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The Reverend Henry Smith in England 16118 to 1637 L. J. Hanchett and Paul Earl Smith August 16, 2016 Copyright 2016 Undergraduate Education Matriculated Sizar (with scholarship assistance, not self‐pay) from Magdalene College Cambridge Easter (April 16) 1618.1 Wealthy students were generally self‐pay. Graduated during the year from Michaelmas (September 19) 1621 to Michaelmas 1622.2 In Service Training Curate (trainee) at Cottingham, Northamptonshire from December 1621 to July 1623.3 John Powell, the Rector during this time, who was quite old, and died the year after Henry’s departure.4 This pattern of Henry assisting an older or infirmed Rector repeats itself during the rest of Henry’s service in England. Henry signature follows his agreement to the “Three Articles of Westminster 1604” at Cottingham May 22, 1622. This signature is substantially the same as Henry’s signature as witness to the will of Thomas Hooker of Hartford, Connecticut.5 Henry was licensed to serve Cottingham as curate May 29,1623.6 1 John Venn (J. G. Bartlett): Alumni Cantabrigienses. 2 UA Grace Book Zeta p 22 (no specific date recorded) Cambridge University Library. 3 Henry made entries in the Cottingham Parish Registers in his own hand writing during this period. 4 CCEd for John Powell. 5 Letter from P. I. King, of the Northamptonshire Record Office, to the author dated June 20, 1985. 6 Deanery of Weldon 1623 Visitation Book at the Northamptonshire Record Office. Signature comparisons for two Henry Smiths. April 12, 2016 L. J. Hanchett The top signature is for Henry Smith of Wethersfield, CT in 1647. The bottom signature is for Henry Smith of Cottingham, Northamptonshire dated 1623. Note the following features: Similarities: Most of Henry is identical, especially the H, n, and y. The m, I, t, and h in Smith are very close. The slant to both names is almost identical. Differences: The only notable change is the upper loop of the S in Smith. The letters in Smith seem mmore connected in the former. Keep in mind that these signatures were executed twenty‐four years apart. Ordination Henry was ordained deacon at Peterborough June 7, 1623 and priest June 8, 1623.7 Post Graduate Education Henry graduated with an M.A. degree in 1625, also from Magdalene.8 7 John Venn (J. G. Bartlett): Alumni Cantabrigienses. CCEd for the person Henry Smith. 8 UA Grace Book Zeta p 97: Cambridge University Library. Mrs. Jane Tullia (Smith) Brady – Author : “A Record of the Rev Henry Smith (Puritaan Preacher) and His Family.” Natchez Stationary Press Co. 1951 First Marriage Henry married Elizabeth Richardson at Cottingham Mayy 5, 1623. The entry is in his own handwriting in the Cottingham Parish Register and the page is signed by Henry as curate.9 Children by First Wife A Mary Smith‐ was born to a Henry Smith February 22, 1623 at Stoke Prior, Worcestershiree. This event occurred nine months and seventeen days following Henry’s marriage to Elizabeth.10 On December 12, 1623, two months prior to the birth of Mary Smith, John Archbold, the Vicar at Stoke prior since 1620, died.11 Rebecca Smith‐ born to Henry Smith June 18, 1626 at Bowden, Cheshire. Here Henry is designated as “Minister.”12 A Mr. Smith was recorded as “lecturer” at this parish in 1622. His name is contained in a listing of “Contributions from the Clergy” as a subsidy tax for the exiled ministers of the Palatinate. Henry contributed five schillings.13 A lecturer was a junior or assistant curate, in other words someone just starting his ministry. The listing does not include a first name so we cannot be sure if it was Henry. The position does fit well with his just having graduated from Cambridge and his appearing as curate at Cottingham. 9 Parish Registers for Cottingham, Northamptonshire. 10 Parish Registers for Stoke Prior, Worcestershire. 11 CCEd Recods for the person John Archbold. 12 Parish registers for Bowdon, Cheshire. 13 Record Society for the Publication of Original Documents relating to Lancashire and Cheshire Vol 12. Peregrine Smith‐ born October 28, 1628 at Borrough Hill, Leicestersshire, no parents listed. This is one of only two Perigrine Smiths recorded in the extannt parish registers between 1623 and 1637. The other Perigrine stayed in England and became an apprentice in London.14 Erasmus Burroughs, vicar at Borrough‐Hill until his death on October 8, 1628 was succeeded by William Peachy, rector, who had been church warden there since 1619.15 It is interesting that the name Peregrine, meaning traveler, was thought to have signifiied Henry’s intention to travel to New England. Another explanation might be that Henry and Peregrine would be travelers in England moving from parish to parish. Borrough Hill was known for its yearly contests of strength and endurance which attracted strong young men from a wide area. John Leland in his Itinerary stated “To these Borow Hills every year on Whit Sunday come people of the county thereabout to shoot, run, wrestle, dance and use other feats of exercise.”16 Samuel in his letter to his son about Henry states that “His delight was in sports of strength.” 14 Parish registers for Borrough‐Hill, Leicestershire and Nettleton, Lincolnshire. The father for the latter was listed as Francis Smith. City of London, Haberdashers, Apprentices and Freemen, 1526‐1933 mentions the other Peregrine as an apprentice in 1653. 15 Parish registers for Borrough‐Hill and Venn 16 Whit Sunday fell on June 1 in 1628 Death of Henry’s First Wife Elizabeth Smith is assumed to have died between October 1628 (Peerigrine’s birth) and sometime in 1635. We learn from Stiles that Henry’s second wife, Dorothy, gave birth to her daughter Dorothy about 1636, probably in England.17 An Elizabeth Smith wife of Henry Smith died at Bartlow, Cambridgeshire October 11, 1635.18 16335 was the year when a significant smallpox epidemic occurred in England.19 The rector at Bartlow at thhat time, was John Baker an older (about 63 years of age) cleric who died in 1639 having served Bartlow for forty years.20 It is impossible based on the information we have seen to know for sure that this Elizabeth Smith was the wife of Reverend Henry Smith. One would expect that Henry’s position as a cleric would be recorded in the parish register. Neither the above entry nor any others which have been discovered for the death of an Elizabeth Smith, wife of Henry Smith, are so noted. In fact, we cannot be sure that Peregrine Smith was the child of Elizabeth. Based on Henry’s will which only mentions his two married daughters, without namiing them, one would assume that they were by a previous marriage. Peregrine is called “my son” which may or may not exclude Dorothy as his mother. Henry’s Second Wife The will of Dorothy Russell, dated February 16, 1681, proves that her Christian name was Dorothy. Family tradition tells us that her surname was Cotton. Some family historians tried to tie her to John Cotton, vicar at Boston, Lincolnshire and eventually teacher at the First Church of Boston, Massachusetts, an associate of Reverend John Wilson of Boston, Massachusetts. Some claimed Dorothy was John Cotton’s sister, but thaat would nott work since John Cotton was a generation older than Henry Smith and a sister could not have had a child in 1648 when Elizabeth Smith, Henry and Dorothy’s last child, was born. Some asserted Dorothy was John Cotton’s daughter, but she would have to be a child of John’s first wife, Elizabeth who bore no children. Others suggested that John Cotton’s will mentioned Henry Smith, but that was 17 Henry Stiles Families of Ancient Wethersfield Connecticut 18 Parish registers for Bartlow, Cambridgeshire. 19 Encyclopedia of Genealogy‐Epidemics: EOGEN.com 20 John Venn (J. G. Bartlett): Alumni Cantabrigienses. another Henry Smith as the will was created four years after Reverend Henry Smith had died.21 If Henry’s second wife was indeed one Dorothy Cotton, then we need to look elsewhere for a person of that name who would be young enough to have had a child in 1648. By tracing back through the Cotton family history, we run into another John Cotton (Sir John) who did have a daughter Dorothy, born February 15, 1612. This family was located at Landwade and Cheveley, Cambridgeshire not too far from Bartlow where an Elizabeth Smith was buried.22 This John married three times but had no children by his first two wives. His third wife, Anne Houghton, gave him two daughters and two sons, Dorothy, James, John and Catherine.23 This John Cotton died in 1620 at the age of 77. His widow, Anne then married, in 1623, Sir John Carleton who died November, 1637. In that year Dorothy’s brother John took possession of Cheveley Manor, and her father’s estate, James having predeceased him. Carleton assumed much of the financial obligations from his wife Anne and struggled up to the time of his death to clear the balances due.24 Dorothy’s sister Catherine married John Denning in Icklingham, Suffolk 164025. Dorothy would have had no claim on her brother’s estate and is not mentioned in his will. No record has been found for a marriage of Henry Smith to Dorothy Cotton. This result might be expected since it was common for clerics who were being pursued by Laud to go into hiding or use a different name to avoid having to appear before the court of High Commission. Churches in England Where the Reverend Henry Smith Served as Pastor.

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