itted to me : but I trust in God, he w i l ld isappoint satan, and do my duty.S ir, thus much I thought exped ient to write unto you about th is mat
ter; not that I stand in need of an apo logy, for my innocency is to me a
1Mass. H ist. Soc. Coll . , Ser. 1, v i , 198 , 199.
GOVERNOR PRINCE ’S REPLY 1 39
suffi cient shield in that respect ; but i f I should be altogether s i lent, itm i ght be interpreted that I am gui lty. S ir, I trust yoursel f and other yourmagistrates wi l l put on such chri stian charity as not to cred i t such reports ;but I am not unwi ll ing this shou l d be searched to the bottom, and see myaccusers face to face and not to shun any scrut iny there in.
Thus des ir ing to present my due respects to yourse lf, and the rest ofthe magi strates, I rema in
Your assured loving friendDAN IEL GOOK IN
Cambr idge, the 12th of Apri l, 1671 .
The fals i ty o f the ac cus ation is shown by Governor Prince ’
s
rep ly,whi ch shows also th at he he ld his co rrespondent i n h igh
es teem .
GOVERNOR PR INCE TO DAN IEL GOOK INHonored S ir,Yours of 14th instant I rece ived yesterday , by which I perce ive you
are much troub led about a cow of an Ind ian testimony by Mr. Southworthto Boston ; not because we took i t for truth, but that we m i ght knowwhether there were truth in it or not, (reports be ing indeed very false, notonly among Ind i ans but m any Eng l ish also) , wh ich, for aught I ye t see,m i ght lawfully be done, w i thout the least impeachment or d im inut ion toCharity or j ust ice to any Chri stian m an, though in place . But whereasyou p lease to Charge us with rece iving, record ing, and pub l i shing suchfalsehoods to your infamy ; Sir, I do assure you, in a word of truth , thereis nor was not any such thing ; and therefore I m i ght say the charge iswanting in charity, j ustice, and truth also. And whereas it is sa i d youshould speak words to animate Ph i l i p and his Ind ians aga inst us ; it issome m istake or m isrepresentat ion, for that paper spoke it not. Thatspake of notfighting w ith I ndians about horses a nd hogs, but as matters toolow to shed b lood , and veri ly, S ir, we think so too ; and therefore advisedthem to keep on the north s i de of the l ine, and not go to Phi l i p to figh t ;but i f any d id go, and were ki lled , they should keep an account of them ,
for what end I know not. The last words about keep ing an account areto me en i gmati ca] ; but in the whole, not one word of an imat ing Phil ip and
h is Ind ians to fight aga inst us ; and therefore that report cannot be rat ional ly fathered upon that paper. For your read iness, wi th the rest of thehonoured magistrates, to strengthen our weakness in case of need , we doand shall acknow ledge it as a s i gnal token of your brotherly love and
care for us : and your send ing messengers to see the ground or causeof all the ir host i le preparations, a h i gh experiment o f christ ian prudence,he was acceptable to us, and owned o f the Lord also, by the good successmost p leased to give to the ir endeavours and travel ; who have, I hope,so ful ly informed not only the honourable court that sent them , but allothers, that any scruples or j ealous ies on our part need lessly to interrupt
140 HOSTILITIES AVERTED
the peace of the country, is, by that prudent act of yours, removed .And truly, S ir, what was ment ioned in that note, wa s never so rece ivedby us ; but upon your d isown ing it, we should read i ly re ject it as afalse report, wi thout any of those several k ind s o f asseverations you
please to express .
S ir,I hope you wi ll st i ll reta in a charitab le op in ion of us, and your
good aff ect ion towards us, notwi thstand ing what weakness you m ay appre
hend in us . That m ust be owned on al l hands to be a real truth, in many
things w e ofi nd a l l. and need another manner of covering for our bestact ions from the pure eyes o f the eternal Judge than our own ri ghteousness
,even the perfect ri ghteousness o f the Lord Jesus Chri st, to whose
grace I unfe i gned ly commend you and rest,S ir, your friend and servant
,
Plymouth, this 26 th of Apri l, 167 1 THOMA S PR INCE
EndorsedThese for h is very good friend capta inDan ie] Gookin, at Cambri d ge, to bepresented .
Be fore th is l e tte r was written the troub le with Phi l ip h adbeen ave r ted, and not unti l four ye ars l ate r did open ho s ti l i t i esbegin be tween h im and the whi te men .
142 DEFENS IVE MEASURES URGED
I ndi ans,l i ttl e app rehens i on s eems to h ave been awakened by
these repeated warnings . I n vain did D anie l Gookin u rgethe de fen s ive me asures o f whi ch he spe aks i n the fo l l owingwords :
“The s i tuation of those towns was such th at the I ndi ansi n them might h ave been improved as a wal l o f defen ce aboutthe gre ates t p art o f the co lony o f M ass achusetts ; fo r the firs tnamed of those vi l l ages borde red upon the Merr imack river ,and the res t i n o rder about twe lve o r fourteen mi les asunde r,i nc luding mos t o f the frontie rs . And bad tlze suggestion: and
impertnna te solicita tion: of some persons, wil e had know ledge and
exper ience of thefidelity and integrity of the Praying I ndianr beenattended and p r ac ti ced i n the beginn ing o f the war, many andgre at mis ch iefs might h ave been (ac co rding to re ason) p revented ; fo r mos t o f the p r aying towns , i n the beginning o fthe war, h ad put themse lves i nto a pos ture o f de fence, andh ad made fo rts fo r thei r secur i ty aga i n s t the common enemy ;and i t was sugges ted and p roposed to the autho ri ty o f thecountry, th at some Engl ish men , about one th i rd p art, mighth ave been j o ine d wi th those Chr is ti an I ndi ans i n e ach fo rt
,
whi ch the p raying I ndi ans gre atly des i red,th at the reby thei r
fide l i ty might h ave been bette r demons tr ated , and th at wi ththe ass is tance and comp any o f some o f those Engl ish soldie rs
,
they'
m ight dai ly s cout o r r ange the woods from town to town ,i n the i r seve r a l ass igned s t ati ons , and hereby might h ave beenas a l iving wal l to guard the English frontie rs , and con se
quently the greates t p art o f the Juri sdi ction , whi ch, with theb les s ing o f God, might h ave p revented the desol ati ons anddevas tation s th at afte rward ensued But such was theunh appines s o f the i r aff ai rs , o r r ather the disp le asure o f Godin the c ase
,th at those counse ls we re rej ected, and on the con
trary a sp i r i t o f enmi ty and h atred conce ived by many agains tthose poor Chris ti an I ndi ans , as I apprehend wi thout c ause ,so fa r as I cou l d eve r unders tand
,which was
,ac co rding to the
oper ation of second c auses,a very gre at o cc as i on o f m any
dis tress ing c al amities th at befe l l both one and the othe r .”
H os ti l i ti es began with the attack on the settl e rs at Swanzy,on the 24th of June . When, two days l ate r, Maj o r Thomas
OUTBREAK OF K ING PHILIP ’S WAR 143
S avage , with a foot company unde r Cap tai n Dan ie l H en chman ,and a troop commanded by Captai n Thomas Prenti ce set
forth again s t the enemy , they“ at fi rs t though t eas i ly to chas tise
the i nso lent do i ngs and murderous practices o f the he athen .
But, as Captain Gooki n goes on to s ay,“ i t was found ano the r
m anne r of th ing than was expected ; fo r our men cou l d see noenemy to shoot at
,but yet fe l t thei r bu l l ets out of the th i ck
bushes whe re they l ay i n ambushments . The enemy also usedthis s tr atagem , to app are l them se lves from the wais t upwardswith green boughs , th at our Engl ishmen cou l d not readi lydis cern them , o r dis tinguish them from the natur a l bushes ;th is manne r of fighting our men h ad l i ttle experience of
,and
hence we re unde r great dis advantages . The Engl ish wantednot courage or resoluti on , but cou l d no t dis ce rn o r find anenemy to fight wi th , yet were gal led by the enemy .
Although the Gener al Court h ad rej ected Dan ie l Gookin’
s
sugges ti ons fo r u ti l iz ing the Chris ti an I ndi ans i n the de fen seo f the co lony, the Governor and Counc i l were more re ady tol is ten to him . They “ judged i t ve ry neces s ary,
” he s ays,to
arm and s end fo rth some o f the praying I ndi ans to ass is t ourfo rces, he reby not only to try the i r fide l ity
,but to de al the
bette r wi th the enemy in the i r own ways and methods acco rdi ng to the I ndi an manne r o f fighting, where i n our I ndi answe re wel l ski l led According ly
,on Ju ly 2
,Captai n Gookin
was i n structed to r aise a comp any o f the p raying I ndi an sfo rthwi th
,to be armed and furn ished and sent to the a rmy at
Mount H ope . Messengers we re at on ce sent by him “ to a l lthe p r aying I ndi ans , 1 fo r one—th i rd o f the i r ab le m en
,who al l
re adi ly and cheer fu l ly appe ared,and being en l is ted were
abou tThese I ndi ans , ac co rding to the tes timony of M aj o r S av
age,Captai n Prenti ce and C aptai n H enchman , unde r whom
they se rved, acqu i tte d them se lves cour ageous ly and fai th fu l ly .
I t wou l d not h ave been surp ris ing h ad i t been othe rwise , fo rthey we re so sh abbi ly treated by some o f the o ffi ce rs and so l
die rs as to c ause them gre at disgus t . And afte rward, when the1Though these are his own wo rds , they should be understood as includ ing on ly
the Ind i ans belong ing to the so-cal led old pray ing town s .
144 I NDISCRIMINATING ANGER
mass of the co l oni s ts we re ove r come by p ani c- s tr i cken frenzyand h atred of a l l I ndi ans i ndis c rimin ate ly, these men reportedth at the Chris ti an I ndi an soldie rs “were cowards and sku lkedbehind trees i n fight, and th at they shot over the enemies he adsand such l ike repro aches .
I n Augus t the ange r o f the popul a c e was greatly infl amedby the sad fate of C aptai n Hutch i nson ’
s expediti on to Q uabaog
,o r Brookfield . To the i r i r r ati on al p ass i on i t s ignified
nothing th at the es c ape of the su rvivo rs was engineered by thetwo Chris t i an I ndi ans who accompanied the p arty
,and th at
,
th rough the ski l fu l gu i dance o f o the rs , the re l i e f fo rces unde rMaj o r W i l l ard avoided the enemy ly i ng i n wai t fo r them .
“Notwith s tanding those s ignal and fai th fu l s ervi ce s done bytho s e Chris ti an I ndi ans , and divers othe rs no t here rel ated ,wrote D anie l Gookin,
“yet the animos i ty and r age o f the common peop le i nc re ased agains t them , th at the very n ame of ap r aying I ndi an was spoken agains t, i n so much , th at some wiseand p rincip al men advise some th at were conce rned with themto forbe ar giving th at ep i thet o f p r aying . This rage o f thepeop le
,as I contend , was o cc as i oned from hence . Bec ause
mu ch mis ch ie f be i ng done and Engl ish b lood shed by the brutish enemy, and bec ause some neighbou r I ndi ans to the Engl ish at Quabage, H adley , and Sp ringfie ld (though none of thosewe re pr aying I ndi ans) had p roved perfidious and were becomeenem ies the de fection of those I ndi ans h ad a tendency to exasper ate the Engl ish agains t a l l I ndi ans
,th at they
woul d admi t no di s tin ction between one I ndi an and another,
fo rgetting th at the S c rip tures do reco rd th at sundry o f thehe athen i n I s r ae l ’s t ime
,being p rose lyted to the Church p roved
ve ry fai thfu l and worthy men and women .
”
Thi s temper among the people was too V io l ent to be ignored .
Things growing to this height,
”
s ays Dan ie l Gookin ,“ the
Governor and Counci l , agai ns t thei r own re ason and inc l i n ation, we re put upon a kind of neces s i ty
,fo r grati fying the
peop le , to disband al l the p raying I ndi ans , and to m ake andpubl ish an orde r to confine them to five of thei r own vi l l ages ,and not s ti r above one mi le from the centre o f such p l ace ,upon pe ri l o f thei r l ives .
” The only resu l t o f this orde r ,
146 DISREGARDING POPULAR CLAMOR
s ant among those Chris t i an I ndi ans , shou l d h ave more knowledge and experience o f them than othe rs h ad, and consequentlyshoul d be able to speak more p arti cul ar ly concerning such o fthose I nd i ans whom they knew (acco rding to a judgment o fch ari ty) to be hone s t and p ious pe rsons . And i f at such a timethey shou l d h ave been whol ly s i len t and remiss i n giving amodes t tes timony concerning them when c al led thereunto
,
God might jus t ly h ave ch arged i t upon them,as a s in and neg
lect o f the i r duty, had they fo r fe ar decl ined to witnes s thetruth fo r Chris t, and fo r these his poo r dis tres sed s e rvants
,
some of the Ch risti an I ndi ans .
”
I t was not, i ndeed, i n the n ature o f a man of D anie l Gookin ’
s s tamp to keep s i lent under such ci rcums tan ces . I ns te adhe put fo rth al l h is powe rs i n the i n te res t o f humanity andjusti ce . By h is fe l low magis tr ates he was l is tened to with theutmos t respec t and cons i de r ation, both fo r h is motives andthe s ani ty o f his judgement. By the insens ate peop le i t wasbut natur a l th at he shou l d be mis conce ived . The prevai l ingtemper toward h im is shown in a p amph let en ti tled “ThePresent State of New Engl and wi th Respe c t to the I ndi anW ar
,Whe re i n is an Ac count o f the true Reason thereof (as
fa r as c an be Judged by Men) Toge the r wi th mos t o f theRemarkab le Pass ages th at h ave h appened from the 20th ofJune , ti l l the l oth o f Novembe r, 1675 . Fai th fu l ly composedby a Me rch ant o f Bos ton , and Commun i c ated to his Friendin London 1675 .
“There are s ays the unknown autho r o f this tr ac t,
“ alsoanother sort o f I ndians, (bes t known to the Commonalty o fBoston) by the name o f M r . E lliot
’
s I ndia ns o r C aptai n GngginsI ndians.
“This Mr . E lliot, you mus t unde rs tand, is the Man th ath ath by his own gre at Labour and Study, i nvented the way o fPrinting the I ndian Language , and h ath a lso perfec tly tr ansl ated the who le B ib le
,with the Singing Ps alm s i n Meete r ; the
As sembl ies Cate ch ism ; the Pr acti ce o f Pie ty, i n to the I ndianLanguage ; as also Wri tten seve r al Books , very p rofitab l e fo runde rs tanding the G rounds of Chris ti an Rel igion : For whichPains and Labour he deserves Honour from al l such who are
A SCURRILOUS PAMPHLET 147
We l l-Wishe rs to th ings of the l ike N ature , whose Name wi l lnever D ie i n New England.
“This Captai n Guggins, is a Captain and Jus ti ce o f Peaceat C ambridg : H e rece ives Thi rty Pound per annum from theEnglisn, as fi t to Judg among the I ndians, to Judg any di ff erence (not C api ta l) among themse lves , o r be tween them and theEngl ish .
1
Toward the l atte r end o f Augus t, Captain Moseley tookeight I ndians a l ive , and sent them Prisoners to Boston, whowe re put i n p rison the re ; these were the numbe r o f Mr .
Elliot’
s I ndians; (as also many o f those I ndia ns th at we re Ship to ff by Captai n Sprague, fo r the S tra its and Ga les) these m en
were at sever al times tr ied fo r the i r Lives , and condemmed toD ie : Me an time Mr . E ll iot and Captai n Guggins pleaded so
very h ard fo r the I ndians, th at the whole Counci l knew notwh at to do about them . They he arkened unto Mr . E lliot fo rhis Gravi ty Age and W isdom
,and also fo r th at he h ath been
the ch ie f I ns trument th at the Lord h ath made use of, i n Propogating the Gospe l among the H e athen ; And was the i rTeache r
,ti l l such time th at some I ndians were b rought up i n
the Unive rs i ty to supp ly his p l ace . But fo r Captai n Gnggins,why such a W i se Counc i l as they shou l d be so ove r- born byhim
,c annot be judged otherwise th an bec ause o f his dai ly
troub l ing them with his Impertinences and mu l ti tudinousSpee ches , i n so much th at i t was to l d h im on the Bench by avery wo rthy Person 2 there present, that he ought r athe r to beConfined among his I ndians, th an to s it on the Bench ; hist aking the I ndi ans p art so much h ath m ade him a By-wordboth among Men and Boys : But so i t was , th at by one and twoat a time mos t o f these e ight I ndians (and four more sent a fte rwards on the s ame ac count) were let loose by night, 3 whi ch so
Exasper ated the Commonal ty, th at about the l oth o f Septemberat nine a Clock at night, there gathe red togethe r about fo rty
1Thus is Dan iel ’s salary as a Magistrate ingen iously made to appear as a compen sation for h is work among the Ind ian s .
2“ Capt. Ol iver.”3 Dan iel Gookin says on ly two Ind ians were released and that they were not
accused of any cr ime . The o thers were tr ied and acqu i tted , toward the end of September. Col l . Am . An t . Soc. i i , 460, 466 .
14s RAGE OF THE POPULACE
Men (some o f note) and c ame to the H ouse o f C aptai n J amesOl iver ; two o r three o f them went in to his Entry to des i re tospe ak with him , whi ch was to des i re h im to be the i r Le ader,and they shou l d joyn together and go bre ak open the Prison ,and take one I ndian out thence and H ang h im : Captai n Oliverhearing thei r reques t, took his Cane and cudge l led them s toutlyand so fo r th at time dism ist the Company ; which h ad he buti n the le as t countenanced i t might h ave been accompanied withi l l Events i n the end . Immedi ate ly C aptai n Oliver went andacquai nted M r . Ting his ne ighbour, ( a Jus ti ce o f Pe ace) andthey both went the next Morning and acquainted the Governour, who thank
’
d Captain Oliver fo r wh at he had done l as tn igh t, but th is res ted not here : For the Commonalty were soenraged again s t Mr . Ell io t, and Captain Gnggins especi a l ly, th atC aptai n Gnggins s aid on the Ben ch , th at he was a fr aid to goalong the s treets ; the answer was made , you may th ank yourse l f ; however an Order was issued out fo r the Execution o f th atone (notor ious above the res t) I ndian, and acco rdingly he wasl ed by a Rope about his Neck to the Gal lows ; when he c amethere the Executioners ( fo r the re we re many ) flung one endove r the Pos t, and so hois ted him up l ike a Dog, th ree o r fou rtimes , he being yet hal f a l ive and hal f de ad ; then c ame anI ndian, a Friend o f h is , and with a Kni fe m ade a hole i n h isBre as t to his H e art, and sucked out his H e a rtb lood : Beingasked the re ason there fo re , h is answer, Unzlt, nmlz, nn, mes tronger as [ was before , me be so s trong as me and he too
,he
be ver s trong Man fore he die . Thus with the Dog- l ike death
( good enough ) of one poo r H e athen , was the Peop le’
s Ragel ai d in some m easure, but i n a sho rt time i t began to work
(not wi thout c ause
1Dan iel Gook in makes no ment ion of th i s affa i r in h is H istory of the C h r ist ianInd ians. Instead he says that the judges and jurors, th rough the b less ing of God,were p reven ted from b r inging b lood upon the l an d . The un rel iab i l i ty of the authoro f the Letter to London is as ev i dent as is h is an imus.
1 50 KATTENANIT IMPRISONED
Care now is taken to satisfie the (re asonab le) des i res o fthe Commonal ty , concernmg Mr. Elliot
’
s I ndians, and Capt.Gnggins I ndia ns . They th at wear the n ame o f Praying I ndians,but rathe r (as Mr . Hez ekiah Ushzzr termed Preying I ndians)they have made Preys o f much Engl ish Blood , but now theyare a l l reduced to the i r seve r a l C onfinemen ts ; which i s muchto a gener a l S atis faction .
”
About ten days a fte r thi s , an incident occurred ,which thoughtrivi a l i n i tse l f, gave new l i fe to the popu l a r i ndignation agains tD anie l Gookin . H aving been spe c i al ly o rde red by the Counc i l to endeavour to gain i n te l l igen ce o f the enemy
’
s movements ,he s ent out one J ob Kattenan it, a t rus ty I ndi an , a rmed with ap ass to p rovide for his s afe conduct at his re tu rn . Sho rtly afte rsetting out, Job was h al ted by some of C aptai n H enchman ’ss couts , and the p ass mee ting with “ hard cons truction
,
” he wasc arried b ack to Bos ton and p l aced i n p rison .
“H e had,
s aysDani el ,
“ committed no o ff ence (th at ever I he ard of) but wasimprisoned mere ly to s ti l l the c l amors of the peop le
,who
rai led much agai ns t th i s poo r fe l low,and fain wou l d h ave h ad
h im put to death , (though they knew not where fo re) . But
those murmurings we re not only agains t the I ndi an , but as
much agains t M aj o r Gookin , who gr anted him the ce rtific ate ;some not spari ng to say th at he was sent fo rth to give intelligence to the enemy, and such l ike false and rep ro ach fu l refl ecti ons upon the i r fr i ends, th at h ad many ways app roved thei rfidel i ty to the country . But this was an hour o f temptationand murmuri ng, as sometime God ’
s own peop le a re i n c l i nedunto , as at Mass ah and Merib ah . Thus i t p l e ased God toexe rc ise this poor Job , yet rese rved him for gre ate r servi c eafte rward , as i n the seque l wi l l appe ar .The winter and sp ring o f 1675—6 was fo r D anie l Gookin a
trying time,as we l l as a very busy one . Meetings o f the
Counci l were frequent, and amid al l his othe r duties the I ndi answe re a neve r- ce as ing c are . H e reco rds th at upon December1 3 ,
“ i n a co ld and very sh arp season,he rode with Maj o r
S imon Wi l l ard and Rev . J ohn El iot to Concord to vis i t theNashobah Chri s ti an I ndi ans there domic i l e d by o rder o f theGenera l Court, and
“ to ende avour to qui et and compose the
FAITHFUL INDIAN SPIES 1 5 1
minds of the Engl ish the re,touching those I ndi ans . Agai n
he s ays : “About the l atte r end o f Dec . , I h ad (among othe rs)sometimes opportuni ty to accompany Mr . El l iot to vis i t andcomfort the poo r Chri s ti an I nd i ans confined to Dee r I s l andwho were (a l i ttle be fo re) i nc re ased to be about five hundredsou ls , by addition o f the Punkapog I ndi ans, s en t thi the r uponas l i ttle c ause as the N ati cks were . And when
,a fte r the
memorab le Swamp Fight o f Decembe r 19 , the Counci l“were
ve ry des i rous to u se means to gain i nte l l igence o f the s tateo f the enemy, he went again to the is l and on the 28 th o f themonth and s ecured two trus tworthy and c ap ab le m en to serveas sp ies . Danie l te l ls us th at
,having spoken to the m en
,who
we re se lected a fte r a confe rence with two o r three of the ch ie fs ,they an swe red “ th at they were very sens ib le of the greath az ard and dange r i n thi s unde rtaking ; yet the i r l ove to theEng l ish , and th at they might give more demons tr ati ons ofthei r fide l i ty
,by God ’
s ass is tan ce,they wou l d wi l l ingly
adventure the i r l ives .
One o f the m en se lec ted was Job K attenan it, who h ad faredso i l l when se tting fo rth upon a s imi l a r miss ion s ix weekse ar l ie r, and who , bec ause he had not thought i t neces s ary toavo id Captai n H enchman ’
s s couts,be ing armed with a p ass
f rom Captai n Gookin,h ad spent th ree weeks “ i n a smal l
p r ison , whi ch was very noisome .
” This time Job got s afe lyaway to the enemie s ’ country
,with his comp anion
,who was
n amed J ames Q uannapoh it . J ames re turned on J anuary 24 ,“ ve ry we ary, fai nt and spent i n tr ave l l ing ne ar eighty mi l esupon snow shoes , and was brought to Cap tain Gookin
’
s house .
H e was the be are r o f importan t news , whi ch he gave to theCounc i l the next day . Job
,to quote Danie l Gook in
’
s
words,
“s tai d behind , and re turned not unti l the oth of Peb ru
a ry ; and then , about ten o’c l ock i n the n ight, c ame to M aj o r
Gook in’
s house at Cambridge , conducted th i the r by one JosephMi l le r
,th at l ived ne ar the fal ls o f Ch ar les Rive r . He b rought
tidings,th at befo re he c ame from the enemy at Menemesse , a
p arty o f the I ndi ans , about fou r hundred, were marched fo rthto attack and burn Lanc as te r ; and on the morrow, whi ch wasFebruary l oth, they wou l d attempt i t As soon as Maj o r
1 52 CALUMNIOUS ACCUSATIONS
Gookin unders tood this tidings by J ob , he rose out of his bedand
,advi s ing with Mr . Danforth , one of the Counci l , that l ived
ne ar h im ,they despatched away pos t, i n the n ight, to Marlbo r
ough , Concord , and Lancas ter , orde ring forces to surroundLanc as ter with al l speed .
”
The di ffi cul ty o f convi nc ing peop le agains t the i r wi l lbecom es an imposs ib i l i ty when they are c arried away by apopu l a r c r aze .
“After the coming b ack o f those spies , s aysDanie l ,
“ they were sent again to Dee r I s l and . And al thoughthey had run such h azards , and done so good s ervi c e ( i n thejudgment o f the autho ri ty o f the country and other wise andprudent men) , yet the vulgar sp ared not to l o ad them withrepro aches , and to impute the burn ing of Mendon ( a desertedvil l age ) unto them , and to s ay th at a l l they informed were l ies
,
and th at they held co r respondence wi th the enemy,o r e lse they
h ad not come back s afe ; and dive rs other th ings were mutte redboth agains t the spies and autho ri ty th at sent them
,tending to
c alumni ate the poo r men th a t h ad undertaken and eff ected th isg reat aff ai r, which none e lse (but they) were wi l l ing to engagein ; whi ch dec l ares the rude tempe r o f those times .
Whi l e the Gove rno r and mos t o f the magi s tr ates appe ar toh ave supported D an ie l, his fr iend and neighbo r ThomasDanforth was the mos t outspoken in defending h im from thes easpers ions . So active ly, i ndeed , did he second D anie l i n h iseff orts i n beh al f of the mal igned pr ayi ng Indi ans
,th at he in curred
a sh are i n the popul ar hos ti l i ty . A fresh outburs t c ame afte rthe burning of Lanc as te r on Feb ruary l oth , fo l l owed elevendays l ate r by the attack on Medfield. The i n te l l igen ce ofthese dis as te rs , s ays Danie l Gookin ,
“o cc as i oned many thoughtso f hearty and hur rying motions
,and gave opportuni ty to the
vulgar to c ry out,‘ Oh , come , l e t us go down to Deer I s l and
,
and ki l l a l l the praying I t may even be th at am as s ac re o f these poo r c re atu res wou l d h ave been attempted ,but fo r the timelv dis cove ry o f a p lot to th at end
,and a warn
ing given to the r1ngleaders who were sent fo r by the Counc i l .Foi led in this p roj e c t, wri tten h andb i l l s th reatening the l ives
1Gook in’s H i st. of the Ch r ist ian Ind .
, 494 .
1 54 INDIAN SOLDIERS PROVE EFFICIENT
the Chris ti an I ndi an s upon Deer I s l and to go with him fo r
gu i des , & c ; fo r the M aj o r , be i ng an experi enced soldier,wel l
cons idered the gre at ne cess i ty o f such help s i n such an unde rtaking .
” Among the mo re in te l l igent members o f the communi ty the value o f the servi ces th at these fr i endly I ndi ansmight rende r was beg i nn ing to be app reci ated . I n the mids to f the sad t i dings o f fresh r avages th at c ame thi ck and fas ti n March and Apri l , 1676 , Captain Daniel H enchman
“mademotion s to the Counc i l , once and , again , o f h is re adines s toconduct these I ndi ans against the enemy .
” Though h is o ff e rwas not ac cepted , a l i ttl e l ater the Counc i l dec ided to arm andsend fo rth a company of them under Captai n S amue l Hunting .
These h ad jus t been got togethe r at Ch arl es town when wordc ame of the th re atened attack upon Sudbu ry . The intelligence re ached D anie l Gookin at Ch arl es town . As he s aysJus t at the beginn ing of the Lecture the re , as soon as thes etidings c ame , Maj o r Gookin and Mr . Thomas Danfo rth
( two o f the Magi s tr ates) who were then he ar ing the Le ctu reSe rmon , be i ng acquain ted herewi th , withdrew out of the mee ti ng- house
,and immedi ate ly gave o rders fo r a p ly o f horse ,
be long ing to Capt . Prentiss ’ troop s, under conduct o f Corpora l
Phipp s , and the I ndi an comp any unde r Cap t . Hunting , fo rthwi th to m arch away fo r the rel i e f o f Sudbury . I n theencounte r th at fo l lowed the Chris ti an I ndi an soldie rs gavesuch a good ac count o f themse lves th at thence fo rward, as l ongas the war l as ted, they were constantly emp loyed in expeditions agai ns t the enemy .
I n March Captai n Gookin was much o ccup ied with thep rob lem of secur ing the re le ase of the wife and ch i ldren of theRev . Mr . Rowlandson , who we re among the c ap tives c arr iedaway from Lanc as te r . The se rvi ce o f taking a mess age to theho s ti le s avages was so dangerous th at fo r some time D anie lwas unab le to persu ade any one to unde rtake i t
,though he
went to the I ndi ans ’ c amp on the I s l and and , as he phrased i t,“ did his u tmos t ende avours to p rocure an I ndi an to adven
ture . Pers is ting in his e ffo rts,howeve r
,at l as t a mes senger
was found to conduc t the negoti ation s , and be ing sent toD anie l
’
s house i n C ambridge,he was the re “ fitted and fur
A NARROW ESCAPE 1 55
n ished fo r this enterp ri se,whi ch not only ended in the
redemption o f the prisone rs,but also
,s ays Danie l ,
“ had nosmal l in fluence i n to the ab atement of the enemy ’
s vio lenceand our troub les .
”
A mishap th at befel the three fr iends of the I ndi ans,
Gookin , El iot, and D an forth , e ar ly i n Apri l , and c ame nearc aus i ng the lo ss of the i r l ives , is ve ry l ike ly attributab le tothe p revai l ing an imos i ty wi th whi ch they were regarded . The
s to ry is re l ated by Mr . El iot in a memorandum entered uponthe Re co rd o f his Church .
“1676 , on the 7 th day o f the 2d month , Capt . Gook ins , Mr
Danforth 85 Mr Stoughton wr sent by the Counc i l l to o rde rmatte rs at long I land fo r the I ndi ans p l anting the re , yei c al ledme w th
ym
. I n or way thi ther, a gre at bo ate of abou t 14 ton ,
meeting us , turn head upon us , (wheth lr wi l l fu l ly o r by neg l igen ce , God he knoweth) yei run the s terne o
r bo ate wr we 4 sat,
unde r water, o r bo ats s ai l e , or something tangled wt h the greatbo at
,85 by God ’
s mercy kep t to i t . My Cos i n J akob 85 cos i nPe rr i e being fo rwarde r i n o
r bo at qu i ckly got up i n to the gre atbo at . I so sunke y
t I dr ank i n s al t wate r twice , 85 cou l d nothe lp i t . God ass is ted my two cos i ns to de l ive r us a l l , 85 he lpus up i n to the gre at bo at . We were not far f r
’
m the Cas tle ,where we went ashore
, dryed 85 refre shed, 85 y 11 went to theI land p
’
formed 01 work
,returned we l l home at night p r aised
be the Lord . Some th anked God 85 some wished we h ad benedrowned . Soone afte r, one yt wished we h ad bene drowned ,was h im sel fe drowned about the s ame p l ace wr we wr
so wonderfully del ive red, the h is to ry wr
off is ,”— here the account
ab ruptly ends .
I t is reco rded th at on th is occ as i on D anie l Gookin los t “ al a rge c lo ak o f dr ab due ber ry l i n
’d th rough with fine se rge ,cos t i n London about e ight pounds ,
” al so “ a new p ai r o fgloves co s t 28 and a r attan , he aded wi th Ivory worth 18 4
”
whi le Mr . El io t los t “ a good c as to r h at worth ten shi l l ings .
CHAPTER XV I I
OR more th an twen ty ye ars,when the votes fo r
magis tr ates were opened in Bos ton at the sp ringmeeting of Gene r a l Court, Danie l Gookin
’
s namehad always s tood at o r ne ar the he ad o f the l is t.I n May, 1676 , the votes i n h is favor droppedfrom about twelve hundred to 446 and he f a i l edo f e l e c ti on . John El io t thus recorded the event :
Month 3 day 4 . E lect ion Day, the people in theire d i stemper leftout Capt. Gookin 85 put h im o ff the Bench .
”
The bal lot was taken at the d arkes t time i n the war and ina l l p rob abi l i ty the resu l t was not unexpected . Al l o f the c andidates known to s tand up fo r the Chris ti an I ndi ans l os t votes ,Thomas Danfo rth getting only 840, Joseph Dudley 669, whi l eMaj or Thomas S avage received b are ly 44 1 .
When the Gener a l Cour t met, the members made h as te tomani fes t thei r symp athy fo r D anie l Gookin
,and thei r confi
dence i n h is motives and his ab i l i ty . One o f thei r fi rs t ac tswas to p romote him to the o ffi ce o f Serge ant-maj o r o f theregiment o f M iddlesex, or commander- in- ch ie f o f the mi l i taryfo rces of the county . This was on May 5 , 1676 , when hewas
“ by the whole Cour t chosen and appointed . The dutiesp rope r to th at o ffi ce h ad been perfo rmed by him s i n ceO ctober 1 3 , 1675 , when , i n the absence of the M aj or, he h adbeen i ns tructed to put the whole command
“ i nto a pos ture o fwa rr . I n comp li an ce with the o rde r he had
,on November 2,
156
1 5s N IGHT ORDERS
Honored S irs,I rece i ved your orders after I was ret ired to rest ; but I suddenly got
up and i ssued forth warrants for th e del inquents, and sent away the warrant to Capt . Prent i ce, and also sent warrants to the commander-in-chiefo f Charlestown , W ate rtown, Cambrid ge, and the V i l lage, M alden, and
Woburn ,to ra i se one fourth part of the ir com pan ies to appear at C am
bri d ge th i s morn ing at e i ght a clock . But I fear the ra in and darkness o fthe last n i gh t hath impeded the ir rendesvous a t the t ime ; but somet im e
today I hope they w i l l appear, or at least some o f them . I j udge,i f the
Capta ins do the ir d uty in upri gh tness, there may be about 100 men, or
near it. I have wri tten to Capt. H ammond to send up Capt . Cutler toconduct thi s com pany ; I am uncerta in about h is com p l iance ; I des ireyour order, in case of fa i lure, and a lso d irect ions to what rendesvous to
send thi s company when ra i sed . It is a very a ffl i ct ive t ime to be calledo ff , cons i dering we have plant ing in hand th is week. and our fort ificat ionpress ing upon our shoulders .
1 But God sees meet to order it so thatth i s rod m ust sm art sha rply . I pray let me have your d irect ions sent awayw i th al l speed . I stay at home on purpose to despatch these so ld iers. So
wi th my du ti ful respects to your honored selves, I rema inYour assured friend and servant,
M ay the first, 1676 DAN IEL GOOK IN, Sen .
2
H aving g iven D anie l his appointment as Maj or,the Gen
e ral Cour t, taking noti ce o f“the p resent dis tres sed condi tion
o f the I ndi ans at the is l and,they be ing ready to perish fo r
want o f b re ad,o rde red th at a m an with a bo at be employed
to ass is t them in c atch ing fish . A few days l ate r i t was dec idedto remove them “ to convenient p l aces fo r the i r p l anting .
Mos t o f the able-bodied men h ad taken se rvi ce i n the army .
Thos e who were le ft we re near ly al l o ld men , women and ch i ldren
,about four hundred in numbe r . So “ the Counci l o rdered
Maj . Gookin 85 Mr Eliot to make the seperation and “Maj r
Gookin to appoin t ye committees time 85 p l ace fo r receptionof e ach p arce l l o f I ndi ans 85 to imp ress boats , 85 c.
,fo r the i r
removal fo rthwi th , 85 th at he takes c a re to arm 85 disp atch theI ndi an souldjers .
The removal was e ff ected on May 1 2, when , i n the wordsof John El iot, as set down in h is Church reco rd ,
“ the I ndi ans
1Th i s refers to the stockade o rdered bu i l t by the town a t a meet ing held March27 . The attack on Medfield
, s ix day s before , had caused great al arm and a feel ingof i nsecur i ty even in the v icin i ty of Boston .
2Mass . Arch ives , lxv i i i , 247.
REMOVAL or THE PRAYING IND IANS 1 59
c ame o ff the I land . Capt . Gookin c a rs fo r ym at Camb ridge .
Danie l ’s own account is more spec ific . “Maj or Gookin , the i ro ld friend and ru le r , fo rthwi th hi red bo ats to b ri ng themfrom the I s l ands to C ambridge, not fa r from the house o f Mr .Thom as O live r, a p ious man , and o f a ve ry loving, compass ionate spi r i t to those poor I ndi ans ; who , when others we reshy, he free ly o ff e red a p l ace fo r the i r p resent settlement uponhis l and , which was very commodious fo r s i tu ation being ne arCh arles Rive r , convenient fo r fishing
,and whe re the re was
p lenty of fue l ; and Mr . O l ive r h ad a good fo rtific ation at hishouse , ne ar the p l ace whe re the wigwams s tood
,where
, (i f needwe re) they might retreat fo r the i r securi ty . Thi s de l ive r ancefrom the I s l and was a jubi lee to those poor c re ature s ; andthough many o f them we re s i ck at th is time o f the i r removal
,
espec i a l ly some o f the ch ie f m en,as Wab an
,J ohn Thomas
,
and J os i ah H a rding,with dive rs othe r men , women and ch i l
dren,we re s i ck of a dysente ry and feve r , at the i r fi rs t coming
up from the I s l and ; but by the c are o f the Maj or, and h iswife
,and Mr . Eliot, making p rovis ion fo r them ,
of food andm edi c ines , sever a l o f them recove red, parti cu l a rly Wab an andJohn Thomas ; the one the p rincip a l ru le r
,and the othe r a
p rin cip a l te ache r o f them , who were both extreme l ow,but
God had i n me r cy raised them up .
”
I n the au tumn , the war be i ng ove r , the I ndi ans removed ,some to the fa l ls o f Char les rive r, and some settled aboutHoanantum H i l l , 1 not far from Mr . O live r
’
s , ne a r the veryp l ace where they fi rs t began to pray to God , and Mr . El iotfi rs t t aught them ,
whi ch was about thi r ty ye ars s i nce . H e reAnthony
,one o f the te achers
,bu i l t a l a rge W igwam , at whi ch
p l ace the l e ctu re and s choo l we re kept i n the winte r 1676 ;where Maj o r Gookin and Mr . El iot o rdin ari ly m et eve ry fo rtn ight ; and the othe r week among the Packem itt 2 I ndi ans
,
who we re al so brought from the I s l and at the s ame time andp l aced near B rush H i l l i n M i lton .
” Thus at th e e arl ies tmoment p racti c ab le
,did the i nde fatigab le El iot and Gookin
again take up the i r i n te rrupted miss ion ary l abours . The
‘ O therwi se known as Nonan tum .
”Or Punkapog , now S tough ton .
160 PERSISTENT PREJUDICE
value o f th is work to the Colony h ad been amp ly demonstrated by the conduct o f the Chri s ti an I ndi ans dur ing the war .But fo r i t there c an be l i ttl e doubt that m any of these I ndi answou l d h ave been ar r ayed agains t the Engl ish , and th at thete r ro rs of the s angu i n ary confl i c t wou l d h ave been far gre ate rth an they were . Yet even the e ffi c ient aid rendered by the
I ndi an soldie rs, and the p roof this gave of the i r fidel i ty,did
not enti re ly e r adic ate the p rejudice fe l t agains t them and thei rde fende rs . As l ate as O ctobe r , 1677, when the I ndi ans h adgone b ack to the i r settlements at N ati ck and Punkapog, oneJohn Jone s having been ar res ted fo r attempting to run downThomas Danfor th , John Marshal l tes tified th at on O ctobe r 9,I 6 7 :7
I saw John Jo an s driveing his trucks,whipp ing his
horses whi ch c aused them to run very fu ri ous ly ; the wo rshipfu l Thomas Danforth being befo re the trucks shi fted the wayseve r al times to e s c ape the horses , and I was afr ai d theywou l d h ave r an ove r him ; but h aving es c aped them when thes ai d J o ans c ame to the whar fe where I was, I asked him whyhe drave his trucks soe h ard to run ove r peop le , and to ld himhe h ad l ike to h ave r an ove r M r . Danfo rth ; he answered i twas noe m atte r i f M r . Danforth and Maj o r Guck ing wereboth hanged .
Sworn i n Court . J . Dudley Ass is tan t, 1 2, 8 , 77 . S ai dJones is senten ced to be admonished , and no t to dr ive a c arti n Bos ton upon penal ty o f a seve re whipp ing . J . Dudley, perorder . Thus was the punishment ne atly made to fi t theo ff en se .
Although a few sh al low persons , l ike J ones , remained obdur ate and unconvinceable, the s te adfas t demeanour o f D an ie lGookin
,h is c alm and unfl in ch ing atti tude in the time of dis
turbance , his c are to re fr ai n from rec rimination when revi led,and h is un selfish devotion to the wel fa re of the communi ty,soon s i l enced mos t o f the outc ry agains t him and broughtabout a revu ls i on o f fee l i ng in h is f avou r . When e l e c tion dayc ame around, i n M ay, 1677, he was once more chosen Ass is tant, and re ins t ated i n his p l ace upon the bench .
162 GOOKIN’
S HI STORY OF NEW ENGLAND
rate edi ti on was also is sued the s ame ye ar,
“ at the Apol l oPress i n Bos ton , by Be lkn ap and H al l .
”1 Although comp le te
i n i tse l f, th is work was des igned as a p art o f a gener al H i s to ryof New Engl and whi ch he h ad p roj ected upon a p l an morecomprehen s ive an d phi losoph i c a l th an was attempted by anyone e lse fo r more th an a century afte r his t ime . I n a pos ts c r ip t to the tre atise he outl i ned the s cope of the hi s to ry andh is re asons fo r undertaking its p rep ar ati on , i n wo rds whi ch testi fy al ike to his modes ty and h is eminent fi tnes s fo r the task .
Concern ing th is m atter the reader m ay p lease to understand , thatwhen I first drew up these Col lect ions, it was intended for a second bookof the hi story of New-England . But that be ing not yet above hal f-fin ished,and th is concern ing the Ind ians be ing destinct from the other
,which
treateth pr inci pa l ly o f the Ind ians in New-England,a lthough it was no
great incongru i ty , had it accom pan ied the rest : But for some reasons atthi s j uncture, I have thought it not unseasonable to em it thi s of the Ind iansfirst. The scope and des ign of the author in that intended hi story
, you
m ay see in what fol lows, setting forth the number and subj ects of eachbook .
THE HISTORY OF NEW-ENGLAND , ESPEC IALLY OF THECOLONY O F MASSACHUSETTS, IN EIGHT BOOKS ,FAITH FULLY COLLECTED BY DAN I EL GOOK IN,
ONE OF THE MAGISTRATES THEREO F.
BOOK I . Descri beth the country of New-England in general : theextent thereof : the d ivi s ion of i t into four co lon ies : the s ituat ion of the
several harbours and i s land s : the nature o f the land and so i l : the com
modities and product both of the earth and sea , before it was inhab i ted bythe Engl ish nat ion : and d ivers o ther things relat ing thereunto : w i th amap of th e country , to be p laced at the end o f the first book .BOOK I I . Treateth o f the Ind ians, nat i ves o f the country : the ir
customs, m anners, and government, before the Engl ish settled there : alsothe ir present state in matters o f rel i g ion and government ; and in especialo f the pray ing Ind i ans
, who have v i s i bly rece ived the gospe l ; ment ioningthe means and instruments that God hath used for the ir c i v i l i z ing andconvers ion, and the success thereo f through the b less ing o f God : the present state of these pray ing Ind ians : the number and s ituat ion o f the irtowns, and the ir churches and peop le, both in the colony of Massachu
setts, and e lsewhere in the country ; with d ivers other matters referring tothat aff a ir.
1A copy of th is ed i t ion , perhaps un i que, is in the l i b rary of the W iscons inH i stor ical Soc iety a t Mad ison . The vo lume of the Mass . H ist . Soc. Col lect ionsconta in ing i t has been twice repr in ted ; in 1 806 and aga in in 1 859 .
GOOKIN’S HI STORY OF NEW ENGLAND 16 3
BOOK I I I . Setteth forth the first d iscovery, p lanting, and settl ingNew-England by the . Engl ish : as the time when it was undertaken ;the occas ion inducing them to transplant them selves and fam i l ies ; thecondition
’
and qual i ty of the first undertakers ; especial ly those of M assachusetts colony ; and the grounds and mot ives for the ir remova l fromthe ir nat ive country unto New-England : wi th d ivers other m atters con
cern ing the same : and in the close o f thi s book, a brief account o f theauthor’s l i fe, and the reasons inducing h im to remove himsel f and fam i lyinto New-England .BOOK IV. D iscourseth of the civi l government o f New-England ;
parti cularly o f the co lony of M assachusetts, which is founded upon the
royal charter of k ing Charles the first, o f famous m emory ; with a recitalo f the ch ief heads o f the sa i d charter or patent : wi th the severa l gradations o f the courts, both executi ve and legislat i ve : together wi th a briefmention of the state of the confederacy between the un i ted colon ies o f
New-England , vi z . M assachusetts, Connect i cut, and New Plymouth,wi th
the pub l ick benefit and safety occurring to the who le coun try thereby .BOOK V. O f the present cond i t ion and state of the coun try : as
the number and names of the count ies and towns ; A con jecture o f the
number of people in the coun try : the m i l itary forces of horse and foot :the ir fort ificat ions upon the ir pr inci pal harbours : the ir nav i gat ion and
number of shi ps and other vessels : the ir money and commod ities ra ised inthe country , for use at home
,or commerce abroad : o f fore i gn commod i t ies
most su itab le for th e country ’s use, to be im ported : o f the ir m anufactures ;with the opportun i t ies and advantages to increase the same, wh ich h ithertohath been obstructed , and th e reason thereof : wi th some argumen ts to
excite the peop le un to more intenseness and d i l i gence in im proving themanu facture of the country .BOOK VI . G iveth an account of the worth ies in New -England ,
and especially the m agistrates and m in isters i n a l l the colon ies : the irnames and the characters of some of the most em inent of them that aredeceased : wi th the names of the governours of M assachusetts, from the
beginn ing unti l thi s presen t, and the t imes of the ir death : and sundryother m atters apperta in ing thereto.
BOOK V I I . Ment ioneth some of the most em inent and remarkablemercies
,provi dences and do ings of God for thi s peop le in New England ,
from the first beginn ing of thi s p lantat ion unto th i s day ; where in m anywonderful salvat ions o f the alm i ghty and our most grac ious God hathshowed and extended towards them ,
which they should declare un to the irch i ldren and ch i ldren’s ch i ldren, that so the great name of Jehovah may
be m agn ified and only 1 exalted .BOOK VI I I . Declareth the ir re l i g ion and the order o f the ir church
government in New England : with a rehearsal o f the ir fa i th and p latform
l Thus pr inted in the Mass. H ist. Soc. Col lect ions, but poss i b ly a m i sreading ofthe word duly . ”
164 QUALIFICATIONS FOR AUTHORSHIP
o f church d isci pl ine, drawn out of the word of God : w i th a vind icationof thi s people from the un j ust imputat ions o f separat ism , anabapt i sm , and
other heterodox ies : also a brief ment ion of the co l lege a t Cambri d ge inNew-England : the present state thereof : the care and fa i thful endeavoursused , that it may be upheld and encouraged for the education of learnedand able men, to supp ly both orders of church and s tate in future t imes :
also a brief commemoration of the names of the pres i dents and fel lows,that have been o f that society ; w i th other learned men
,dead and l iving,
that have been graduates there from its first foundat ion.
You m ay here see my des i gn, whi ch I earnestly des ired m i ght havebeen drawn by a more able pen : and I have o ften earnestly moved ab lepersons to undertake it : but not know ing of any, and be ing unwi ll ingthat a m atter o f so great concernment for the honour of God and the goodo f men, should be buried in ob l ivion, I have adventured in my old age,
and in a pla in sty le, to draw some rude del ineaments of God ’s beaut i fulwork in this land . I have, through grace, travel led half way in th i s work,as is sa i d before ; but in truth, I find myse lf clogged w ith so many avocat ions ; as my publ i ck em p loy among the Engl ish and Ind ians, and myown personal and fam i l y exerci ses, wh ich by reason of my low estate inthe world are the more obstruct ive and perp lex ing : so that I cannot proceed in thi s work so vi gorously as I des ire. Yet I shal l endeavour, byGod ’s ass i stance, i f he p lease to spare m e l i fe and ab i l i ty, to make whatspeedy progress 1 can . I f th i s tract concern ing the Ind ians find acceptance, I sha l l be the more encouraged to fin ish and send forth the other ;which a lthough it should prove very im perfect, by reason o f the weaknessand unworth iness o f the author ; yet I shall endeavour that it be drawnaccord ing to truth ; and then, i f it be of no other use, i t m ay serve to
in form my ch i ldren, or poss i bly contri bute some l i ttle help to a more ab lepen, to set forth the same th ing, more exactly and exqu i s itely garn i shed ,in after times.
The l anguage o f this s tatement wou ld alone be enough tocerti fy his mental equ ipment fo r the undertaking . No otherm an i n N ew Engl and h ad bette r opportuniti es fo r as certain ingfacts, no othe r h ad such ce rtai n po ise , such bre adth of outlook .
I t is imposs ib le to peruse h is works , and in especi a l his his to ryo f the Chris ti an I ndi an s
,and not fee l a growing admir ation
and respect for h im both as a man and as a wri te r . The enti reabsen ce o f b i tte rnes s even when re fer r i ng to the brutal revi l ingto whi ch he was subj ected
,be ars s i l en t wi tness to his l a rgeness
of m ind and the sweetnes s of his dispos i ti on . The tranqu i ltone is th at o f a s trong man res ting se cure i n the con s c iousness of recti tude, and upheld by an un shakab l e fai th i n the
CHAPTER X IX
HE n ame of D anie l Gookin is so i ntim ate lyconnec ted wi th the es t ab l ishment of the c i ty o fWorces te r, th at he may not imp rope r ly be re
garded as i n a sense its founder . “To as c r ibedto Maj o r Gene ra l D an ie l Gookin the ti tl e o fFathe r o f Worces ter
,
”
s ays El lery B . Crane,“woul d be con fer r ing a comp l iment wel l de
served , and at the s ame time impart an honor to Wo rces te rwhi ch she need not fee l ashamed o f o r re luctant to ac cept.” 1
The fi rs t ac tion looking toward the forming of a settl ementwas taken by the Gene r a l Court on O ctobe r 1 1 , 166 5 , when inanswer to a peti tion by Lieut . Thomas Noyes of Sudbury andsever al others , the Court,
“unde rs tanding th at the re is a meet
p l ace fo r a p l antation about ten mi les from Mar lborough wes tward
,at o r neere Q uans icamug Pond, whi ch , th at i t m ay be
improved fo r th at end, 85 not spoyled by gr anting of farm es,
”
n amed Captai n Gookin , Captai n Edward Johnson , Lieut .Jo shua Fisher
,and Lieut . Thomas Noyes
,as a committee “ to
make a survey o f the p l ace .
”
The death of Lieut . Noyes and other impediments p revented this Committee from doing anything, and so the matte rres ted unti l M ay 1 5, 1667 , when the Cour t again nominatedCaptai n D anie l Gookin , Captai n Edward Johnson , S amue lAndrew, and Andrew Be l che r, Senio r,
“as a committee to take
an exac t vi ew o f the s ai d p l ace as soone as conveniently they
1 H istor ical Notes on the Early Settlemen t of Worcester , p. 20.5
166
THE FOUNDING OF WORCESTER 1 67
c an . The report o f th i s Committee was not made unti lO ctober 20, 1668 . I t re commended the p l ace as sui t ab le fo ra smal l p l antati on , whereupon , on Novembe r 7 , the Courtappointed “Capt . Danie l Gookin, Capt. Th6 . Prenti ce
, Mr
Danie l H en chman,85 Le i f ten “t Beare , o r any th ree o f them
to be a com i ttee,whereof Capt . Dani l Gookin to be one
,
” tol ay out and es t ab l ish the settlement.Taking sever al p rospective settle rs with them
,al l four
commis s i oners vis i ted the s i te e arly i n M ay of the next year.
They found i t “very commodious fo r the scittuation of atowne ,
” but i n p art t aken up by gr ants o f the Cour t, and therefo re unavai l ab le fo r the purpose , unless the gr antees shou l d bedisposs essed and p rovided fo r e lsewhere . I n consequence
,
four more ye ars e l apsed be fo re the settlement coul d begin .
The fi rs t book of “Records o f the Prop rie to rs,” con s is tingo f twenty-eight c lose ly wri tten p ages i n the h and o f D anie lGookin , shows that by 1673 the di ffi cu l ti es had been c l e aredaway and lots h ad been ass igned to th i rty- two persons . Onlyfourteen o f these per fe cted the i r ti tles by p aying thei r sh are ofthe expense in cu r red by the Committee
,whi ch inc luded I ndi an
purch ase money . Among the fourteen were D anie l Gookin,
his son S amuel , and D an ie l Henchman , who , next to Gookinwas the mos t ac tive member o f the Commiss ion .
I n the autumn o f th is ye ar a house s i tuated “ a l i ttl e beyondthe brook ,
”
was bu i l t by the Committee . This,with the houses
o f Ephr aim Curtis and Thomas Brown , finished in 1674 , a real l th at a re ce rtain ly known to h ave been e rec ted prio r to theI ndi an war which b roke out a ye ar l ate r, when they were burnedby the s avages . Though the Committee resumed thei r l aboursa fte r the war was ove r, they found i t exceedingly di ff i cu l t tosecure acceptab le men who were wi ll ing to se tt le i n the newtown . The matte r h ad come so ne ar ly to a s tands ti l l by 1682
th at the Gener al Court gave noti ce th at un les s subs tanti al p rogress was made i n the nea r future the p l ace wou l d be fo r fe i ted .
According ly i t was ar r anged th at a new survey shou l d bemade
,whi ch was done upon a new p l at and the lots re as s igned
in di fferent and more widely s c atte red lo c ation s , on ly five pe rsons , of whom Danie l Gookin was one, appe ar ing as prop r i e
168 THE NEW SETTLEMENT NAMED
tors i n both gr ants . Thi s was i n 1683 . The next ye a r a fewlog houses were bu i l t, and Captai n D an ie l H enchm an went toWorces ter to res i de and to give the settlement h is personalsuperintendence . H is e ff orts were short- l ived, fo r he died ath is home there , on O ctobe r 1 5 , 168 5 .
At a Gene r al Cour t he l d in Bos ton on O ctobe r 1 5, 1864,Upon ye motion 85 des i re o f M aj ° Gen
a i i Danie l Gookin,
Cap t Thom as Prenti c e 85 Danie l H en chman this Courts Comm ittee fo r ye setl i ng o f a new Pl antation neare Quan s ikomon
pond,Humbly des ireing yt y° Court wi l l p le ase to n ame ye
Town Wor ces te r , th at n ame was ac co rdingly bes towed uponi t . Wh at re ason D anie l Gookin m ay h ave had fo r th is sele ction c an on ly be conj e ctured . The V i ew has been advancedby Sen ato r George F . H o ar, El le ry B . Crane , and others th ati t was i ntended as a tribu te to the memory of O l ive r Cromwe l l .That D anie l shou l d wish to do him honou r is mos t l ike ly
,not
alone bec ause he was an ardent admi re r o f the gre at de fende ro f the l iberti es o f the Engl i sh peop le , but a lso bec ause of thec lose re l ati on th at h ad exi s ted between the Protector and several members of the Gookin fami ly . Danie l ’s employmentas Cromwel l
’
s agent i n his cher ished s cheme of bu i l ding upthe co lony o f J amai c a has a l re ady been re l ated . H is cous i nVincent Gookin , the l e ader o f the Moderate p ar ty i n the threeCromwel l i an p ar l i aments ; the p rotagonis t o f the I r ish, who,by h is dete rmined e ff orts , frus tr ated the movement for the i rwholes ale tr ansp l antation to Connaught ; Commis s i one r o f theAdmiral ty ; Commiss i oner Gener al fo r the Revenues o f I rel and ; and Surveyo r Gene r al o f I re l and unde r the Pro te ctor ate ,was
’
the personal choi ce o f C romwe l l fo r the pub l i c offi cesth at he held . Captai n Robert Gookin
,Vincent ’s younger
b rother,was a ze alous and fai thfu l adhe rent to whom Cromwe l l
di re cted th at a l a rge grant o f l and in I re l and shou l d be made ,i n sp ite of the oppos i ti on o f Flee twood and othe rs ; and s ti l lanothe r cous i n , S amue l Gookin o f London, the son o f D aniel
’
s unc le J ohn,was appointed one of the Commiss i one rs fo r
Compounding with the Loyal is ts , commonly known at the timeas the D rury House Trus tees , from thei r p l ace o f meeting,and sometimes re fe r red to as the “Treason Trus tees .
”
170 SHERIFF DANIEL GOOKIN
l ived . I t was out o f the ques tion th at he shoul d go there todwel l . But i t was on his re commendation th at the town wasl a i d out, and, unde r more f avorabl e c i r cums tan ces , i t is p robab le th at his ende avors to bui l d i t up wou l d have met withgre ate r suc cess . The set-b ack c aused by Phi l ip ’
s war,how
ever,was too l as ting to be overcome unti l long afte r D an ie l
h ad been l ai d to res t .The lots i n Wo rces te r gr ante d to D anie l were not disposed
of by his hei rs unti l 1720, when they were so ld to John Smithfo r the sum o f £ 1 20.
When,i n the ye ar 173 1 , the county o f W o rces te r was
fo rmed,Danie l Gookin ’
s gr andson and n ames ake,the son o f
his son Samue l , was commiss i oned She ri ff , an d he he l d theo ffi ce unti l his death i n June, 1743 .
CHAPTER XX
OON afte r the res to r ation o f Ch arles I I to thec rown , a controve rsy began with the co lonis tsove r thei r ch arte r p rivi leges
,whi ch continued
with s c ar cely any in termiss ion for more th antwen ty ye ars . Both s i des we re des i rous of avoiding open rupture , yet nei the r showed the le as tdispos i tion to yie ld . The ten ac i ty with which
the colonis ts he l d to wh at they regarded as thei r rights , was
matched by equal dete rmin ation on the p art o f the crown toexe rc i se autho ri ty ove r them . The men at the head of theColoni al government showed themse lves adepts at c lever fencing , and fo r a long time a c r i s is was ave r ted . Gradual ly,however , the tens ion bec ame more acute . I n the years fol l owing the I ndi an war much fue l was added to the fl ame by themach i n ations o f th at “ evi l genius o f New Engl and
,
” EdwardRando lph . And when , i n 16 8 1 , a royal m andate was rece ived ,di re cting th at autho rized agents be sent to London to rep re
sent the co lony and answer to a l and c l aim ant,i t was pe rce ived
th at at l as t the issue h ad been p resented in a fo rm th at cou l dno longe r be evaded .
The ser iousness of the s i tuation was admitted by al l , butgrave di ff e rences o f opinion arose as to the bes t pol i cy to pursue . The government divided into two p arties , both agreedas to the importance o f the p rivi l eges confe r red by the ch arter
,but di ff ering as to thei r extent, and upon the measures
th at shou l d be taken to p reserve them . Gove rnor Brad
171 GROWING POPULARITY
s tree t, and with h im W i l l i am Stoughton, Joseph Dudley, andW i l l i am Brown
,were fo r bowing to the s to rm
,hop ing thus i t
woul d p ass by and le ave them unh armed . Opposed to th isV i ew was the o ther p arty, o f whi ch Thomas Danfo rth andD anie l Gookin were the le ade rs . Arr ayed wi th them weres eve ra l o f the p rin c ip al members of the cour t, and they appearto h ave h ad the suppor t also of the more in te l l igen t p art o fthe communi ty .
For seve ral ye ars Maj o r Gookin’
s popul ar i ty h ad beens te adi ly growing. I n his oppos i ti on to the arb i tr ary measuresp roposed by the c rown , he disp l ayed the s ame spi ri t o f dogged de termin ation with whi ch he adhered to the c ause o f theChris ti an I ndi ans i n the face o f popu l ar de l i r ium . O f pos s ib leconsequences to h imse l f he took no note i n e i ther c ase . As
he s tood between the unhappy red men and the en r aged co lon ists , whi le c le arly re cogn iz ing the dange r o f personal vi ol ence to h im se l f
,so now he c ame fo rward and open ly advoc ated
the po l i cy he bel i eved to be right . To yie ld to the king ’
s
demands he c le ar ly fo res aw wou l d b e a fata l m is t ake . So hes toutly s tood fo r a s tr i c t c ons truction of the ch arte r . He
opposed the sending agents to Engl and . He opposed sub
miss ion to the acts of tr ade . Res is t an ce might endange r thei rch arte r ; submis s i on wou l d ce rtai n ly des troy its subs tance .
Not fo r h im s e l f di d he t ake th is s tand . H e was s ixtyeight ye ars ol d
,and i t cou l d make l i ttl e diff e rence to him per
sonally, during the few rem aining years th at he cou l d hopewoul d be his portion . Yet from the fu l lnes s of h is he ar t di dhe draw up the fo l l owing p aper which he des i red might belodged with the Cour t as his dying tes timony .
Honored Gentlemen — Haueing l i berty by law (title L i berties common) to present in speech or wri t ing any necessa ry mot ion
,or informat ion,
w hereof that meeting hath proper cogn i zance so it bee don in conuen ient
t im e, due order and Respect ive m anner— 1 have chosen the latter wayand hope I shal l attend the qual ificat ions as to t ime
, order and manner.It is m uch upon my hart to suggest to your prudent, p ious and
serious cons i derat ion my poore thoughts touch ing the matters lyeingbefore you, wh ich ( to my weake understand ing ) is a case of great concernment
, as to wea le or Woe o f thousand s of the Lord ’s poore people inthi s wi lderness, yt for the testimony of Jesus transp lanted themselves into
174 PROTEST AGAINST COLONIAL AGENTS
of that nat ive l i berty w ’
h o’
r countrymen injoy. Now i f Mr. Mason haueany claime to m ake, of any man within this j uri sd ict ion, h is m a
’
t ies Courtsheere establ ished by charter are open to h im : And he m ay im p lead any
man yt doth h im wrong before ye Jury and sworne Judges ; accord ing tolaw and pattent heretofore and late ly confirmed by his Royal ma’t ie as
under h is s i gnet doth or may appeare.
2d. To send Agents not duly impoured as h is ma’t ies lt’r requireswi ll probably offend and prouoake h is ma
’
t ie rather yn please h im and
gi ve h im occas ion e i ther to im pri son o’
r Agents, unti l they be fullyimpoured or otherwi se pass a fina l ] Judgment in the case ( i f Agents beethere ) though they stand m ute and doe not p lead to the case. And on
the other hand i f Agents are sent duly impoured to Answer as the letterrequires, yn let i t bee cons i dered whether wee doe not, at once, undoeourselues and posterity, in be ing obl i ged to Respond any com p la int or tryany case, ciuil l or crim inal wch it shall please any person, that del i ghts ingiuing us troub le, is pleased to bring th i ther, the Greevous Burden and
inconvience whereo f would bee intolerable. I conceue,i f one of the
twaine must bee subm itted to , i t were m uch Better to des ire yt A Gen
eral Gouemor or C omm ission’
rs m i ght bee Const ituted here in the
country to try al l cases ciuil , crim inal and m i l itary accord ing to d i scret ion,as was Attem pted by the Comm i ss ioners Anno 1664, 1665 . But thenGod was p leased to influence his peop le wi th such a degree o f virtue and
courage, firm ely to Adhere unto o’
r charter and the Laws and L i bert iesthereby establ i shed ; and God o f h is grace and goodness was then p leased ,upon our humb le Adreses to o
’
r K ing, to incl ine h is ma’
t ies Royal l hart toaccept o f o ’
rAnswer and not to gi ve us further troub le,the consequence
whereof was yt we have enjoyed o’
r mercys I 5 years longer, and who
knows But it may bee so now i f wee make our humb le Adreses and g i veo
’
r reasons for not send ing Agents ; surely o’
r God is the same,yesterday
and to-day and for euer ; and our king is the same, incl in ing to fau’r the
R i ghteous cau s o f h is poore inocente and loyal subj ects and I doubt noti f wee make triall and fo l low our endea’r by fa i th and pra ir but God wi l lappear for us , in mercy, 85 make a good I sue of th i s a ff ayre .
The send ing o f Agents w i ll contract a very great charge and expensesweh the poore people are very unable to stand under, cons i dering the greatd im ini sh ings yt wee haue had by warr, sm all pox, fires, sea loses, Blast ingsand other publ icke loses, for my part, I see not how mony w i l l be ra i sedto defray thi s charge unles it bee borrowed upon interest of some partic
ular man ; moreouer the country is yet in debt and pays in terest for monyyearly ; especially to bee a t so great cost for no o ther end (in probab i l ity)but to cut us short of o ’
r L i bert ies and priviledges as too late experiencein o
’
r former Agent’s Nego t iat ions doth ev idence .
Bes ides th i s m atter of Mr. M ason’s cla im s wee are required to sendAgents to Attend the Regulat ion o f o
’
r Government, 85c. , and to sat i sfyh is ma’tie in Adm i tting freemen as is proposed in ye letter. And to g ive
COGENT ARGUMENTS 175
an Acc’t what incouragement is giuen to such persons as des ire to wor
shi p God Accord ing to the way o f the church o f England .
Now to send Agents toAnswer and attend these things, who sees not
how grate a snare I t may proue unto us, for Touch ing our Governmen t
wee are wel l contented w i th it and o’
r charter and des ire no change . I fthere should bee any Lawes yt are Repugnant to ye Laws of England
,
(I know not am“) they m ay be repealed .Concern ing Freem en
’
sAdm iss ion , noth ing is more cleare in the charter, yn this, that the Gouern
’
r and Company haue free l i berty to adm itwhome they th inke meet.
As for any that des ire to worsh i p God Accord ing to the manner o fthe church o f England , there is no law to pr
’
h ibite or restra ine ym neith’
r
is i t meet to make any law to yt effect because it wou ld bee repugnant tothe law of England . But for thi s Gou ’meur to declare or m ake a law to
Encourage Any to pract i se yt worsh i p here, m ay it not bee feared this wouldo ffend God
,and bee condemn ing the do ings and su ff erings of o ’
rselues and
fathers that first planted thi s country .These things cons i dered and many more I m i ght Aleadge giue mee
cause to des ire your pardon that I cannot consent or iudge it exped ient tosend An Agent orAgents at th i s time as th ings are circumstanced .
There fore I conce iue it is much the Best and safest course not to sendany Agent at all and consequently the comm i tte may forbeare to d raw u pInstruct ion for them but rather pr
’
sent to the court the d i fficu l t ies in the
case ; and i f you please, I am not unwi ll ing that th i s paper bee pr’
sented to
the Honored Court to cons i der o f .And rather i f you see m eet to draw up and pr
’
sent to the Gen’
ll
Court a humble and Argumentat ive Address to h is Sacred ma’t ie To pardon h is poore yet Loya l peop le in th i s m atter so destruct ive to the qu ietand so incons i stent with the ir we l l be ing.
But to thi s i t m ay be obj ected ,I object ion, that i t is our d uty to send Agents because the K ing
command s it, o therwi se we may be found Breakers o f the fi’
th command .
Answer— I humbly conceue wee ought to d i st ingu i sh o f o’
r duty toSuper
’
rs, somet imes poss i b ly they may requ ire vnlaw ful things as the
Ru lers o f the Jewes d id o f the Apostles ; Acts, 4 : 1 8 . 19 .— in wch case
[ the ] Holy Ghost tels us our duty in yt text. 2dly. Ru lers may com
m and things yt cons i dered in the ir tendencies and circum stances and
com ixture wi th rel i g ion ,m ay be o f a mora l l nature and consequently
un lawful and not to be a l low’
d in do ing . But rather Runne the H azardo f Suff ering, of which nature I hum bl y conceaue is the pr
’
sent cause, fori f wee send agents as the letter requ ires wee doe destroy ourselues in our
greatest concerns as I apr’
h end : now sel fe preseruation,is a mora l duty
and no t only Reason and Rel i g ion but nature, doth teach us th i s . Aga ine,i f thi s Gouemment o f ours bee o f C hh ts establ ish ing and gi ft and a partof his purchase
,as I judge it is , w i l l it not bee a moral end for us to bee
176 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED
Act i ve in part ing w i th it. I remember yt em inent Mr. M i tchel l. now inheaven, in h is publ icke lecture (February speaking of C h t’s K inglyGouemment upon a ciuil Acct, d i d Declare that thi s Gouemment setled
in ye Massachus’
ts accord ing to patten t and laws was as hee sa i d a specimen o f that C iuil C our’ut, that the lord C h t Jesus Design
’
d to establ i shin the Who le world Where in such as are god ly p
’
rsons, and vnder h is
K ingly Gouemment in h is church should bee electers and e lected to
pouer. And therefore sa i d hee who eu’
r hee bee yt shall goe about tosubuert or underm ine this Gouemment, hee sets h im selfe aga inst C h tJesus
,and hee wi l l (then) haue C h t for h is en imy. Also Reverend M r.
Shepard in h is booke of the ten U i rgins, 25 m ath . in ye I part, page 166 ,speaks to ye same purpose . These persons were burn ing and sh ineingl i ghts in yr Generation and much of God ’s mynd d i d they know and
speak .Object. 2. But i f wee send no Agents wee must expect sad couse
quences yrof such as putt ing us out of his ma’t ies Allegeance, d amn ingo
’
r patent, inh ib i t ing trade, and such l i ke.
Answer 1 : Something hath been spoken aboue to th is matter to whI Refer.
2 : I veri ly Bel ieue yt so grac ious a prince as o’
r king is w i l l bee veryslow to deale so seuerely aga inst h is poore loyal l subj ects yt Are not con
scious wee haue shewed any d isloyalty to him or h is pr’
desc’
rs, nor havebeen unw i ll ing to obey h im in the lord . But when the case is so circumstanced yt we m ust be Accounted offenders or Ru ine o
’
rselues; of 2 evels
ye least is to be chosen .
3 : But i f it should bee soe yt wee m ust suffer in th i s case wee may
have ground to hope yt God o’
r father in C h t wi ll support and com fortus in all o
’
r tri bulat ions and in h is due t ime del iuer vs. M uch morem i ght be s
’
d Touch ing the pr’
my’
es . But I have been too ted ious Andlonger yn I in tended for wch I crave yr pardon and humbly intreat a cand i d construct ion o f thi s paper a coveringe o f all the imperfections yr o ffThi s case, as is aboue hinted , is very momentous and therefore I intreatyou cand i d ly to peruse what is s
’
d,i f there bee l ittle wa i ght in i t (as some
may th inke) i t is sat is factory to m e, that I haue off ered i t to yr cons ideration, and yt I have in this great cause (before I goe hence and bee no morewch I must shortly expect) giuen my test imony and declared my j udgmentin thi s great conceme o f Jesus C h t, To whome I comm it all and yorseluesal so d es iring h im to be to you as hee is in h imselfe, the m i ghty counsellor, K ing of K ings and Lord of Lord s.
I rema ine your most humble seruant
and His ma’t ies most Loya l Subj ect,DAN I EL GOOK IN , Sen
’
r.
Cambri d ge, February 14, 1680.
These for the Hon’
rable Symon Bradstreet Esq . Gouernour, and
Thomas Danforth Esq. Deputy Gouemor,and the Rest o f the Honored
178 THE CHARTER ABROGATED
King J ames , howeve r, was too c losely occup ied with moreimportant things to heed this sugges tion . Danforth andGooki n main tained the i r atti tude resolute ly to the end ; andthough at l as t they we re overborne , ye t i n the seque l , whenthe co lony was reduced to a pos i ti on l i ttle bette r th an s l avery
,
the val id i ty o f D anie l ’s a rguments was made mani fes t .Chie f Jus ti ce Sewal l ’s di ary aff ords a gl impse o f Genera l
Gookin in the so rrowfu l days when the co lony was depr ivedof its ch ar ter .
”
Sa tterday, M ay 1 5 , 1686 .
Govr H inkley , M ajor R i chard s M r Russel l and Sel f sent to by M ajorD ud ley to come to Capt. Pa i ge s where we saw the Exempl ification of
the Judgement aga inst the Charter before we returned , the M agi strates were gone to the Governour
’
s and from thence they adjourned t i l lMonday one o
’clock . M ajor Generall came home and d ined w i th me.
Monday, M ay 17th , 1686 .
Genera l l Court s its at One aclock. I goe thither, about 3 . The OldGovernment draw s to the North-s i de, M r. Add ington, Cap t. Sm ith and Is it at the Table,
’
there not be ing room : M ajor Dud ley the Praes ident,M ajor Pynchon, Capt. Gedney, Mr. M ason, Randol ph , Capt.W inthrop,Mr. Wharton came in on the Left, Mr. Stoughton I left out : Came
also Capt. K ing’s Fri got, Govr H i nkley, GovlrWest and sate on the Bench
,
and the Room pretty wel l fi lled w i th Spectators in an instant.M a jor Dud ley m ade a Speech , that was sorry could treat them no
longer as Governour and Company ; Produced the Exempl ification o f the
Charter’s Condemnat ion, the Comm iss ion under the Broad Seal of England— both : Letter o f the Lords, Comm i ss ion of Adm iralty, open lyexh i bit ing them to the Peop le ; when had done, DeputyGovernour sa i d suppos
’
d they expected no t the Court’s answer now ; which the Prae sident
took up and sa i d they could not acknow ledge them as such and could noway cap itulate wi th them , to which I think no Reply .
”
When gone M ajor Generall, Major R i chard s, Mr. R ussel and Sel fspake our m ind s. I chose to say after the M aj or Generall add ing thatthe foundat ions be ing destroyed what can the R i ghteous do ; speakingaga inst a Protest ; which some spake for.
”
There was , i ndeed, nothing th at coul d be done , and wec an e as i ly p i c ture to ourse lves the grie f and b i tte r fee l ing o fhe lp lessness th at then c ame ove r D anie l Gookin and his assoc iates in the o l d government . The ab rogation of the ch arte rwas a b low th at sh atte red the ve ry foundation of the i r c ivi lr ights , and with a Pap is t upon the th rone of Engl and the outl ook fo r the colony seemed dark and cheerless .
CHAPTER XX I
RS . MARY GOOKIN , Danie l’
s wife and h isfa i th fu l comp anion fo r almos t fo r ty- four ye ars
,
p assed away on S aturday,October 27,
le aving h is home desol ate . I t is gre atly to beregretted by he r des cendants that no contemporary ac count o f Mary has been handed downto our time . Al l we c an know of her is th at she
was a p ious , godly woman , and the worthy he lpmeet o f one o fth e nob les t and pu res t o f men . The one mention of her th atD anie l m akes i n his wri tings shows her ass i sting h im in ministering to the s i ck among the N ati ck I ndi ans afte r thei rre le ase from Deer I s l and .
2 She was the mothe r o f al l h ischi ldren , n ine i n number .S amue l , the e ldes t, was born in Engl and about 1640, and
died i n in fancy,i n Vi rgini a . Mary
,the second chi ld, was born
i n Vi rgi nia about 1642, and on June 8 , 1670, was married toEdmund B atte r o f S alem , as his se cond wi fe . He died i nAugus t, 1685 , at the age of 76 , and M ary survived him unti l1702.
El iz abeth,the th i rd ch i l d
, was born in Roxbury, Mass ,
March 14, On May 23 , 1666 , she was marri ed to Rev.
John E liot, J r .,
who died on O ctobe r 1 1 , 166 8 . By him she
h ad a son,J ohn El iot
,who grew up i n the househo ld o f h is
gr andfather D anie l Gookin,by whom he was gre atly beloved .
1 See D iary of R ev. Noad iah Russell ,” N . Eng. H ist. Gen . R eg. , 1853 .
2Supra,p. 159.
1 80 GENERAL GOOK IN’S CHILDREN
Eliz abeth remained a widow and l ived with he r fathe r unti lDecember 8 , 1680, when she bec ame the second wi fe o f Colonel Edmund Qui n cy of B raintree . From her al l the Qui ncysi n the U nited States de s cend . Colone l Qui n cy died J anuary8 , and El izabe th died on Novembe r 30, 1700.
The fourth chi l d, H ann ah , was bap tized in Roxbury, May
9 , 1647, and died the re Augus t 2 of the s ame ye a r . Danie l ,the fi fth chi ld
,was born in Cambridge
,Apri l 8 , and died Sep
tembe r 3 , 1649.
Another son Danie l was born i n Cambridge , July 12, 16 50.
He was at fi rs t a fe l low o f H arvard Col l ege, but at the ins tan ceo f his fathe r he ente red the min is try
,s ettl ed at She rburne , and
engaged i n the work of p re aching to the Chris ti an I ndi ans atN ati ck
,whi ch he began about the time o f his marr i age to
Eliz abeth Qu in cy , daughte r o f Colone l Edmund Qui n cy by hisfi rs t wi fe, Joanna H o ar . This mar ri age took p l ace on O ctober
4 , 1682. I t was a gre at consol ation to the Maj o r Gener a ldur ing his l as t ye ars th at his eldes t son
,desc ribed by John
El io t as “ a p ious and le arned young man ,”1 Shoul d devote h isl i fe to the sp i ri tual en l ightenment o f the s avages . He conti nued i n the work unti l phys i c a l i nfi rmity and advanc ing yea rscompel led h im to des is t . On J anuary 2, 169 1 , h is wife El iz abeth died, and on Ju ly 21 o f the fol lowing ye ar he marriedBethi ah , daughte r o f Ri ch ard and Thomaz in C o llacot, o fDorches te r . Danie l died i n She rburne , J anua ry 8 ,Bethi ah died i n Dedh am
,December 1 2, 1729.
Danie l Gookin’
s seventh chi ld,S amue l , was born in C am
bridge , Apri l 22, 16 52, and died there Septembe r 16 , 1730.
He was Sheri ff o f Suff olk from 169 1 unti l 1702 and afterwardfo r m any ye ars , unti l a short time be fo re his de ath , he he ld thes ame offi ce i n the county o f Middlesex . H is fi rs t wi fe and themothe r o f h is ch i l dren was She died about1707 and on September 28 , 1708 , he married H ann ah, daughtero f S amue l and H ann ah (Manning) Ste arns , and widow ofThomas Bis coe .
Solomon, Danie l Gookin’
s e ighth chi ld, was born i n Cam
1 B i rch ’s L ife of Robert Boyle, p. 444 .
182 A FALSE ACCUSATION
fl agging,though i t was c arri ed on under gre at discouragements .
Pro fess i ons o f inte res t we re made by many, yet El io t wrote toBoyle that M aj or Gookin was his “ on ly cordi a l as s i s tant .”
I n anothe r le tte r he spe aks o f h im as“a p i l l ar i n our I ndi an
work . The maj o r i ty o f the peop l e we re ap atheti c . I l legalse izures o f p rope rty o f the I ndi ans were not uncommon andc aused Danie l much troub le and annoyance . But the mos tfrequent obs truction came from vio l ati ons o f the l aw forb idding the s ale o f l iquo r to the red men , unde r seve re penal ty .
A typ i c a l c ase is re l ated by Danie l i n a depos i ti on m ade by himin December, 168 1 .
I we] remember That upon the 12thof M ay last in that morn ing
John H ast ings Constable o f Cambri d ge brought from the pri son beforeme two Ind ians one cal led Job Nesutan 85 the other John Chosumph swhome hee had (wth
others) Taken drunke in the street the n i ght before.
These Ind ians beeing questioned where they had the drink yt made ymdrunk they would not confesse where they had the drink, so I passed asentence upon them accord ing to law 85 com itted them to pri son unt i ll i twas performed : After thi s e i ther the same day or y
° next day some o f
my fam i ly informed mee yt they heard y ‘ Job the Ind ian in pri son had
informed the pri son keeper that my son Samuel Gookin had let h im havetwo pence in drinke w°h m ade h im drunk ; whereupon I sent for my son
Samuel 85 told h im what I heard Job had sa i d o f h im about h is sell ing org iving h im drinke. But my son answered that it was a false accusat ionfor hee had not any strong drink in his house, whereupon I bi d h imgoe to the pri son keeper 85 b i d h im come 85 bring Job before me to
accuse my sonne to h is face that hee m i ght cleare himsel f i f need were as
the law al lowes : But as I afterward s understood Samue l Goff e interposed85 quarreled w i th my son 85 kept the ind ian from com ing before m e wCh
was an obstruction o f Justi ce 85 contem pt o f Author ity : And about thesame t ime another ind ian called John Pachanah arm hearing yt Job hadaccused my sonn hee came before me 85 told me that he knew Where Job85 the other Ind ians had the drinke that made y
m Drunke, for hee was
w ith them 85 they drunk as much cid er as they des ired at 3 d a quart w Ch
they had at Sam. Goff es house : 85 therupon hee sd i f I would p
’
rm it h im
hee would goe presently 85 fetch ci der there w °h accord ingly hee d i d inthe s i ght o f two Engl i sh wi tnesses , hee carried w ‘h h im an empty bottleunto Sam Go lf
’
s house 85 brought i t forth full of cider So the Engl i shmen seased upon h im and brought both the ind ian 85 C ider Before me 85
yn I took the ind ians test imony of y° former m atters . Morou
r I know ytSam Goffe Lent Job the Ind ian money to Redeeme h im out of pri son, as
the Jaylor Wel knowes, 85 moreur I have good ground to Beeleve by infor
mation of the Ind ians that Samuel Goff e persuaded Job to accuse my
SOLICITUDE FOR INDIAN CHARGES 1 83
son thereby.
to blem i sh My sonne 85 to conceale h is owne gu i lt in sell ingthe ind ians C ider : further i n th is case I say not.
Sworn in Court J . R . C . DAN IEL GOOK IN20 : 10 : 8 1
Aggres s i on by whi te settl e rs c aused Gener a l Gookin towr i te two lette rs a few ye ars l ate r
,which reflec t his cons tant
sol i c i tude fo r the we l fare o f his I ndi an ch arges .
DAN I EL GOOK IN TO W ILLIAM STOUGHTON AND JOSEPHDUDLEY 1
Gentelmen . Cambri d ge, June 9 th 1684I understand that some ind ians are to Appeare be fore you thi s day,
to claime t i tle, by young Jos ias, o f some land , be longing to the Townshi pof Naticke, w
ehens i gne Grout of Sudbury doth as I conceue, most wrong
fuly 85 ind irectly endeavor to Beareve the Nat i ck Ind ians o f it . I intreatyou to bee very slow to make any conclus ion upon it ; or give yo r
sense
of i t unt i l l you shal l haue opertuny to know the Intri gues in the case,
wCh canot bee d i scoured to you in a few l ines . Tis most ce rtene yt Jos iasAncesters both father 85 grand father haue yelded up all yr ri ght to y
°
Engl i sh of these land 85 bes i des Mr El iot pa i d to the old Ind ians a j ustcompensat ion for all the ir Natural R i ght 85 gave it for a Townshi p for y°Ind ians o f Naticke . The Genl l Court has also granted y° Ind ians o f y
t
p lace the tract o f land , as also ye Townsh i p haue aga ine 85 they hauepossest i t by y° law o f possess ions 85 the ir hath beene a t itle cried inCharles towne court 2 years s ince betwen Es . Grout 85 Nat i ck ind iansfor y
° individul p iece of land 85 the Ind ians recoured the land 85 the
M arshal General deleured it to ym by execut ion 85 Grout pa i d a l l costs,
yet is hee restles 85 wou l d now (as I heare) by a Ti tle from Jos ias and
giue ymnew troub le. M any th ings m i ght be s
d more to shew y° unworthydeal ing of F . Groutt in thi s m atter, And y probably wi l l appeare in
due t ime ; I haue no more to Troub le you at thi s t ime bee ing in hast,W th my due respects 85 seruice p sented I t ema ine
Yor assured friend 85 humb le Seruant
DAN I EL GOOK IN Sen'
The second lette r is without d ate , but was p rob ab ly writtenabout the s ame time as the pre ceding one .
DAN I EL GOOKIN TO JOSEPH DUDLEY, PRESIDENT OF THECOUNCIL
Hono'ble St
The Ind i ans Belonging to Hassanamesit who are Beare[r]s h erof doecompla ine to mee (but I haue noe power to Releeue them) that one
1Now i n possess ion of Charles B . Gook in , of Boston .
1 84 LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH
Edward Pratt a pretended purchaser from John W ompas deceased , H athlately Actually bu i lt a house W ithin the ir townshi p of 4 m i les square 85very neare unto the ir orchards 85 p lanting fields : at weh they are agreued
85 when they aske h im the Reason of h i s actions hee sa i th yt hee hathfrends late ly com ov
r 85 in power yt w il beare h im out in it. Bes i des asI am informed this fellow sells the ind ians strong l iquors . He is as Iap
’hend rather to bee reputed a d i sorderly wandering Rouge than a soberp
’
son ,hee is a s ingle man 85 hath ne i ther wi fe nor ch i ld . These are
H umb ly to intreat you to d irect y° Ind ians what shal be done in the case85 please to send a warrant for sa i d Pratt 85 here h is p’
tensions for h is
do ings 85 proceed wth h im as you shal see m eet in y w isdome ; I f i twere i n my power or l imetts I should not giue y hono' this trouble .
Also these Ind i ans des ire they may be furnished w i th some powder 85shott to defend them from the M aquas, wCh they are in day ley feare of 85 areat present Remoued to M endon but intend as soon as they get some
powder 85 shot 85 a l i ttle corn they intend to retume to the ir fort atHassanameset. I f yo° p lease to order ym to receue 61b o f powder 85 shottequ ivalent it may suffice. So w th my humb le seruice p
'sented
I Remaine
yorserv
t
DAN IEL GOOK IN
The summer o f 1686 found Dani e l s ti l l ab l e to take thel ong ho rseb ack ride o f twenty mi l es o r so to N ati ck to lookafter his I ndi an ch arges and to he ar his son Danie l p re ach tothem . Sewal l re co rds attending the lec ture there on September 1 and s ays he “ c ame home accompan ied by Maj or Gookinand h is son S am . ti l l the way p arted .
”
The next sp r ing D anie l was s tr i cken wi th his l as t i l l ness .
By March 18 the end was nea r at h and . Sewal l wrote i n hisdi ary : “ I go to Ch arl es town Lecture , and then with Capt .Hu tchinson to s ee dyi ng Maj o r Gookin . He speaks to us .
And then on the next d ay : “March 19 Satterday ,about 5 o r 6 i n the morn, Maj o r Danie l Gookin dies, a r ightgood M an .
H is l as t d ays were s addened by the tr ibu l a ti ons th at hadbe fa l len the colony with the loss of the ch arte r . Though thegre ate r powe r l ay with the othe r s i de i n the long controve rsy
,
ye t he h ad the s atis fac tion of h aving done a l l th at was pos s i b lefo r any one to do to avert the c atas trophe, and his consciencewas c le ar .
186 GENERAL GOOK IN’S WILL
to open such a door. I am o ld, and des ire to fin ish that matter, and take
the boldness to request your honour, that it may be thus d isposed o f . I tbe ing in the hand of major Gookin
’
s re l i ct widow, and he d ied poor, thoughfull o f good works, and greatly beneficent to the Ind ians, and bewa i led bythem to thi s day ; therefore let his w idow have 101. h is e ldest son , who
holds up a lecture among the Ind ians and Engl i sh 101. and the third 101.give i t to Mr. John Cotton, who helped me much in the second ed itiono f the b i ble.
I t wou ld appe ar th at the gi ft sol i c i ted by El io t was askedmore i n recogniti on o f D an ie l ’s se rvi ces th an be c ause o f theurgency o f Mrs . Gook in
’
s need . D anie l ’s wi l l shows th at heleft her sufli ciently provided fo r, and th at his es tate, desp i te itssmal lnes s , was not much be low the ave r age s ize o f gentlemen
’
s
es tates i n New Engl and at that period . The wi l l is of i nte res ta lso for the fu l l and c le a r con fess ion which i t gives of theessenti a ls o f the fai th o f th at time .
The w i l l 85 Testament o f Dan ie l] Gookin. Sen ior, Liveing at C ambridg in New England , m ade 85 don thi s 1 3
th day o f Augt 1685 , Be ingthrew th e grace of God at y
° present writ ing hereof, o f a perfect understand ing 85 of a sound m ind", altho. under sum bod i ly Infirm itye at present,85 Cons i dering a llso that I am through God ’s favour arived to neare sev
enty three years of a ige, 85 Expecting Dayly when my Chang w i l l come, Ith ink it my Dutye Incombent upon me, To Set my house in order 85 to
D ispose o f that smal l Estate (mutch more than I deserve ) which God hathcomm itted to my stuardsh ip, for the prevencion of any D i ff erence amongmy Relat ions after my decease.
In the first p lace, I comm it my I r'
fiortall soule, and the concernesthereof into the everlast ing armes of the Infin ite 85 Eternal] God, the
father, the son , 85 the holy goust, three persons, yet but one Essence, th eonly l iveing 85 the trew God ; I Rely only upon the free grace o f God for
my Eternal sal vat ion, through the merri tts, sat isfaction and Righ tiousness
of Jesus Chr ist, the only begotten sonn o f the father full of grace and
tru th, be ing also Equal w ththe father and holy spirrit, one god, blessed for
ever, who for us m en , and our salvat ion , in fulness of tyme, came fromheaven, 85 took upon h im the nature o f man
,be ing born of the blessed
V irgin M ary, was Conce ived by y° ho ly Ghoust, and he is god-man in
one person, and is the greate M ed iator between god 85 man, 85 ever l ivesat the R i ght hand of God, in the Eternall heavens, m ake ing ContinualIntercess ion for all the Elect
,for whom he shed h is precious blood to
Redeem them from sin 85 y° wrath of god, w
oh work o f Redem pt ion ,performed fully by h im is Accepted by god, and I bel ieve that h is R i ghtiousness, sati sfaction, and merr itts Imputed to me by fa ith , 85 my s inns
GENERAL GOOK IN’S WILL 187
and transgress ions, be ing o f god ’s free grace Imputed to h im,I have good
hope, through grace, that I am justified and adopted , 85 my s inns pardoned, and in some measure begun to be sanct ified by the ho ly goust
,85
that a fter my Death 85 Resorection, be perfect ly glo r ified in the fu l lInjoyment o f God to a ll Etern i ty, for my body wcb
though natural lyfra i le and Corrupt, yet through Grace, is made a temple of the holygoust, and therefore my wi l l is that it may be Deacently Interred in theEarth in Cambri d ge bury ing p lace neate the dust of my Wi fe, but I des irenoe ostentat ion or much cost, to be expended at my funera ll because i t isa tyme of greate tribula n
1 85 my Estate but l i ttle 85 weake.
Second ly, touch ing my outward Estate I d ispose o f it as follows .
To my Dearely beloved w i fe H annah, I give 85 bequeath to her all thatEstate reall and personal that she was possessed of be fore her marriage W th
mee . Also I g ive unto her for terme of her l i fe my Dwe l l ing house,barne and out houses, orchard 85 gardens apperta in ing to it, 85 the use o f
three commons belonging to i t for wood and pasturage (my house lyesadjo in ing to the back lane in Cambri d ge) to have 85 to hold y° prem i sesfor her use 85 benefit dureing her Naturall L i fe, provi ded she Endeavorto keepe both houses 85 fences in Repa ir. Aga in I give unto my wi feone C ow or the red he i fer w th a white face. Also I g ive her one brownambl ing mare. I give to her my second bi ble, also I give 85 bequeath toher for ever a peece o f plate e i ther a Cupp or Tankard to be made new
for her marked Di“. Also I give her the use o f a feather bed 85 furn i ture
dureing her l i fe, but after her Death to be del ivered as hereafter sha l l beeexpressed . M oreover I give her the use of a l l the tables, cupboards, chairs85 stoles or o ther necessary househo ld stuff that she des i res for her usewhi le she abides in the house, to the val lue of term pounds.
To my sonn Dan iel Gookin I give my s i lver Tankard, my bigest
Carb ine w°h he hath Rece ived already, my best bed 85 bolster, blew Ruggand two blanketts 85 the blew curta ines 85 va l l ines belonging to it
, wththe
straw bed under i t. Also to him I give my Death’
s head R ing of goldwOh I ware on my finger
,and halfe my ware ing apparel l o f all sorts w th
my best hatt, all to be del ivered to h im or in case of h is death before mee,
to h is wi fe 85 sonn Dan iel l three monthes a fter my Death . Also I g iveto him my C urtelax
2 85 a s i lver spoone to h is sonn Dan ie l l .Un to my sonn Samuel] 85 h is ch i ldren for ever I gi ve 85 bequeath the
Dwel l ing house, barne, outhouses and yard , gardens 85 orchards where henow Dwelleth 85 all to it belong ing w ‘h
two Commons, and al though Ichanged thi s house 85C wth him for that w°h I now L ive in unto w°h househe bui lt add i t ion 85 barne yet forasmuch as he never had from me any
1When th is was wr i tten judgment had been entered aga inst the C harter,by
legal p rocess , the Freemen hav ing on January 23 , 1684 , voted nemz’
ne con tra d i cente,
no t to accede to the demand of i ts“ ful l subm ission and ent i re res ignat ion” to
C harles I I . And to make matters worse, C harles had d ied in Feb ruary , 1685 , andhad been succeeded by a papist .
1‘A b road , curved swo rd , used by caval rymen.
188 GENERAL GOOK IN’
S WILL
assurance or convayance thereof so had no Legal] R i gh t to that housetherefore I thought it Exped ient to bequeath thi s to h im in my wi l l thathe may have as full 85 Legal] assurance thereof as i f I had given h im adeed
,and I order yt al l y° writeings, and Deeds yt I had o f Mr Coll ins for
y°sa i d house 85 Land be Del ivered my sonn Samue l] . Moreover I g iveunto my sonn Samuel] my Rap ier and my bu ff belt w th
s i lver buckles, myp isto ls and holsters, my fow l ing peece, and one s i lver wine cupp and theo ther ha l fe o f my apparell, 85 to h is three ch i ldren each o f them a s i lverspoon .
Unto my sonn Nathan iel ] Gookin my house where I l ive, wthy° barns
and outhouses thereunto belonging w th all y° orchard 85 gardens apperta ining, w
th three cow commons and what belongs to them . I g ive 85 bequeathto my son Nathan ie l 85 h is He ires forever to be possessed 85 enjoyed byh im after my w i fe
’
s decease, unto whom I have g iven the prem i ses dureingL i fe as is above expressed , but in case my son Nath : should dye w ‘b
out
chi ldren and before h is present wi fe H annah, then my wi l l is that the sa i dhouses and appurtenances be for her use Dureing her L i fe, and after herdecease to be for h im or them unto whome my son Nath l l sha l l d i sposeof them prov i ded i t be to some o f h is Relations by b lood . Also I giveand bequeath to my sa i d Sonn Nath l l my s i lver cupp called ye Frenchcupp
,and y
° b i ggest of y° two other s i lver cupps, and a s i lver w ine cupp .I ment ion no bed and furn iture here because I gave h im that at h ismarriage. Also I g ive h im my blew couch unless sonn Dan ie] Des ire i t,be ing sutable to h is bed
,but i f Dan iel have it
,he must al low Nath the full
va llue o f i t. Also to my sonn Nath l l I gi ve my sma l lest carb ine and agold ring w eh I weare on my finger, and to h im I give a flock bedstead 85appurtenances. 85 a brass cand lest ick wth
2 l i ghts to bee taken in peeces.
Unto my Daughter Batter I gi ve a s i lver salt sel ler 85 another s i lvercupp the lesser of the two, the bigest beeing already given to her brotherNath‘. Also I give her after my w i fe
’
s death, or to her Chi ldren to whomshe shal l g ive it, a feather bed, bolster 85 furn i ture d i sposed to my wi fe forl i fe.
Also I give to Daughter E l i zabeth one gold ring of ten shi ll ings vallue,and to each o f her ch i ldren a s i lver spoon . I mention no more p late bedd ing or other things because I gave her such things at her first m arr iageand bes i des have not been want ing to her haveing helped to breed up herson John E ll iot for 17 yeares at my house 85 y° Col ledge.
I gi ve to rrir Hezek iah U sher and h is w i fe, my good ff riends, to each
a gold ring of ten shi l l ings pri ce.
I g ive to son Q u incy a gold ring o f ten sh i ll ings val lue .
All the rest of my Estate, Real] 85 personal] after just debts 85funerall expences are pa i d are to be equal ly d ivi ded into s ix parts
, two
parts whereo f I g i ve to my E ldest sonn Dan iel] 85 his ch i ldren provi dedyt what he rece ived already at his marriage, v i z , a feather bed 85 furn i ture,a copper ki ttle, a greate brass pott, a good C ow, n ine sheep 85 some L inen
190 THE CAMBRIDGE HOMESTEAD
in Cambridge, c an only be conj ectured . The prob ab i l i tywou l d seem to be th at the house whi ch was a fte rward h is homewas bu i l t by h im in or about the ye ar 167 1 . I t was s i tuatedon what is now gene ra l ly known in Cambridge as the “W i nthrop Es t ate ,
” on the southe r ly s i de o f Arrow s tree t 1 at thee as te r ly angle o f Bow s treet . The grounds extended b ack tothe Charles Rive r . O n Augus t 14, 167 1 , Danie l mortgagedthe dwel l ing
,s tyled by him as
“my man s ion house ” whi ch,
togethe r wi th the “ b arne , yards , o rch ard and gardens adjoyni ng 85 belonging there to , by es tim ation two ac res more o r les s ,twenty ac res of l and on the south s i de o f Charl es Rive r andal l other out l ands , commons 85 wood lots i n C amb ridge ,
”
as
secur i ty fo r a l o an of £ 100 s te r l ing obtai ned from MarySpr ague , widow,
o f Ch ar les town .
2 Not unl ike ly the p roceedsof this l o an and the sum he rece ived fo r a p art o f the Shawshin farm ,
conveyed to Robert Thomp son only two daysl ater
,
3 we re used to p ay fo r bui l d ing the house . Presumablyi t was a somewh at p re tentious s tructure fo r the time and p l ace .
Together wi th the outbu i l d ings and garden s i t was app raisedi n the i nvento ry of D aniel
’
s es ta te,a t
J£140. The l anguage o fthe wi l l i ndi c ates th at fo r a time this house was occupied byhis son S amue l . I n a l l p rob abi l i ty th is was dur ing the per iodbe tween the de ath o f his fi r s t wi fe and his marri age to Mrs .
S avage .
The enti re es tate was i nventoried at 323 l . 3s . 1 1d. I n c ludedi n th is to tal were 120 ac res o f l and at M ar lbo rough , 80l . , 236acre s at Worces te r , 50 ac res ne ar Concord, 7l . , and
“ oneN egro
, 7l .”
Mrs . H ann ah Gooki n , Danie l’
s widow,su rvived him l i ttl e
more th an a ye ar . She died O ctober 29, and two daysl ate r her remain s were l ai d bes i de those o f he r husb and inCambridge burying ground . Sewal l te l ls how on O ct . 3 1 hewent to the Fune r al o f Mrs . Gookin : Be are rs , Mr. Dan
1 Formerly cal led the Back Lane.
2Th i s loan was not released unt i l Apr i l 5 , 1684 . I t was then held by the esta te
of John Hul l , deceased .3 M iddlesex Deeds
,xx i i
, 3 16 .
4Th i s is the date given upon her tombstone . The town records g ive i t October 28 .
MRS . HANNAH GOOK IN’
S FUNERAL 19 1
fo rth,Mr . Russe l l , Sewal l and Hutch inson
,Eli akim
,Mr . J ames
Taylo r and Mr . Edw. Bromfield . Note . The Tide was ove rthe c ausey, 1 and Mrs . W i l l ard , whom Mr . Pain c arr ied , fe l li n to the wate r , so th at she was fa in to goe to Bed presently ins te ad of going to the Grave , the Horse verg
’
d to the right ti l lfe l l i n to the Ditch . Mr . Hutch inson ’
s Coach-Horses also
p lung’
d .
1The causeway lead ing to Boston .
CHAPTER XX I I
LTRU ISM is o f al l the vi rtues the mos t difficu l t to acqu i re and p r acti ce . I t is also the h ardes tfo r the se lfish mu l titude to fathom . Theoreti ca l ly they appl aud : ac tu al ly they are ap t to lookaskance ,— the motive being beyond thei r ab i l i tyto app rec i ate . The brute who rides rough shodove r his fe l l ows , rudely tr ampl ing them under
foo t i n the pursu i t o f his p le asure o r amb i tion , is ac co rded am ore p rominent p l ace i n the temple o f fame th an the phi l anthrop ist whose deeds , though les s consp i cuous , are more tru lyhero i c . Had Danie l Gookin
’
s t al ents been devoted to hisown advancement
,he m ight be bette r known to the wor ld at
l arge . I ns te ad he cho se the noble r p art and his reput ati on isl es s wide th an deservedly i t shou l d be .
By the p rin c ip al men among h is contemporar ies i n theco lony he was he l d i n the highes t respect and es teem . R ev.
J ohn El iot addressed h im as“worship fu l and honoured S i r .”
To R ev . Thomas Mayhew he was much honoured Captai nGookin
,
” and h is “worthy friend .
” Rich ard Bourne c al l edh im “ h is much es teemed fr iend . Thes e we re not me re ly thecurrent fo rms o f the day ; they went beyond the requi rementso f cour tesy and indi c ate the pe rsonal fee l ing o f the wri te rs .
The truth is , th at i n whatever aspec t the l i fe and ch ar acte ro f D anie l Gookin be regarded, he s tands the tes t o f the mos tr igi d s c rutiny . Close s tudy on ly serves to b ring the inherentnobi l i ty o f the man into gre ate r re l i e f. H is mind was th at o f
194 HARSH TREATMENT OF QUAKERS
pri n cip l e was “sub s tanti al ly es tab l ished i n Engl ish constitu
tional his to ry as l ong ago as the ye ar 1 297 by the dec l ar ationDe Ta llagio non concedendo, confi rmed i n 1628 by the Peti ti onof Right
,
1 i t was D anie l Gookin who , by his cogent argumentsand fe arless res i s tance to any encro achment upon pol i ti c a l o rcommer ’c i a l l ibe rty di d more th an any othe r to c rys ta l l ize thespi r i t o f oppos i ti on th at i n l ate r ye ars found expres s i on i n thewel l-known words . To th is extent, at l e as t, he m ay not i n aptlybe c redite d wi th the autho rship o f the doctrine th at is the co rner- s tone o f democr ati c government .To say th at D anie l Gookin h ad h is fau l ts and weaknesses
is on ly to assert that he was human . Yet so far were they outweighed by h is vi rtues , th at i n the pe rspective o f more th antwo centuri es i t is diffi cu l t to dis ce rn them . Bigoted in hisrel igious V i ews he undoubtedly was . And in his tre atment o fthe Quake rs he may perh ap s h ave jus t ified some of thei r censure . George B ishop p ai d his comp l iments to him in h is bookenti tled “New Engl and judged by the Sp i r i t o f the Lord .
One Elizabeth H ooton (o r Ho rton) h aving gone through thes tree ts o f Cambridge ‘ ‘ c ry ing Repentance th rough some p artof th at town
,where no Friend h ad been before (as she heard of)
she was the re l aid ho ld of by a b lood thi rsty c rew , and e ar ly Inthe morn ing had before Thomas Dan fort and D anie l Goggings
(two wi cked and b loody magis tr ates o f yours , o f whom I havee l sewhere spoken
,and thei r wi ckedness) , who committed her,
and whose j aylor th rus t he r i n to a noisome , s tinking dungeon,where there was nothing to l i e down o r s it on , and kep t theretwo days and two nights , without help ing her to b read o r water ;and bec ause one Benanuel Bower (a tender Friend) b rought hera l i ttl e mi lk i n th is her gre at distress , where in she was l iked tohave perished
,they c as t h im into p rison fo r en te rtaining a
s tr ange r, and fined him five pounds .
2 They o rde red he rto be sent out o f thei r co as ts towards Rhode I s l and
,and to be
whipped at three towns , ten s tripes at e ach by the way .
”3
1Hugh C h i sholm. Art icle on Representat ion” i n Eric. B r i t. 1 1th Ed .2New England judged , etc. p . 4 14 .
1, I b i d . , p. 4 15 . Accord ing to Sewal l in h is H i story of the Quakers, p . 3 27, th istook place in 1662.
A JUST JUDGE 195
Returning to Camb ridge she was agai n impri soned , and waswh ipped there and at two other town s
,as be fo re . Th i s was
the ente rtainment they rece ived at C ambridge (the i r U n ivers ity of W i ckedness) , and from Thomas Dan fo rt and Danie lGoggin , magis tr ates , who (viz . Gogg i n) des i red h is bro the rH athorne to s end some Quakers th at way
,th at he m ight see
them l ashed , as is mentioned e lsewhere i n th i s tre atise .
”1
The extr avagant r ai l ing o f th is fan ati c c an hardly be takenl i te r al ly . Sti l l , when all al lowance is made
,there c an be no
doub t that the pun ishment i nfl i c ted was barb arous . But we
shou l d not measu re i t by the s t andards of to—day . Attemptsto subvert the rel igious f ai th o f the people were then regardedas ful ly jus ti fying the crue l puni shment fixed by the l aw . Thi sl aw i t was Danie l Gookin
’
s duty to enforce . That wh i le doingso h is heart m ay h ave b led fo r the o ff ender i s a re asonab lei n ference from h is words and acts . As a judge he was jus t ,uncompromi s ing and even inexo rable ; yet he be l ieved in temper ing jus ti ce with mercy ;
“ ’
tis not my work to judge men ’
s
hea rts , he wrote ;“ th at be longs to God .
” I n his re l at ion wi thI ndi ans and Engl ish al ike , he let i t be seen p l ain ly th at fi rmness and kindnes s were not in compatib le . An ins tance o f his
tende rness of he art i s reve aled by h is e ff ort to rec l aim his fo rmer s l ave S i lvanus W arro from Captain Jon ath an Wade .
I n the c ase o f Gookin vs .Wade ,2“W i l l i am Park aged 75
ye ars Te stifieth th at when S i lvanus W arro was i n Jai le at Bo ston under the County Cour ts sentence to be sold for s atis facti on o f sd Court
’
s sentence to p ay twenty pounds to mee thisdeponent and fo r main ten an ce o f his b as tard ch i ld , sd negronot being ab le to make any s ati s facti on , I d id advise with theW orsh‘l Maj or Gookin what to Do with him , who Coun se l ledme to send h im to Vi rgini a , and told m e he wou l d p rov ide oneth at wou l d c ar ry him and put him o ff fo r m e , but a fte rwardsMr . W ade p resenting to buy h im , I acquain ted ye sd Maj o r
Gookin with i t and he did free ly con sent to i t r athe r th an heshou l d be ship d Off , and too my bes t remembrance went w i thme to the Jai le 85 advised sd Negro to be content to l ive with
1New England judged , p . 4 18 .
2M idd lesex Court fi les, 1682, Dec.
196 THE CASE OF SILVANUS WARROW
Mr .Wade for e lse he mus t be sold out o f y° Country to s atis fythe Cour t
’
s s entence ; and furthe r to ld him that he might fa l li n wi th M r . Wade ’
s N egro Wench and l ive wel l, upon whi ch
advise with the Cou rt o rder I th is deponent made s ale o f 3 d
N egro and furthe r s ai th not .”
19 : 10 : 1682
Looking toward his rele ase , the negro had thus boundh im se l f
These p'sents witnesseth that I S i lvanus W arro negro, in love 85duty to my master Dan ie l Gookin Esq . in whose house I was borne, Bred85 educated , 85 my parents Jacob 85 M ari a Warrow 1 were h is servants 85vassals ; I doe herby freely and voluntary Covenant, agree 85 oble idge mysel fe, fa i thfully d i l i gen tly 85 tru ly to serve 85 obey h im the sa i d Dan iel lGookin ; 85 h is Ch i ldren as he shall p lease to appo int for the whole termo f my Natural l i fe, hee or they beeing to provi de mee, meat drinke
,lodging
85 apperel , or a sertene some o f money by aprisl l yearly as m ay be agreed ,85 to take care of mee in s i ckness 85 in health as Christ i an duty requ ires .
In wi tness hereof I the sa i d S i lvanus Warrow have to th is covenant putmy hand 85 seale the day of November
M aj o r Gener a l Gookin,i n h is p le a, c loses thus
Ne ither Deacon Parker, nor Capt. Wade are wronged By myendeavor“ to recover my negro out of this Bondage to them or e i ther o fthem . I f any have ri ght to him tis myself who Bred h im from a chi ld 85h is parents were my vassals 85 his Brother is now my servant 85 th ispoore negro now in h is old age is W i l l ing 85 des irous to end h is days inmy servi ce 85 my Chi ldrens as covenant shews ; although now he be old
85 soe myne cannot expect any great p’fit by h im , yet I cannot w ithdrawmy natural] aff ect ion to h im 85 to provi de for h im whi le he l ives 85 so
much y° rather I doe thi s Because h is father was a God ly man 85 th i snegro d ied in my servi ce, in the G lorious Name of The Father, Son 85Ho ly Ghost named upon h im in Bapt isme .
I leave al l I have sa i d wththe Honored Court 85 jury des iring the ir
tenderness 85 Justi ce in this case 85 do tema ineYour servantDAN I EL GOOK IN
Camb . l gth of December 16 82.
As to the outward appear ance o f “ thi s grand o ld Ameri c anp atri arch and s age
,
”
as Danie l has been aptly c al led,2 a l i ttle
1They we re k i l led by Ind ians , a t Dan iel ’s Mary l and plantat ion . See supra , p . 76 .
”Moses Co i t Ty ler, H i st. Am . Li t. , i , 1 54.
198 JUSTICE SEWALL’S DREAM
four ye ars , more th an a m atch fo r C aleb Grant and h is b rothers . One more word pi c ture of D aniel , as s l ight and intangib leas the othe r, is given by Chie f Jus ti ce Sewal l i n his di ary .
Sabbath,Dec. 3o
th1688
Last n i ght I dreamed o f m i l i tary m atters, Arm s and Capta ins, and o f
a suddain, M ajor Gookin , very wel l clad from head to foot, and of a veryfresh
,l i vely countenance— h is Coat and Breeches of blood-red s i lk.
beckened m e out of the room where I was to speak to h im . I think’
twas from the Town-house.
”
The c a l ls o f duty and o f fr iendship neve r found D anie lGookin wanting . I n al l the re l ations of l i fe he was ever s te adfast, great-he arted, s c rupulous ly up right, high-minded and sel fs ac r ific ing . H e was i ndeed, as Chie f Jus ti ce S ewal l s aid ,
“ a r ightgood man .
INDEX
202 INDEX
Champney , R ichard , 80.
C hampney , Samuel , 77.
C handler , John , 6 3 , 64 .
C hapman , Ph i l l i p, 48 , 62.
Chauncey , C harles, 74 , 107, 1 13 .
C h i ld,George
,6 2.
C h i ld,Majo r John , 18 1 .
C h isman , John , 48.
C hosumphs , John , 1 82.
Ch r ist ian Ind ian s, see P ray ing Ind ians .
Clarke,Capt. John
, 45 , 46 .
Clarke,W i l l iam
, 47 , 62.
Clay ton ,S i r Randal
, 3 3 , 5 1 , 52.
C odne,Mary
,67.
C oe, Thomas , 48 .
C okyn fam i ly , 3—4.
C okyn ,W i ll iam
, 3 .
Co le,Peter , 9 3 .
Co le, W i ll iam ,63 , 64.
Go lkin,John , 4 .
C ollacot , Beth iah , 180.
C ol lacot,R ichard
, 180.
C ol laco t , Thomaz in,180.
Co l l ins, Edward , 78 , 80, 8 1 .
Combe,C h r i st ian , 9 .
Condon,Jo rdan , 34 , 54 .
Condon,R ichard , 34.
Cooke,Edward
,67 .
Cooke, Capt. Geo rge, 79.
Cooke, Joseph , 189.
Cooney , W i ll iam ,62.
Cooper,see Cowper.
Copleston , Adam de, of Copleston , Devon
,25 ; arms of , 25 .
C opleston ,Thomas, of Luckcombe, Somerset
,25 .
Copleston ,Margaret
,25 .
Cork , R ichard Boyle, F i rst Earl of , 32;clash w i th Dan iel Gookin , 32 ; buysCarr i gal ine from and leases i t to Dan ielGookin
, 3 3 perfects t i tl e, 44 buys thelease, 50.
C oslay , Hen ry , 62.
Cotton , R ev. John, 73 , 74 , 186 .
Cowper (or Cooper) , Robe rt , 6 .
Crew, Ran dal] , 6 5 .
Cromwel l , O l iver, 8 1 , 85 , 86 , 87, 92, 105 ,
Croney,W i l l iam
, 47.
Curt is,Eph ra im
, 167.
Curt is, John , 48 , 62.
Curt is , Thomas, 47, 62.
Cutler,Capt. , 158 .
Cutts, Capt. John , 76 .
Danfo rth , Thomas, fr iendsh i p w i th Daniel Gook in , 80 ; wi th Dan iel Gook
Ebsworth , Anne, 47.
Ebsworth , An thon ie, 47 .
Edgeworth,Franc is
, 36 , 44 .
Edgeworth , R ev. Lovel , 37.
in upholds charter pr iv i leges, 108- 1 10 ;s i gns letter to Boy le, 122 ; incurs host il ity of common people by defend ingDan ie] Gook in
,1 52 ; h is l i fe th reat
ened,1 52, 1 53 ; run down in Boston
harbo r,15 5 ; result o f 1676 elect ion
,
1 56 ; assaul ted by John Jones, 160 ; wi thGookin leads in con troversy w i th thecrown
,172, 177 ; a tMrs. Hannah Gook
in ’s funeral
,190 ; ra i led a t by Geo rge
B ishop , 194.
Danson,George
,169 .
Darrell , Ph i l i p, 54 , 5 5 .
Daun t,Thomas of Tracton Abbey
, 5 1 .
Davenpo rt , R ev. John , 74 , 108 .
Dav is, Marga rett , 67.
Dav is, Mr. ,104 .
Delaware,Esay , (Delywarr, Isaye) 47, 62.
de Cogan ,M i lo, 3 1 .
de Copleston , see Co pleston .
de Barde,I sabel , 9.
de Earde , Robert, 9 .
Denne , Amy, 7 .
Denne,C a therine,marriage to JohnGookin
, 7 ; her ancestry , 7—9 ; death of , 30.
Denne , El lys (Al ice) , 6 .
Denne, Elyz abethe, 7.
Denne, ped i gree, 7—9 ; arms of , 9 .
Denne, W i ll iam ,of K ingston
,Kent
, 7.
Denn ison , Capt. Geo rge, 1 1 1 .
de Toketon, see Toketon .
Dew , Thomas , 65 .
Do ll ing, Mary , marr iage to Dan ielGook in
,64 ; in l ist of persons tran s
po rted to V i rgin ia by Dan iel,67 ; ad
m itted F i rst C hurch , Boston , 73 d is
m issed to Camb r i dge, 79 rel ieves s ick
Ind ians, 1 59 ; death of , 179.
Dry land , arms of , 25 .
Dry land,El i zabeth , 25 .
Dud ley,Joseph , 156 , 160, 172, 178 , 18 1 ,
1 83 . 193Dudley
,Thomas, 74 .
Dunster , Hen ry , 74, 79.
Dun ton,John
,193 .
Durran t,Amy , 4 , 5 , 6 .
Durran t,El i zabeth , 6 .
Durran t,Jane, 4 , 6 .
Durran t , John , of L i ttlebourne, 5 ; arms
of, 5 ; ped igree of descendan ts
,6 .
Durrant,John
,of Howlets , 4—6 .
Durrant,M i ld red
,6 .
INDEX
Edgewo rth , Mar ia , 37.
Edolph , Jane , 10.
Edolph , S imon , 10.
El iakim , Mr. , 19 1 .
El io t,R ev. John
,fr iendsh i p w i th Dan iel
Gookin , 73 in Ind ian work ass i stedby Gookin
,83 , 126 ; stud ies Ind ian
Language, 127 ; preaches to Ind ians ,
127 ; on h is pet i t ion Gook in appo in tedSuper in tenden t of Pray ing Ind ians ,1 29 ; weary journeys, 1 30 ; letter toComm i ss ioners of the Co lon ies , 1 3 1 ;journey to N i pmuck coun try w i thGooki n , 132-136 ; aspers ions by populace dur ing Ph i l i p ’s war, 144- 15 5 ; visi ts Nashobah Ind ians , 1 50 ; run downin Boston Harbor, 1 5 5 ; records removalof Ind ian s from Deer I slan d , 15 8 ; tesumes m iss ionarywork , 159 ; letters toBoy le, Robert, 149 , 16 5 , 1 85 ; h is re
spect f or Dan iel Gook in ,192.
E l iot , R ev. John , Jr. , 179 .
El iot , John 3d , 179 , 18 1 , 188 , 189 .
Elgar,R ichard
,6 .
E ll is , W i l l iam ,62.
E lsworth , Ann,6 2.
Elsworth , C h r ist , 62.
End icott, John ,100
,1 1 1 .
Faun tleroy , arms of , 25 .
Faun tleroy , John , 25 .
Faun tleroy , Margaret, 25 .
Fen ton , Lady Al ice, 34 , 3 5 .
Ferrar, John , 39 , 46 .
F ield,Thomas , 62.
F i sher , L ieut. Joshua, 166 .
F iske , Dav id , 77.
F iske , John , 70.
F i tz Edmond , Dav i d Terry , 3 3 .
Floyd,R ichard
,83 .
Foockes ,W i l l iam , 47.
Fos ter, Hopest i l l , 109 .
French ,W i ll iam ,83 .
Frost, Edmund , 80.
Garner , John ,62.
Garret,James , master of the Hopewel l ,
101 , 104 ; lost a t sea , 105 .
Gedney , Bartho lomew, 125 , 178 .
Gibbons , Major, 1 37.
Godby , Joane , 48 .
Goff e , Edward , 80.
Goff e , C ol . Edward , 106 , 107, 1 10.
Goffe , Samuel , 182.
Gook in , Amy , dau . of Thomas , 6 .
Gook in , Amy , dau. of John ,12.
203
Gook in,Anne
,12.
Gookin,arms of , 12—14 .
Gookin,Arnold , 3 , 4 .
Gookin , C harles B .,183 .
Gook in , C icely , 7.
Gook in,Dan iel , son of John , 12.
Gookin , Dan ie] , of Carr igal ine , b i rth , 12 ;marr iage
,16 ; removal to Munster , 30 ;
buys Carr igal ine, 3 1 ; clas h wi th Lord
Cork,2 ; sells Carr i gal ine to Cork and
takes ease , 3 3 ; the Longfo rd plan tat ion
, 3 5 ; sells to Francis Edgeworth ,36 ; con tract w i th V i rgin ia Company ,3 8 ; sa i ls for V i rgin ia, 40 ; refuses to
obey concen trat ion o rder, 42; returns
to England , 43 ; h is income from Carrigal ine, 45 ; sends The Prov idence to
V i rgin ia, 45 ; servan ts a tMarie
’sMoun t ,
47 ; sel ls lease o f Carr i gal ine , 50 ; ob
ta ins grant of S t. Brandan’s I sle , 52 ;
decease, 54 ; deal ings wi th S i r Ferd inando Gorges , 1 17.
Gookin , Major General Dan iel , descen t ,3 ; sea ] used by , 14 ; b i rth , 6 1 ; grant ofV i rgin i a lands to , 6 2 ; l ists o f colon istst ransported to V ir in ia by , mar
riage to Mary Dolf ing , 64 ; in V i rg in ia ,64
-66 ; ano ther gran t , 66 ; s i gns Nansemond pet i t ion , 6 7 ; acqu i res Mary landplantat ion , 70 ; removes to Massachu
setts , 7 1 ; fr iendsh i p wi th John El iot ,73 ; removal to Camb r idge , 78 ; capta inof tra ined band , 79 ; deputy to GeneralCourt , 8 1 ; v is i ts England , 8 1 ; Speakerof General Court, 82; Ass ista n t, 82, 8 5 ;appo in ted Cromwell ’s agen t to coloni z e Jamaica , 87- 9 1 ; letters to Thurloe ,93—102 ; sa i ls f or England , 104 ; Co l lec
tor oi Customs a t Dunk i rk , 105 ; Deputy Treasurer a t War, 106 ; return to
New England , 106 ; pretended eff ort toapprehend regicides, 108 ; opposes encroachmen ts on chartered r i gh ts , 109 ;refuses to answer Comm iss ioners , 1 10 ;h is many act iv i t ies , 1 14 ; decl ines to actas l icenser of the press , 1 15 ; conductsnegot iat ions f or purchase o f Ma ine ,1 17—125 ; in charge of P ray ing Ind ians
128 ; journey to N i pmuck coun try ,1 32—136 ; letter to Governor Pr ince , I 3 8 ;rage of populace aga inst h im dur ingPh i l i p’s War , 145—15 5 ; h is l i fe th reatened , 1 52 ; run down in Boston harbor, 1 55 ; appo in ted Ma jo r, 1 56 ; t e
sumes Ind ian wo ik ,159 ; re-e lected
Ass i stan t , 160 ; h is books about the
Ind ians , 16 1 ; h is H istory o f New Eng
mm
land,162—165 ; founds town of W or
oester , 166-170 ; leads in con troversywi th the crown
,172 ; appo inted Majo r
General , 177 ; death of h is w ife, 179 ;h is ch i ld ren , 179 ; marr iage to HannahSavage
,18 1 last i l lness and death , 184 ;
h is wi ll , 186—189 ; his homestead , 1 89 ;est imate of h is character , 193 ; t reatmen t of the Quakers, 194 ; the caseof S i lvanusWarrow, 195 con troversyw i th Caleb G rant, 197 ; Just ice Sewa ll ’sd ream
,198 .
Gookin ,Dan iel
, second son of Genera lGookin , 180.
Gookin , R ev. Dan ie] , of Sherborn , th i rdson of General Gookin ,
b i rth of , 8 1 ;b iograph ical sketch of , 180 ; preaches tothe Ind ians, 184 ; bequests in h is fa
ther’s wi ll , 1 87—189 .
Gookin , Dan iel , son of Dan iel of Sherborn , 187.
Gook in,Dan iel , of Worcester, 170.
Gookin,Edward
, 56 , 85 , 105 , 106 .
Gookin,E l i zabeth , dau. of Thomas , 6 .
Gookin ,E l i zabeth , dau. of John , 1 2.
Gook in,E l i zabeth , dau. of General
Gookin , 79 , 179 , 180, 188 .
Gookin,Hannah
,180.
Gook in, Jhoane, 7 .
Gook in , John , of R i pple Court, parentage, 6 ; marr ies Cather ine Denne, 7 ;removes to Appleton , Ken t, 10 ; purchases L i ttle Betteshanger, 10 ; sub
scr ibes to Span i sh Armada defenseloan
, 1 1 ; purchases Manor of R i ppleCourt
,1 1 ch i ld ren
, /1 2 ; arms of
1 2 ; removal to I reland , 30 ; l iv ing at
Carr i gal ine, 3 3 death of ,'
49.
Gook in,John , of Northbourne Kent , 12,
15 , 8 1 .
Gookin , John , grandson of John , sel lsR i pple Court, 1 1 dovecote a t R i ppleCourt, bu i lt by , 12 ; royal ist and res id ing in France, 8 1 .
Gookin , Capt. John , granted l ands inV i rgin ia
, 5 7 ; marr iage to Mrs. Sarah( Oflf ey ) Thorowgood , 57 ; decease ,57 ; inscr i pt ion on tombstone, 58 ; jo insin conveyance of Mar ie’s Moun t, 63com pla ins of Ind ian outrages
,66 .
Gookin , John , of S t. Dunstan ’s in the
East, 56 .
Gook in,Ka ther ine, 1 2.
Gookin , Margaret , 10, 1 2.
Gook in , Mary , dau. of Jo hn,10
,12.
Gookin , Mary , 56 .
Gook in,Mary, dau . of Capt. John
, 57 .
INDEX
Gookin , Mary , dau. of General Gook in ,79 Marr iage to Edmund Batter, 179bequest in her father’s w i ll
,188 , 189 .
Gookin , Mary.wife of General Gook in ,
see Dol l ing.Gookin
,R ev. N athan iel , 18 1 , 188 , 189 .
Gook in,R ichard , of Cork , 29 , 54 , 56 .
Gookin , R ichard , of Dedham ,165 .
Gook in , Capt. Robert, 8 1 , 168 .
Gook in,Samuel , of London ,
8 1,168 .
Gookin , Samuel , eldest son of GeneralGookin , 67, 7 1 , 179 .
Gookin , Samuel , fourth son of Genera lGook in , 83 , 167, 180, 182, 1 87—1 89 .
Gook in , Solomon , 85 , 180.
Gook in,Thomas, of Bekesbou rne, 4 , 5 , 6 ,
Gookin ,Thomas , of R i pple Court , 3 , 12,13 1 1 5 1 49 1
Gookin , Thomas, of Harb ledown , 10,
13 , 8 1 .
Gook in , Thomaz in , 6 .
Gookin , var ian t spel l ings, 4—5 .
Gook in , S i rV incen t,birth of , 12; settl es inI rel and , 29 ; executor of h is father ’sw i l l
, 49 ; h igh sher iff of Co rk , 52;kn i ghted by Lo rd Co rk , 52 ; trustee f orch i ld ren of h is b rother Dan iel , 5 5 ; l iving a t B i tton in G loucestersh i re, 57.
Gook in , V incen t , appo in ted Comm iss ioner of the Revenue f or I reland , 8 1 ;member fi rst P rotectorate Parl iamen t,86 ; autho r of “
The G reat Case of
Transplan tat ion in I reland d iscussed ,”86 ; acqua in tance w i th C romwel l , 87 ;offices to wh ich he was appo inted byC romwe ll , 168 .
Gorges , Ferd inando, 1 17.
Gorges, S i r Ferd inando, 5 1 , 52, 1 17.
Granger , W i ll iam ,62.
G ran t,Caleb
,197, 198 .
G ran t,Thomas
,of Ey tho rne, 12.
G reen , Samuel , 197 .
Grifli n,C harles, 62.
Grifli n,R i se , 47.
Grifli n , R ichard , 48 .
Grout,F. ,
183 .
Hammond , Capt. , 15 8.
Harr is,Ellnor, 47
Hast ings, John , 1 82Hast ings , Wal ter, 77 .
Haynes , Jo hn , 74 , 169 .
Heath , Ferdinand , 67.
Henchman,Capt. Dan iel , 143 , 150, 15 1 ,
Hever,John , of C ranbrooke, Ken t, 9.
Hever, Margaret, 9.
u m
Nesutan , Job , 1 27, 182.
Newce , Capt . S i r W i l l iam, 39 , 40, 55 .
N ichols , C ol . R ichard , 109 , 1 10.
Norman , Aust in ,62.
No rm an ,Hen ry , 62.
No rman , Peter , 62.
Noyes, L ieut. Thomas, 166No rton , R ev. John , 74 , 107.
Offley , Robert, 57.
Ofli ey , Sarah , 57, 58 .
Ol iver,Capt. James, 147, 148 , 149 .
Ol iver, Thomas , 159 .
Osbo rne, S i r Edward , 57 .
Pachanaharm ,John , 182.
Page, John , 64 .
Pa in,Mr.
,19 1 .
Pa ine ,W i l l iam ,67 .
Park,W i ll iam,
195 .
Parker , Deacon , 196 .
Parkman ,El ias , 76 .
Parks,W i l l iam , 109 .
Parratt,John
, 47 .
Pelham ,Mr .
,104 .
Pens int ,W i ll iam , 62.
Perk in s , James , 67.
Perkins , Thomas, 67.
Petley , John , 3 1 .
Petley , Thomas , 3 1 , 45 , 50.
Petley ,W i l l iam , 5 1 .
Pierce, John ,104 , 106 , 1 10.
P i lkington,R ev. R ichard
,25 .
P i tt,Mrs . Franc i s, of S tepney , 56 .
Pla isted , Roger , 1 13 .
P ratt,Edward
,184 .
Pray,Eph ra im
,149 .
P ray,Mary
,149 .
Pray ing Ind ians , Dan iel Gookin Superintenden t of
,128 ; colon ists ’ b rutal
treatmen t of , 137 ; warn ing of Ph i l i p ’sWar given by
,14 1 ; rage of the people
aga inst , 144 ; confined to the i r v i ll ages,
144 ; removed to Deer I sland, 149 ;
company of , under Capt . Hunt ing, rel ieves Sudbury , 154 ; removed fromDeer Island
, 158 .
Pren t ice , Thomas , 1 1 1 , 1 13 , 143 , 158 ,167, 169 .
P r ice, Hen ry , 62.
P r ichard , Capt . , 8 1 .
Power, Dav id , 34 , 54 .
Power,W i l l iam , 3 5 , 55 .
Pynchon , John , 74 , 122, 178 .
Quannapoh itt , James, 15 1
Qu incy , C o] . Edmund , 1 80, 188 .
Qu incy,El i zabeth
,180.
INDEX
Randal l , Dan iel R . , 70.
Randolph,Edward
, 123 , 171 , 177, 178 .
Rem ington ,Martha
,15 3 .
R ichards, Major, 178 .
R ichards,W i ll iam
, 62.
R ich ison , Amos, 1 1 3 .
R ingall , Thomas , 67.
R i pple Court, Mano r of , acqu i red byJohn Gookin , 1 1 ; h isto ry of , 1 1 .
Roe, John ,62.
Rowlandson,R ev. Joseph , 154.
Russel l , R ev. Noadiah , 179 .
Russel l , R ichard , 122, 178 , 19 1 .
Sanders , John , 7 .
Saunders , Tob ias, 1 1 1 .
Savage, Habijah , 18 1 .
Savage, Hannah ,w ife of General Gook in ,
Savage, Hannah , wife of R ev. N athan ielGookin , 18 1 , 188 .
Savage, Mary , 18 1 , 189 .
Savage,Thomas , 189 .
Savage, Majo r Thomas , 142, 153 , 156 .
Scott,John
,62.
Sco tt, R ichard , 153 .
Searle,Dan ie] , 18 1 .
Sears , Mary , 18 1 .
Sewal l , C h ief Just ice Samuel , extractsfrom d iary , 178 ; goes to see Genera]Gookin upon h is death bed, 184 ; pal lbearer at funeral of Mrs . HannahGookin , 190 ; his d ream of GeneralGookin ,
198 .
Shepperd ,W i ll iam , 67.
Sherwood,Pete r, 47 .
S i ll , Capt . Joseph , 157 .
S laden,John Baker
,1 1 .
S laden , C ol . Joseph , 1 1 .
Shepard , R ev. Thomas , 74 , 80, 8 1 .
Sm i th,Capt . 178 .
Sm i th,John
, 4 1 , 42, 43 .
Sm i th,Robert, 47 , 62.
Sm i th,W i ll iam
, 47, 62.
Southworth , Mr.,1 3 8 , 1 39 .
Speen,James, 1 3 5 , 136 .
Sprague,Capt .
,147 .
Spry,O l iver
,65 .
S taffo rd,Capt. Bened ict
,64.
S tearn s, Samuel , 1 80.
Stearns , Hannah , 180.
Stedman,John , 79 .
S t . Leger, S i r Warham , 3 1 .
S t. Leger , S i r Warham , 3d , 32, 45 .
S tockdale, Mr., 5 1 , 52.
S tough ton , W i l l iam , 122, 15 5 , 172, 183 .
S treets, W i ll iam , 48 .
INDEX
Swift,Jane, 9 .
Sw in forde,Clemen t, 1 2.
Sw inforde ,W i l l iam ,6 .
Syme,Al ice , 6 .
Syme,Robert, 6 .
Symonds , Samuel , 1 22.
Tay lo r, James , 19 1 .
Thomas , Jo hn , 62.
Thompson , Robert , 190.
Thorowgood , Capt . Adam, 57 .
Thurlby,John
, 48 .
Thurloe, John , Dan ie] Gookin’s letters
to.93 .94. 95 . 98.Thurston ,
IJane, w ife o f Thomas Gook in
of R i pp e Court, 1 5 ; l i t i gat ion wi thb rothers- in-l aw
,1 5 , 49 .
Thurston , R ichard , 15 .
Toketon , Elphege de , 9 .
Toketon ,S i r W i l l iam de, 9 .
Tompson ,R ev.W i ll iam
,68
,69 .
To rey , Joseph , 1 12.
Tufton,Agnes , 7 , 9 .
Tufton , N icholas , 7 .
Tufton ped igree , 9 .
Turner , John , 5 1 .
Tyng , Edward , 122, 148 , 18 1 .
Usher, C h r i stopher, 193 .
Usher, Hezek iah , 104, 150, 1 88 .
Vaughan,C h r ist . , 67 .
V i rgin ia Company , contract wi th Dan ielGookin , 38 , 39 ; the Counc i l recommends h im to colon ial author i t ies, 40 ;rejo ic ing caused by Dan iel ’s arr ival inV i rgin ia
, 4 1 ; revocat ion of the charter, 49.
Vowel l , Amy , 25 , 26 .
Vowel l , arm s of , 25 .
Vowel l , R ichard , 25 .
Vowel l , W i l l iam of C reake Abbey , 26 .
207
Vowel l ,W i l l iam of Well s, Somerset , 25 .
Yard ley , C ol . Francis , 58 .
Yard ley , S i r George, 58 .
Wade , C apt . Jona than ,19 5 , 196 .
Wadsworth,W i l l iam
, 47 , 62.
Walker, Roger , 47 , 6 2.
Ward , N athan iel , 74 .
Warren,Thomas
,67 .
Warrow , Jacob , 6 7 , 75 , 196 .
Warrow, Mar ia , 196 .
Warrow, S i lvanus , 195 , 196 .
W ay te, Jo .
, 125 .
Webb,W i ll iam
,67 .
West, Governor , 178 .
West , Capt . John ,6 5 .
Whalley , General , 106 , 107, 1 10.
Wharton,Mr.
, 178 .
W h i tfild,Gi lbert
, 47 , 6 2.
W i lcox,Roger , 67 .
W i ld ly,W i l l iam
,67 .
W i l lard,Mrs .
, 19 1 .
W i l lard,R ev. Samuel
,18 1 .
W i l lard , S imon , 1 1 1 , 144 , 150.
W i l l iams , Roger , 74 .
W i lson,R ev.W i l l iam
,17.
W ing,John
,169 .
W in th rop , Capt .
,178 .
W in th rop , Dean , 1 1 3 .
W in th rop , John , 68 , 74 , 75 .
W iseman , W i l l iam , 5 1 .
Wood , Thomas , 38 .
Worcester, settl ement pro j ected , 166
Dan iel Gookin and others v iew s i te,167 ; settlemen t in terrup ted by Ph i l i p ’swar
,167 ; new settlemen t begun ,
168 ;name bes towed , 168 ; con jectured rea
sons f or the name , 168—169 .
Wo rm ley , Capt . C h r i st .
,65 .
Woodhall,W i l l iam
,17 .
Wyatt,Gov.
, 43 , 46 .