Joseph Hull facts for kids

Joseph Hull (1596-1665) was a minister who led a group of 104 people from England to Massachusetts in 1635. He helped start the town of Barnstable on Cape Cod in 1639. He also became one of the first ministers in Maine. Joseph Hull often had disagreements with church and government leaders. This was because he wanted to preach without special permission. He also tried to find a middle ground between two main religious groups: the Anglicans and the Puritans.

Early Life in England: 1596–1635

Joseph Hull was born in Crewkerne, England, and was baptized on April 25, 1596. He was the youngest son of Thomas Hull and Joane Peson. Joseph went to St. Mary’s College, Oxford, starting in 1612. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1614.

In 1619, he became a deacon. This meant he could help with church services. In 1622, he became the rector (head minister) of St. Mary's Church, North Leigh, Devon. He worked there for 11 years.

Joseph Hull's first wife passed away around 1632. She had seven children. In 1633, he married Agnes. She became a stepmother to his large family. Soon after, Hull left his job at North Leigh. He moved back to his home area of Somerset. This likely allowed his relatives to help Agnes with the children.

Standing Up to Church Leaders

Throughout his life, Hull did not like being told when or where he could preach. In 1629, he preached in Crewkerne without the required license. In 1635, he preached in Glastonbury. He warned that trouble was coming to the land. He said it would affect church leaders first, then everyone else.

Because he preached without a license, he was removed from the Church of England in February 1635. By the end of March, 40-year-old Joseph Hull had gathered 104 people. They all set sail for a new life in New England.

Moving to Massachusetts: 1635–1639

The group, known as the Hull Company, left England on March 20, 1635. They arrived in Dorchester, Massachusetts, on June 7, 1635. This was 15 years after the Pilgrims settled at Plymouth Plantation. It was also five years after the Puritans started the Bay Colony. These groups came seeking religious freedom for themselves.

On July 8, 1635, the court allowed Hull and 21 families to settle in Wessagusset. This area had been home to Native Americans. Many had died from diseases brought by Europeans. This "Great Dying" allowed the English to take over large areas of land.

On September 2, 1635, Wessagusset was renamed Weymouth. It was named after the port in England where the Hull Company had left. Hull became a "freeman," which meant he had full rights as a citizen. He also received the largest land grant in the town.

Conflicts in Weymouth

When Hull arrived, Weymouth had a small English population. Some of these settlers were more open-minded than the Puritans. Hull tried to bring Anglicans and Puritans together. However, both sides rejected his efforts. From 1635 to 1644, there was constant trouble in Weymouth. Much of it was about church matters.

Hull quickly disagreed with the Puritans in the village. They soon called another minister, Rev. Thomas Jenner. Hull also caused tension with traditional Anglicans. Like most Massachusetts ministers, he asked people to share their spiritual experiences before joining the church. This was a Puritan practice.

Another minister, Rev. Robert Lenthall, believed baptism should be the only way to join the church. Some Weymouth residents asked him to join them. By 1637, four different ministers wanted to lead the church in Weymouth. Each had a strong group of supporters.

In 1637, Hull left his position. He preached for a short time in Bass River (now Beverly). Then he stopped his work as a minister. He moved to Hingham. He was given land for a house and for grazing cattle. Even with the church problems, his neighbors still trusted him. He became a local judge in 1638. He was also elected to represent Hingham in the General Court.

Hull's time in the Bay Colony ended when he got permission to start a new settlement on Cape Cod. He gave a farewell sermon on May 5, 1639.

Founding Barnstable: 1639–1641

Colonial officials gave large areas of Native land to English settlers. This was to encourage new towns and defense. The Cape Cod village of Mattakeese was valued for its good soil. Native Americans had already cleared and farmed much of the land.

When the first English owner failed to settle there, Plymouth Colony gave the land to Hull and Thomas Dimmock. They led the first group of settlers to Mattakeese in May 1639. They changed the name of the village to Barnstable in June. Hull and Dimmock held almost all the town's offices. They also shared the job of dividing land among the settlers. People trusted their decisions.

In October, many families arrived with Rev. John Lothrop. Their church in Scituate had split over a disagreement about baptism. In December, Hull and Dimmock were elected to represent Barnstable in the General Court. On December 11, 1639, a thanksgiving service and feast were held at Hull’s house.

New Conflicts in Barnstable

Soon, disagreements started in Barnstable. These problems came from the different groups of people who had moved there. Hull and his followers founded the town. But the Scituate settlers brought enough people to support their own church. Lothrop expected to be their minister.

Puritan churches usually had two ministers: a pastor and a teacher. In Barnstable, Hull did not get either role. Lothrop became the pastor. In 1640, Rev. John Mayo became the teaching elder. Hull was not given a role in the ministry. He also lost his position as a representative to the colony court.

In 1640, just one year after founding Barnstable, Hull held no public office. Without a minister's salary, he went back to farming. He focused on raising cattle and horses for sale.

In early 1641, people in nearby Yarmouth asked Hull to start a second church there. In Puritan custom, church members promised not to leave their church without permission. Hull accepted the Yarmouth invitation without getting this permission. He had done similar things in England.

Hull faced trouble right away. He was sued by several people from Lothrop’s church. Lothrop himself took the most serious action. On May 1, 1641, the Barnstable Church removed Hull from the church. They said it was because he left them and became a pastor in Yarmouth. Lothrop also removed some of Hull's friends and former church members who joined him in Yarmouth. Hull's wife, Agnes, also faced this strict action.

Being removed from the church was a very serious punishment. It meant you could not take part in communion. It also had serious consequences in the Puritan belief system. If someone was removed from one church, they were usually not allowed to join any other church. However, each church could decide if another church had acted wrongly. If so, they could still accept the person. This meant people removed by Barnstable could still receive communion from Hull in Yarmouth.

When Lothrop's actions did not stop Hull, the government stepped in. On March 8, 1642, Plymouth Colony ordered Hull's arrest if he continued to preach or give sacraments. No one ever accused Hull of bad behavior or wrong teachings. Yet, he was treated very strictly.

This order seemed to break up Hull's church in Yarmouth. Agnes Hull was pregnant at the time. On March 11, 1642, she returned to the Barnstable Church. She said she was sorry for joining the Yarmouth church.

Hull likely continued farming while preaching in Yarmouth. But by spring 1642, the economy in New England was struggling. The value of cattle dropped sharply. Hull's livestock business failed. Since he was banned from ministry in Massachusetts, Hull left his family in Barnstable. He traveled north to Maine to find work.

Ministry in Maine: 1642–1647

Maine was founded for economic reasons, not religious ones. Unlike Massachusetts, Maine's governor, Thomas Gorges, wanted a moderate and tolerant approach to church matters. In 1640, he explained that Maine followed the Church of England's ways. However, no one was forced to follow the Book of Common Prayer. People were allowed "Liberty of Conscience."

Maine needed ministers. Hull's ministry was welcomed. He began preaching in Agamenticus (later York) by May 1642. Governor Gorges supported Hull. He said that he would not force people's beliefs. He also said he would not judge those who listened to Hull preach.

Hull stayed in Maine. He ministered in Agamenticus and on the Isles of Shoals. These are islands six miles from shore. Hull led services in a brick meetinghouse on Smuttynose Island. This was possibly the first church in the province.

News of Hull's work in Maine reached John Winthrop in Massachusetts. In 1643, Winthrop used Hull's presence as a reason not to invite Maine to join the New England Confederation. Winthrop claimed Hull was "very contentious." However, Hull often chose to avoid conflict. He withdrew from disagreements in England, Weymouth, Barnstable, and Yarmouth.

Despite all the trouble Lothrop had caused, Hull chose to make peace with the Barnstable church. He returned to Cape Cod in the summer of 1643. On August 10, he was welcomed back into the church. Hull soon returned to Maine with his wife and children.

The Hull family lived on Appledore (Hog) Island. Hull continued preaching in the brick chapel on Smuttynose. His time in Maine was peaceful. But it did not last long. Sir Ferdinando Gorges died in 1647. Massachusetts then began to take control of Maine. One of their first actions was to send a Puritan minister, John Brock, to replace Hull.

After being forced out of a fourth church by Puritans in ten years, Hull decided to return to England. He and Agnes left their younger children behind. Their older children likely helped care for their younger siblings.

Return to England: 1648–1662

Joseph Hull had been very unsettled in New England. But he settled well as a parish minister in Cornwall, England. This showed that his problems in New England were more about finding a good community than about his beliefs.

Hull returned to an England that had changed greatly since the Civil War began in 1642. The Church of England had been changed. Hull applied for a preaching job in Cornwall. He had letters of support from ministers with different views. Historians have different ideas about Hull's own religious beliefs. Some say he was Presbyterian, others Independent, and some say he was a moderate who tried to find a middle way.

In 1648, Hull became the vicar of St. Mary Magdalene's Church in Launceston. This was a grand church. It was very different from the small brick chapel in Maine. Hull's son Reuben was baptized there in 1649.

The church records show Hull had more children in Launceston. He followed Puritan practice by recording his son John's birth in 1654, not his baptism. This was a Puritan custom.

In 1655, Puritans were in power. Hull received extra money for his work as a minister in Launceston. He also helped with the first civil marriage in Launceston in 1655. This showed his support for the ruling powers.

In 1656, Hull became the minister of St. Buryan’s and St. Sennen’s Churches. There, he had problems with Quakers. Quakers refused to pay tithes (church taxes) to the state church. The Quakers reported that men who collected tithes for Hull imprisoned Friends and took their property. In 1658, a Quaker named James Myers said Hull almost beat him. Hull's wife had to step in.

Hull's time at St. Buryan ended in 1662. The monarchy was restored in England. Hull was one of many ministers removed from the Church of England. This happened after a new law made the Book of Common Prayer the only legal form of worship. Everyone in the church or government had to follow it.

Final Years in Maine: 1662–1665

In 1662, Joseph and Agnes Hull traveled across the Atlantic Ocean for the third time. They first stayed in Oyster River, New Hampshire, where some of their children lived. Hull preached there.

Hull returned to Maine in 1662-63. This time, there was no political interference. Hull was chosen to replace the minister who had taken his job years before. The Hulls made their home on Appledore Island. Hull returned to preaching in the brick chapel on Smuttynose.

Joseph Hull died on November 19, 1665, at age 70. His burial place is unknown. The Isles of Shoals still owed him £20 for his ministry when he passed away.

Agnes Hull took care of his belongings. His estate was valued at £32, 5 shillings, 5 pence. He only had 6 shillings in cash. His books were the most valuable items. They were worth £10, almost a third of his total wealth.