First
governor of PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS
of Rhode Island,
and founder of Warwick, Rhode Island.
Samuel
Gorton is my immigrant ancestor. He was baptized on February 12, 1592 in the
Cathedral Church, Lancashire, Manchester, England. He was probably born there in
the Parish known as Gorton. His father was Thomas Gorton and his mother was
Thomas' second wife, Anne. Samuel's parents were influential and well to do,
"not entirely unknown to the heraldry of England," wrote Judge George A.
Brayton, Justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island. Samuel had private tutors
who taught him the classics. His fluency in both Greek and Hebrew enabled him to
study the Bible's original text.
All around Samuel, the world was torn by
religious wars. Samuel was caught in the unrest. He befriended a Separatist
elder who later moved to Holland. The Separatists were the people who chose to
separate themselves from the Church of England; some were eventually known as
Pilgrims, others were known as Puritans. Samuel Gorton was neither a Pilgrim nor
a Puritan. He was a nonconformist. He was a man of deep, strong feeling, keenly
aware of every injustice inflicted on the humblest of God's creatures. An
excellent preacher, he was also a profound thinker who, in his spiritual
meditations, wandered off into infinity often forgetting his earthly
surroundings. The Honorable Job Durfee, Chief Justice of the Rhode Island
Supreme Court, thought that Samuel, "did indeed clothe his thought at times, in
clouds, but then it was because they were too large for any other garment."
Yet, in ordinary life, no one was more plain, simple, and unaffected than
Samuel. He was courteous, friendly, and elegant. He is said to have looked like
a Saxon, tall and thin, with blue eyes and light brown hair. Early records say
he was a clothier in London. This is where he might have met his wife, Mary
Maplett. Incidentally, her brother was to become a famous personal physician for
King Charles I. An articulate and passionate man, he was able to preach for
hours at a time. A convincing speaker, Gorton spoke openly whenever he could get
people to listen to him. His enemies complained about his charismatic language.
Searching for religious freedom, Samuel, his wife Mary, the first three of their
eventual nine children, and Samuel's brother Thomas sailed to America aboard the
Speedwell, landing in Boston in 1636.
Samuel found the world of the
Boston Puritans no better than the one he had left behind in England. He soon
became involved in many disputes with the Puritan government in Massachusetts,
so much so that they tried to imprison him. His every thought and word was an
issue with the Puritan rules. His maid was put in jail because she smiled in
church. Samuel went to jail for his maid and was later thrown out of Boston. It
is believed that he went on to Portsmouth, Rhode Island with his family and
spoke out against the magistrates there, calling them all "asses."
William Arnold (Benedict Arnold's father) was against Gorton and his followers
settling near what is now Portsmouth. Samuel didn't sense this animosity and he
unwisely built homes. The Arnolds' appealed to Massachusetts to help rid
themselves of the Gortonists, as Samuel and his followers had become known.
Massachusetts enlisted two Indian chiefs, Ponham and Soconoco, to get Gorton
out. They raided Samuel's home and burned it down. The Gortonists retreated to a
block house. Then Governor Winthrop, a friend of Gorton, had Mr. Chad Brown try
to mediate. He was unsuccessful. The Massachusetts soldiers came and entrenched
themselves. They started firing and Samuel hung out the English flag, which was
promptly shot to shreds. The Gortonists surrendered and were put in jail.
Governor Winthrop had to abide by this although he did not want to. They were
brought to trial and escaped death by one vote. After repeated persecution and
prosecution, the court banished Gorton and his followers to other towns. They
had to wear leg irons. Since Samuel had always been a friend of Governor
Winthrop, he appealed. By March, 1644, the Massachusetts Bay authorities found
that Gorton and his company did no harm in the towns where they were confined and
not knowing what to do with them, set them free and gave them fourteen days to
make themselves scarce. This miraculous escape enabled Gorton to obtain the
submission of the Narragansett Sachems Indians, an achievement which contributed
in no small measure to the Independence of Rhode Island. He and about 100 other
Gortonists braved a blowing snowstorm to walk and ride horses about 90 miles to
the area now known as Providence.
Moving on was no new experience for the
Gortonists. Each of them had been cast out of Massachusetts and most of them
from other Rhode Island settlements. Gorton himself had been cast out of Boston,
Plymouth, Aquidneck, and Newport before seeking refuge in Providence. By 1642,
an English historian commented, "Gorton might almost be said to have graduated
as a disturber of peace in every colony in New England." All of the settlers of
Providence were outcasts from Massachusetts. Of all those who were banished
because they dared to express opinions in conflict with the ruling hierarchy,
Roger Williams is the most famous and Samuel Gorton is the most notorious.
Samuel Gorton had the power to inspire fear, loathing, and wrath among his
enemies.
Samuel and his followers purchased land from the Great Chief
Miantonomo. This tract of land was to become known as the Shawomet Purchase.
Other names on the deed, dated January 12, 1642, were: William Hutchinson, John
Wickes, Sampson Shotten, and Robert Potter. In April, 1642, Samuel was elected
Deputy Governor of the Land. They became friends with the Indians and Gorton and
his older brother, Thomas, became adept in the Indian tongues. Even after the
group became the owners of the land, there were problems. The Massachusetts
Magistrates kept sending Gorton letters stating that the land was still under
the rule of Boston. The magistrates even charged Samuel with blasphemy and
burned the family home. They arrested and jailed him. His wife and children went
to stay with friends and several Indian families. Samuel eventually cleared his
name and was released from jail. However, he was told to leave Shawomet. He
left, all right!
Samuel decided to rid himself of the yolk of the
Massachusetts Magistrates once and for all. He headed to England, but had to
detour through the New York area, since he was still a wanted man in
Massachusetts. He left his family for three years and sailed to England and
presented his written manuscript, "Simplicities Defense Against a Seven Headed
Policy," London, 1649 (a copy of this is in the U.S. Library of Congress).
With the help of his friend, the Earl of Warwick, Gorton obtained hearings
from Parliament since King Charles I had left power. Finally, Samuel was granted
a royal charter with the help of the Earl of Warwick. Once he had the charter,
he also got an order of safe passage and conduct given to him from the Earl.
Upon sailing back into the Boston Harbor, he showed the magistrates the grant
and they were very angry because they had to give Samuel safe passage back to
Rhode Island. The charter also said that the Massachusetts government had to
help Samuel set up his government. Never were they allowed to again interfere
with Samuel Gorton.
Once charter government was established in Warwick,
Gorton was satisfied and we hear no more of him making trouble. He was
continuously honored by fellow citizens. Also, the town of Warwick was formed,
and named after the Earl of Warwick. Records show that in March 1664, Samuel was
still active and appointed Administrator of John Smith's will. Happily, he lived
to see religious freedom secured to the colony in its Constitution.
In
1649, Samuel Gorton was elected general assistant to the Governor, and in 1651,
was elected the first President over the two towns Warwick and Providence,
called the Providence Plantations. Mr. Gorton was from this date the first
citizen of Warwick, and his name stands at the head of the Warwick Commissioners
for several succeeding years. He was elected a Deputy Governor in 1664, 1665,
1666, and 1670.
The Massachusetts Magistrates had often denounced Gorton
as an anarchist, a blasphemer and rogue. This was not the real Gorton. Gorton's
moral character was of the highest caliber and though he differed from the
Orthodox Puritans he was never a blasphemer. He was an independent thinker and a
true champion of liberty. He was a graduate of Pembroke College and Cambridge
and was a minister of the Gospel. Throughout his life he was a close friend and
devoted admirer of Governor John Winthrop.
The Gortonists beliefs have
been described as a type of Christian Transcendentalism. The group believed
Jesus Christ was divine, but they did not believe in the Trinity. They didn't
think preachers should be paid, felt women were equal to men, were totally
against slavery, and thought each individual had a right to read and study the
scriptures for himself. Gorton staunchly believed that people should pay the
Indians for their lands. Gorton's political creed may be stated briefly: true
liberty can be found only within the framework of the law, which protects the
civil right of the individual and the minority from the passing whim of the
majority. He believed that government should be limited to civil affairs.
By about 1670, Gorton was in his advanced years and had retired from
official cares. He died on December 10, 1677 at the age of 85. Samuel's grave is
in Warwick behind a home off Warwick Neck Road. There are several Gorton
cemeteries there. To this day, several lines of Gorton's live in the area. Much
has been written about Samuel and his chair is in the Daughters of the American
Revolution Museum in Washington, D.C. Samuel can be called a forgotten founder
of liberty.
References and Books to read about Samuel Gorton
1907 The
Life and Times of Samuel Gorton by Adelos Gorton, a very rare book.
1980
Samuel Gorton of Rhode Island and His Descendants, Thomas Gorton.
May
1942 Bulletin of the Newport, Rhode Island Historical Society titled: "Samuel
Gorton" by William Wager Weeden.
Samuel Gorton's letter to Lord Hyde -
Providence: Society of Colonial War 1930, page 5 (Also called GORTON TO HYDE
Massachusetts War with Samuel Gorton, Providence: RHODE ISLAND PENDULUM,
142.
"The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge," Samuel
Macauley Jackson New York Funk and Wagnall's, dated 1909, page 25-26
"Simplicities Defence Against Seven-Headed Policy," by Samuel Gorton London,
1646.
"The Founding of New England," Boton: The Atlantic Monthly 1921,
page 142
"An Abstract of The Laws of New England," John Cotton, London
1641, page 10.
"The Records of the Colony of New Plymouth in New England,
The Story how Samuel Gorton fought in the Pequot War," by Nathaniel B. Shurleff,
Boston 1855, page 104, 1856, page 70.
"History of Rhode Island." John S.
Taylor, NY 1853, page 40.
"The Complete Book of Emigrants," by Peter
Wilson Coldham 1607-1660, page 227. Year 1644, entry April 19.
The Copy
of Act of Submission by Pessicus Sachema and the Narragansett Indians to the
government of England. Samuel, Gorton, John Wickes, Randal Holden and John
Warner are appointed to execute the Deed witnessed by Christopher Helme, Robert
Potter and Richard Carder.
Also in "The Complete Book of Emigrants,"
entry dated April 1647. PROBATE THE WILL of Mary Maplett of St. Giles
Cripplegate, London, whose daughter Mary was married to Samuel Gorton of New
England.
"The American Genealogist," 1989, by Donald Lines Jacobus, Vol
18-20, page 186, Samuel Gorton.
Samuel Gorton's writing chair is in the
Daughters of the American Revolution Museum in Washington, D.C.