Rebelling against the King and aristocracy, Massachusetts Puritans came from the middle segments of English society
Upward Mobility:
Gentry, Merchants, Professionals
Less wealthy, but rising, lesser land owners in the gentry
class, shipping merchants, lawyers and trained ministers
often provided leadership in the Puritan movement. They did
not believe that God distributed talent on a hereditary basis.
Opening society to people of talent would be one legacy of the
Puritans in America.
Allan Engelhardt
The main portions of Hatfield House were built by Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, around 1611. It exemplifies the tremendous wealth of seventeenth century aristocrats.
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Matt Brown
The main portions of Hatfield House were built by Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, around 1611. It exemplifies the tremendous wealth of seventeenth century aristocrats.
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The Middling Sort
Some yeoman farmers, artisans, craftsmen, and shop keepers
were attracted to religious reform. Shopkeepers were an easy
target for the king’s tax collectors. Some also resented the
opulence and cost of maintaining traditional churches. These
groups would provide the majority of Massachusetts colonists.
Warning Out: The Poorer Sort
A powerful respect for the work ethic often created hostility
toward the poor. Those who had contributed a life time of
work were given support in old age. Those at the very bottom
of society were met with suspicion. Perhaps they did not have
God’s favor, or would be a source of disruption. In New England
towns the very poor were often “warned out” upon arrival.
The View from the Top: King and Aristocracy
Landed aristocrats had enormous wealth and power. Some
could trace their privileges back to the time of William the
Conqueror. Vast estates were granted for military exploits
and other services to the crown. Land holdings generated
rents and other income on a massive scale. A title and
hereditary seat in the House
of Lords conveyed political
power.
Although rejecting great wealth, the Puritans maintained class distinctions. This 1662 law mandates fines for dressing children and servants above their station including double forfeiture for tailors who had made the clothing.
- Massachusetts Archives
Being and Seeming to Be
Although not free from scandal and hypocrisy most
Puritans did not share a casual cynicism about
public morality. Taking marriage seriously, for
example, they objected to the life style of monarchs
who often had mistresses despite leadership of the
Anglican Church. The preference for truth over
appearances creates divisions in every generation.
Cavalier Attitude: The English Civil War
In England religious and class tensions would eventually lead to civil war. In a review of a British documentary “Roundhead or Cavalier” the Guardian noted the “fierce duality of the British national character, one side being flamboyant, poodle-permed, lazy, fun-loving and scornful of rules (Cavalier), the other tidy, disciplined, power-mad and good at punctuation (Roundhead.)” Massachusetts was founded by roundheads.
Lord John Stewart and
Lord Bernard
Stewart
Lord John Stewart and Lord Bernard Stewart were cavaliers who fought and died for the royalist forces in the English Civil War.
- Portrait by Sir Anthony Van Dyck
Roundheads
“Roundheads” in the Puritan army had short hair and simpler dress.
- Portrait by John Pettie
The execution of King Charles I
The execution of King Charles I in 1649 was followed by a “Commonwealth,” a republican government controlled by Puritans. Disillusion with Puritan rule led to the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. Scottish National Gallery
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