Francis Marbury facts for kids

Francis Marbury (1555–1611) was an English church leader and schoolmaster. He studied at Christ's College, Cambridge. He is most famous for being the father of two important women in early American history: Anne Hutchinson and Katherine Marbury Scott. Anne Hutchinson was a well-known English woman in colonial America. Katherine Marbury Scott was one of the first women to become a Quaker in the United States.

Francis Marbury was born in London in 1555. His father, William Marbury, was a lawyer from Lincolnshire. Francis went to Christ's College, Cambridge. He became a deacon in the Church of England in 1578. He soon started having disagreements with church leaders.

He believed that church leaders were not training their clergy well. He also thought that bishops were not supervised enough. After being jailed twice, he was told to leave Northampton. But he did not listen. He was then brought to trial in London in 1578. The Bishop of London, John Aylmer, sent him to Marshalsea prison.

After two years, Marbury was allowed to preach again. He moved to Alford in Lincolnshire. There, he got married and started a family. But he again spoke out against the church. He was put under house arrest. After a difficult time without work, he was finally allowed to preach again. He promised to be more careful with his words. He preached quietly in Alford and became more well-known. In 1605, he was given a position in London. He died suddenly in 1611 at age 55. Francis Marbury had 18 children with his two wives. His daughter Anne became a Puritan leader in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. She played a big part in the Antinomian Controversy.

Growing Up

Francis Marbury was born in London. He was baptised on October 27, 1555. He was one of six children. His father, William Marbury, was a lawyer. He was also a member of Parliament. Francis's mother was Agnes Lenton.

Francis probably went to school in London. He learned Latin and some Greek. Even though he grew up in London, his family stayed close to Lincolnshire. His older brother, Edward, became a knight there.

Marbury went to Christ's College, Cambridge in 1571. He became a deacon in 1578. But he was not ordained as a priest until 1605. Francis Marbury was part of the Church of England. However, he had strong Puritan beliefs.

Puritans felt that Queen Elizabeth had not done enough. They wanted to remove all Catholic traditions from the English Church. They also wanted to make sure ministers were good at preaching. Marbury was one of the more extreme Puritans. He wanted to get rid of bishops chosen by the monarch. He believed Christians should choose their own church leaders.

Speaking Out: The 1578 Trial

Marshalsea prison, where Marbury was held for two years.

When he was young, Marbury was known for being very outspoken. He strongly believed that church leaders should be well-educated. This led to many arguments with his superiors. He preached in Northampton. But he soon clashed with Dr. James Ellis. Ellis was trying to stop any church leaders who did not follow the rules.

After two short jail terms, Marbury was told to leave Northampton. He was ordered not to come back. But he ignored this order. So, he was brought to trial in London on November 5, 1578. He was questioned by the Bishop of London, John Aylmer.

Marbury later wrote down what happened at the trial from memory. He used this story to teach his children. In his version, he was the hero, and the Bishop seemed a bit silly.

During the trial, Bishop Aylmer accused Marbury of being disrespectful. Marbury replied that the bishop put poorly trained ministers in churches. He also said that bishops were not watched closely enough. Aylmer said that admitting Marbury to preach was the bishop's biggest mistake. Marbury warned that if souls were lost because of bad preaching, it was the bishops' fault.

The trial continued. Aylmer asked where the money would come from to have a trained preacher in every church. Marbury famously replied that they could take a lot from the bishops' wealth. He said no one would even miss it. The bishop lost his temper. He called Marbury a "proud, puritan knave." Marbury denied being a Puritan. He asked for mercy, saying he had been jailed twice already. Aylmer was not sympathetic. He sent Marbury to Marshalsea prison. Marbury then warned the bishop about God's judgment. His daughter, Anne Hutchinson, would make a similar warning years later.

Life After Prison

Because he spoke out against the church, Marbury spent two years in Marshalsea prison. This prison was on the south side of the River Thames in London. In 1580, at age 25, he was released. He was thought to be ready to preach and teach again. He moved to Alford in Lincolnshire. This town was about 140 miles north of London. It was close to his family's old home. He soon became a curate (a deputy vicar) at St Wilfrid's Church, Alford. His father died in 1581. This gave Marbury some much-needed money.

Around 1582, he married his first wife, Elizabeth Moore. In 1585, he became the schoolmaster at Alford Grammar School. This school was free for poor children. Marbury might have been the teacher of young John Smith. John Smith later became a famous explorer and leader in the Jamestown Colony in Virginia.

Marbury's first wife had three daughters. She died around 1586. Within a year, he married Bridget Dryden. She was about ten years younger than him. Bridget came from an important family in Northamptonshire. She was born at Canons Ashby House. Her brother, Erasmus Dryden, was the grandfather of the famous writer John Dryden.

Canons Ashby House, Northamptonshire, the birthplace of Marbury's second wife, Bridget.

In 1590, Marbury again spoke out against his superiors. He criticized the Church of England for choosing poorly educated bishops. He also said they had poorly trained ministers. The Bishop of Lincoln called him an "impudent Puritan." He stopped Marbury from preaching and teaching. He also put him under house arrest.

On October 15, 1590, Marbury wrote a letter to William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley. He explained his beliefs. He said he lost his preaching license for reasons he did not know. Without work, he took care of his gardens. He also taught his children. He read to them from his own writings, the Bible, and John Foxe's Book of Martyrs. His family survived, perhaps by borrowing money. This suspension from preaching lasted for some time. But by 1594, he was preaching again. From then on, Marbury decided to be more careful with his words. He did not openly question those in power.

After this last suspension, Marbury became more famous and successful. He became a lecturer at St Saviour, Southwark. In 1602, he gave an important sermon in London on Easter Tuesday. He also preached at St Paul's Cross in London in June. The next year, he gave a special sermon when James I became king. Several of his sermons were published.

With the help of Richard Vaughan, the Bishop of London, he moved to London in 1605. He became the vicar of St Martin Vintry. His Puritan views were still there, but he was more quiet about them. He was tolerated because there was a shortage of pastors.

London was a busy city. Famous playwrights like William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe were active. Their plays were performed across the river. The Marbury family managed to avoid the bubonic plague. This disease sometimes spread through the city.

In 1608, Marbury took on more work. He preached in the parish of St Pancras, Soper Lane. He traveled there by horse twice a week. In 1610, he got a position closer to home. He became rector of St Margaret, New Fish Street. This was a short walk from St Martin Vintry.

Marbury died unexpectedly in February 1611. He was 55 years old. He wrote his will quickly in January 1611. This suggests he had a sudden illness. His will mentioned his wife and 12 living children. Only his daughter Susan was named. His widow later married Reverend Thomas Newman. She died in 1645.

Writings and Influence

Marbury's most famous work was The Contract of Marriage between Wit and Wisdom. He wrote it in 1579 while in prison. It was a play that taught a moral lesson. It was known as one of the popular plays of its time.

Marbury also helped write introductions for other religious writers' books. One was for Robert Rollock's A Treatise on God's Effectual Calling (1603). Another was for Richard Rogers' important book, Seven Treatises (1604). In this one, Marbury praised Rogers for fighting against Catholics. He said Rogers defended the Church of England. This introduction showed the Puritan dream for England. They wanted one godly ruler, one godly church, and one godly path to heaven. Puritan ministers would write the guidebooks.

Marbury was not one of the most famous Puritan ministers. But he was still well known. Sir Francis Bacon called him "The Preacher." He recognized Marbury in his 1624 book Apothegm. A leading minister, Reverend Robert Bolton, respected Marbury's teachings.

There was one negative thing about Marbury's later career. This happened when he was governor of the free grammar school in Alford. A court case in 1618 found that Marbury had not managed the school's money properly. His family had to pay money back to the school.

Family Life

Marbury's daughter Anne Hutchinson was a key figure in the Antinomian Controversy in New England.

Francis Marbury is said to have had 20 children. But only 18 have been identified. He had three daughters with his first wife, Elizabeth Moore. They were Mary (born around 1584), Susan (baptised 1585), and Elizabeth (born around 1587).

He had 15 children with his second wife, Bridget Dryden. These include Mary (born around 1588), John (baptised 1590), Anne (baptised 1591), and Francis (baptised 1594). Other children were Emme, Erasmus, Anthony, Bridget, Jeremuth, Daniel, Elizabeth, Thomas, Anthony, and Katherine (born around 1610).

Three of Marbury's sons went to Brasenose College, Oxford. His daughter Anne married William Hutchinson. They sailed to New England in 1634. Anne became a Puritan leader who disagreed with the church. She was at the center of the Antinomian Controversy. Historian Michael Winship called her "the most famous, or infamous, English woman in colonial American history."

His youngest child, Katherine, also moved to America. She married Richard Scott. They settled in Providence. Katherine and her husband were Puritans, then Baptists, and later Quakers. Katherine was even whipped in Boston. This happened because she spoke out against Governor John Endecott for hurting Quakers. She also supported her future son-in-law, Christopher Holder.

Marbury's sister, Catherine, married Christopher Wentworth. They were the grandparents of William Wentworth. He followed Reverend John Wheelwright to New England. He settled in Dover, New Hampshire. Many important people are descended from him.

Ancestors

In 1914, John Champlin published most of what we know about Francis Marbury's family tree. The following chart shows his ancestors.

See also

• Puritanism
• List of Puritans