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John Robinson (pastor)
Encyclopedia
John Robinson was the pastor
of the "Pilgrim Fathers" before they left on the Mayflower
. He became one of the early leaders of the English Separatists, minister of the Pilgrims, and is regarded (along with Robert Browne) as one of the founders of the Congregational Church
.
in Nottinghamshire
. He was educated at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Gainsborough
, and at the age of about sixteen, he entered Corpus Christi College
at the University of Cambridge
. He remained there for the next twelve years, first as a student, and then later as a teacher. He received his Bachelor of Arts
degree in 1596, and his Master of Arts
degree in 1599.
. The religious community in England at the time was in a state of flux, and Puritanism
was firmly entrenched at Cambridge. During his years there, Robinson gradually began to accept its principles, having possibly been introduced to it at home in Lincolnshire. Before long, he was a leader in the religious controversy that swept across the land.
The leaders of this movement strongly criticized the Church of England because they believed its beliefs and rituals were too much like those of the Roman Catholic Church
. The reforms they advocated would “purify” the established church. It was for this reason that they became known as “Puritans”.
The Puritans believed in the independence of each church congregation, and were opposed to any type of church hierarchy. Each congregation, they believed, should have the power to choose and dismiss their own ministers. Their “meeting houses” were starkly plain, with no pictures, statues, or stained glass windows. The Puritans did not celebrate Christmas
, and they enjoyed 'strong water' and beer. Unlike other Puritans, however, Robinson's followers had no prohibitions against wearing bright colors as long as it was not done on the sabbath.
Many Puritans despaired of getting any of the changes they favored in the Church implemented. They decided to leave the Church of England and form churches of their own. These people were called Separatists.
succeeded her in 1603, however, he quickly instituted a policy designed to enforce religious conformity. The Puritans would, he warned, adhere or he would "harry them out of the land". It was the King's belief that his throne depended on the Church hierarchy: "No Bishop, no King".
James I vigorously enforced The Act Against Puritans (1593), 35 Elizabeth, Cap. 1, making it illegal for separatists to hold their own services. Anyone who did not attend the services of the Church of England for forty days, and who attended private services
The king’s campaign to suppress religious freedom ended academic freedom at the universities. Rather than remain in this environment, John Robinson resigned his teaching position at Cambridge on February 10, 1604, and returned home to Nottinghamshire
.
farmer parents.
In the latter part of 1604, Robinson became pastor of St. Andrew’s Church in the bustling commercial center of Norwich
. This rapidly growing industrial city had contacts on the continent with Holland and Flanders
. It also had a considerable number of foreign workers and political refugees. In addition, the most influential political leaders and merchants in Norwich were Puritans.
Soon after he assumed his new duties in Norwich, the king issued a proclamation requiring that all ministers conform to a new book of canons. The deadline was set for the end of November. The bishops, reacting to pressure from King James, made life intolerable for Anglican ministers with Puritan beliefs. For that reason, Robinson left the church at Norwich and returned home to Sturton-le-Steeple, where he and Bridget resided with her parents.
formed a Separatist congregation that came to number about one hundred members. Robinson, it appears, returned to Gainsborough and became a member of John Smyth's Separatist congregation that met, in secret, at Gainsborough Old Hall
under the protection of its Lord, Sir William Hickman and his mother, Rose. However, at some point, he seems to have joined up again with the Separatists in Scrooby.
The congregation met at Scrooby Manor, the home of William Brewster
. Brewster was the local postmaster
and bailiff
, and he was instrumental in the formation of the group. He was an old friend of Robinson as well as a Cambridge alumnus.
Richard Clyfton
served as their minister, and John Robinson became the assistant pastor when he united with them. Other leaders included John and William Bradford
, the latter of whom gave them the name by which they are known to history when he described himself and his followers as “pilgrims and strangers upon the earth.”
. The Pilgrims secretly packed their belongings, and set out on foot for the sixty mile trek to the seaport town of Boston
on the North Sea
in Lincolnshire
. Awaiting them there was a sea captain, who had agreed to smuggle them out of the country.
Before the congregation arrived in Boston, the captain had betrayed them to the authorities. The Pilgrims were searched, their money was taken, and their belongings were ransacked. They were then put on display for the crowds and confined in cells on the first floor of the Guildhall. During the month of their imprisonment, the magistrates treated them very well. Richard Clyfton, William Brewster, and John Robinson were the last to be released.
The second attempt to flee to Holland was successful. Robinson was not among the main group that left the country as he, Clifton, Brewster, and other leaders stayed behind until the following year to help weaker members leave the country. Clifton ended up staying behind due to his advanced age.
Leyden was a bustling city in 1609. It contained a number of imposing buildings, and it was one of Europe’s most important centers of learning. Some of the most important scholars of the day were on the faculty of the University of Leyden, and it attracted students from all over western Europe.
Soon after the congregation settled in Leyden, John Robinson was publicly ordained as their new minister. Here he comes into the influence and friendship of Reverend Robert Parker
, M.A., who served as elder and scribe for a short time. William Brewster became their ruling elder. Under the leadership of Robinson and Brewster, the congregation grew steadily. People from all over England made their way to Leyden, and in time, the congregation came to number several hundred.
In January 1611, Robinson, William Jepson, Henry Wood, and his brother-in-law, Randall Thickins, purchased a large house called Grone Point. It was located almost directly behind St. Peter’s Church
on Klok-steeg, which means “Bell Lane.” This site was only a block or two from the university, and it was purchased from John de Laliane for 8,000 guilders. Some 2,000 guilders were paid in advance, and the mortgage was paid off at the rate of 500 guilders per year. It seems apparent that they must have had a hard time raising that sum as they did not take possession of it until May of the following year.
This building served both as a home and a church. Over the next several years, twenty-one apartments were constructed in the garden for the less affluent members.
as a student of theology
. He attended the lectures of the noted theologians, Episcopius
and Polyander. His entry into the university “freed him from control of magistrates” and entitled him to another privilege of the Dutch intellectuals. Every month he was eligible to receive a half tun
(126 gallons) of beer, and ten gallons of wine every three months which were free of all taxes. In addition, no troops could be quartered in his home except during military emergencies. He also became exempt from standing night watch, and making contributions to public works and fortifications.
During his time at the university, Robinson was an active participant in the Arminian
controversy, siding with the Calvinist
s. The former believed in free will
, they rejected predestination
, and they advocated the possibility of salvation for all. Calvinists, on the other hand, maintained that God is sovereign in the areas of redemption and regeneration. They believed that God saves whom he will, when he will, and how he will.
Robinson was urged by Polyander and other professors to defend Calvinism in public debates with Episcopius, a member of the university’s faculty. He began attending the professor's lectures to become well versed in his opponent's views. The debate lasted for three days. William Bradford, who was present, wrote that the Lord helped Robinson “to defend the truth and fail his adversary, as he put him [Episcopius] to an apparent non-plus in this great and public audience.”
Robinson was also a prolific writer. During various periods, he wrote sixty-two essays, which include his adamant A Justification of Separation from the Church of England (1610), Of Religious Communion, Private and Public (1614), edited and had published The Ecclesiastical Polity of Christ and the opposed Hierarchical Polity written by the Rev. Robert Parker (1616), Apologia Brownistarum (1619), A Defence of the Doctrine propounded by the Synod of Dort
(1624), Observations Divine and Morall (1625), and his more tolerant A Treatise on the Lawfulness of Hearing Ministers in the Church of England (1624; published after his death in 1634). Several pamphlets were also written defending Separatist doctrine, and their withdrawal from the Church of England. His Works, with a memoir by R. Ashton, were reprinted in three volumes in 1851.
The years spent in Holland were a time of poverty and hardship for a great majority of the congregation; there were fewer English Separatists joining their congregation than anticipated. The culture and language were difficult for the English congregation to learn, and their children became more Dutch as the years passed by. The congregation came to believe that they faced eventual extinction if they remained in Holland. Moreover, a war was brewing between the Dutch and Spanish. Finally a decision was made to emigrate again, this time to America.
According to Rev. Dr. Robert Merrill Bartlett, "Robinson taught his fellowship: (1) The necessity for an enlightened, scholarly ministry who lived with their people and served as their teacher. (2) The central importance of an educated laity who could read, study the Bible, and think for themselves. (3) Independence of the local church from king and bishops. The people were the church. The people had the right to run their churches, choose their ministers and lay leaders. Their aim was a free church where men could speak their minds and seek new truth. (4) Reform of the church from control by crown and bishops, and reform from corruption and superstition."
Bartlett went on to write, "The irenic spirit of his famous Farewell at Delfshaven helped make Plimoth Plantation the most liberal and tolerant church in the New World."
Part of Robinson's Farewell speech read as follows:
"I Charge you before God and his blessed angels that you follow me no further than you have seen me follow Christ. If God reveal anything to you by any other instrument of His, be as ready to receive it as you were to receive any truth from my ministry, for I am verily persuaded the Lord hath more truth and light yet to break forth from His holy word.
"The Lutherans cannot be drawn to go beyond what Luther saw. Whatever part of His will our God has revealed to Calvin, they (Lutherans) will rather die than embrace it; and the Calvinists, you see, stick fast where they were left by that great man of God, who yet saw not all things. This is a misery much to be lamented.
"For though they were precious shining lights in their time, yet God has not revealed his whole will to them. And were they now living, they would be as ready and willing to embrace further light, as they had received."
and Robert Cushman
, who had business experience, were sent to London to negotiate with the London Company
. They carried with them articles of belief, written by Robinson and Brewster, as evidence of their loyalty and orthodoxy.
Only a minority of the congregation (thirty-five members), under William Bradford, sailed on the Mayflower from England to America. They were joined by sixty-six people from Southampton
and London who had little or no religious motivation. The majority of the congregation remained in Leyden, and planned to make the voyage at a later date. John Robinson agreed in advance to go with the group that was in the majority, and thus did not make the great historic trip. Before Brewster and his group left Holland, a solemn service was held, at which Robinson chose Ezra 8:21 as his text:
The Pilgrims reached the coast of what is now Massachusetts
on December 21, 1620. They named their little settlement “Plymouth” after the city that they had sailed from in England. For the next several years, these Pilgrims awaited the arrival of Robinson and the rest of the congregation.
The departure for most of the rest of the congregation was delayed for several years, and before long, Robinson had died. He became ill on February 22, 1625, and recovered enough to preach twice the next day, which was Sunday. By the next Sunday, Reverend John Robinson, the great "Apostle of Leyden", was dead. His remains were interred at St. Peter's Church.
in 1658.
In 1865, a marble marker was placed on the building occupying the site of Robinson’s home. It was inscribed:
A ceremony was conducted under the auspices of the Congregational Church of the United States on July 24, 1891, at which a bronze marker in his memory was placed on the wall of St. Peter’s Church. Present were delegates from the United States and England, the city and University of Leyden, and the city’s clergy. On this marker was inscribed:
The General Society of Mayflower Descendants erected a tablet on the wall of St. Peter’s Church in 1928. It was inscribed:
John Robinson and Bridget White were the parents of the following children:
Bridget Robinson continued to live after her husband's death in the Engelsche Poort at the Green Gate. She had arranged passage for her and the children on the Mayflower (a second ship of the same name) in 1629 to New England, but she changed her mind for some unknown reason at the last minute and did not sail (interestingly, the captain never removed their names from the ship's manifest). She was mentioned as being in Leyden on April 6, 1640 in the Poll Tax Register. Professor John Hoornbeek stated that she and her children joined the Dutch Reformed Church
. She died in 1643.
On October 28, 1643, Bridget Robinson’s Will was drawn up at the office of notary
J. F. van Merwen on the Breestraat. It indicates that she was still a widow and at the time had four children: John, a doctor of medicine, who was married and living in England; Isaac, who was married and lived in New England; Bridget, who had married William Lee; and Fear, who later married John Jennings, Jr.
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
of the "Pilgrim Fathers" before they left on the Mayflower
Mayflower
The Mayflower was the ship that transported the English Separatists, better known as the Pilgrims, from a site near the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts, , in 1620...
. He became one of the early leaders of the English Separatists, minister of the Pilgrims, and is regarded (along with Robert Browne) as one of the founders of the Congregational Church
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
.
Early life
Robinson was born in Sturton le SteepleSturton le Steeple
Sturton le Steeple is a village in Nottinghamshire, England. It is located 6 miles east of Retford. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 497.The parish church of St Peter and St Paul has a 14th century tower with 12 pinnacles...
in Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
. He was educated at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Gainsborough
Queen Elizabeth's High School
Queen Elizabeth's High School is an 11-18 co-educational selective state grammar school, based in Gainsborough in western Lincolnshire, England.The school is selective; pupils wishing to enter at age 11 must sit and pass the Eleven Plus exam prior to entry...
, and at the age of about sixteen, he entered Corpus Christi College
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Corpus Christi College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It is notable as the only college founded by Cambridge townspeople: it was established in 1352 by the Guilds of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary...
at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. He remained there for the next twelve years, first as a student, and then later as a teacher. He received his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in 1596, and his Master of Arts
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
degree in 1599.
Dissent
Robinson’s studies were preparing him to become a minister of the Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. The religious community in England at the time was in a state of flux, and Puritanism
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
was firmly entrenched at Cambridge. During his years there, Robinson gradually began to accept its principles, having possibly been introduced to it at home in Lincolnshire. Before long, he was a leader in the religious controversy that swept across the land.
The leaders of this movement strongly criticized the Church of England because they believed its beliefs and rituals were too much like those of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. The reforms they advocated would “purify” the established church. It was for this reason that they became known as “Puritans”.
The Puritans believed in the independence of each church congregation, and were opposed to any type of church hierarchy. Each congregation, they believed, should have the power to choose and dismiss their own ministers. Their “meeting houses” were starkly plain, with no pictures, statues, or stained glass windows. The Puritans did not celebrate Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, and they enjoyed 'strong water' and beer. Unlike other Puritans, however, Robinson's followers had no prohibitions against wearing bright colors as long as it was not done on the sabbath.
Many Puritans despaired of getting any of the changes they favored in the Church implemented. They decided to leave the Church of England and form churches of their own. These people were called Separatists.
Measures against dissent
The monarch, then as now, was the official head of the Church of England. Queen Elizabeth I followed a largely tolerant policy toward the Puritans and Separatists. When James IJames I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
succeeded her in 1603, however, he quickly instituted a policy designed to enforce religious conformity. The Puritans would, he warned, adhere or he would "harry them out of the land". It was the King's belief that his throne depended on the Church hierarchy: "No Bishop, no King".
James I vigorously enforced The Act Against Puritans (1593), 35 Elizabeth, Cap. 1, making it illegal for separatists to hold their own services. Anyone who did not attend the services of the Church of England for forty days, and who attended private services
- “contrary to the laws and statutes of the realm and being thereof lawfully convicted shall be committed to prison, there to remain without bail mainpriseBailTraditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
until they shall confirm and yield themselves to same church.”
The king’s campaign to suppress religious freedom ended academic freedom at the universities. Rather than remain in this environment, John Robinson resigned his teaching position at Cambridge on February 10, 1604, and returned home to Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
.
St Andrew's Church
Married men were prohibited from teaching at Cambridge, and a desire to marry may have been a factor in Robinson’s resignation. Just five days later, on February 15, 1604, he married Bridget White (1579-1643), the daughter of Alexander and Eleanor (Smith) White. She was born in 1579, to prosperous yeomanYeoman
Yeoman refers chiefly to a free man owning his own farm, especially from the Elizabethan era to the 17th century. Work requiring a great deal of effort or labor, such as would be done by a yeoman farmer, came to be described as "yeoman's work"...
farmer parents.
In the latter part of 1604, Robinson became pastor of St. Andrew’s Church in the bustling commercial center of Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
. This rapidly growing industrial city had contacts on the continent with Holland and Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
. It also had a considerable number of foreign workers and political refugees. In addition, the most influential political leaders and merchants in Norwich were Puritans.
Soon after he assumed his new duties in Norwich, the king issued a proclamation requiring that all ministers conform to a new book of canons. The deadline was set for the end of November. The bishops, reacting to pressure from King James, made life intolerable for Anglican ministers with Puritan beliefs. For that reason, Robinson left the church at Norwich and returned home to Sturton-le-Steeple, where he and Bridget resided with her parents.
Leaving the established church
The year 1606 was a very important one in his life for it was then that he left the Church of England and became a Separatist. Though vigorously persecuted, Separatist congregations had been active, especially in London, for a number of years. Later that year, a group of Puritans in the nearby village of ScroobyScrooby
Scrooby is a small village, on the River Ryton and near Bawtry, in the northern part of the English county of Nottinghamshire. At the time of the 2001 census it had a population of 329. Until 1766, it was on the Great North Road so became a stopping-off point for numerous important figures...
formed a Separatist congregation that came to number about one hundred members. Robinson, it appears, returned to Gainsborough and became a member of John Smyth's Separatist congregation that met, in secret, at Gainsborough Old Hall
Gainsborough Old Hall
Gainsborough Old Hall in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire is over five hundred years old and one of the best preserved medieval manor houses in England....
under the protection of its Lord, Sir William Hickman and his mother, Rose. However, at some point, he seems to have joined up again with the Separatists in Scrooby.
The congregation met at Scrooby Manor, the home of William Brewster
William Brewster (Pilgrim)
Elder William Brewster was a Mayflower passenger and a Pilgrim colonist leader and preacher.-Origins:Brewster was probably born at Doncaster, Yorkshire, England, circa 1566/1567, although no birth records have been found, and died at Plymouth, Massachusetts on April 10, 1644 around 9- or 10pm...
. Brewster was the local postmaster
Postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office. Postmistress is not used anymore in the United States, as the "master" component of the word refers to a person of authority and has no gender quality...
and bailiff
Bailiff
A bailiff is a governor or custodian ; a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction is committed...
, and he was instrumental in the formation of the group. He was an old friend of Robinson as well as a Cambridge alumnus.
Richard Clyfton
Richard Clyfton
Richard Clyfton was an English Brownist minister, at Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, and then in Amsterdam.-Life:He is identified with the Richard Clifton who, on 12 February 1585, was instituted to the vicarage of Marnham, near Newark, and on 11 July 1586 to the rectory of Babworth, near Retford, and...
served as their minister, and John Robinson became the assistant pastor when he united with them. Other leaders included John and William Bradford
William Bradford (1590-1657)
William Bradford was an English leader of the settlers of the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts, and served as governor for over 30 years after John Carver died. His journal was published as Of Plymouth Plantation...
, the latter of whom gave them the name by which they are known to history when he described himself and his followers as “pilgrims and strangers upon the earth.”
Attempts to leave England
In the autumn of 1607, the congregation decided to leave England and emigrate to Holland. Religious freedom was permitted there, and English Separatists had already settled in AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. The Pilgrims secretly packed their belongings, and set out on foot for the sixty mile trek to the seaport town of Boston
Boston, Lincolnshire
Boston is a town and small port in Lincolnshire, on the east coast of England. It is the largest town of the wider Borough of Boston local government district and had a total population of 55,750 at the 2001 census...
on the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
. Awaiting them there was a sea captain, who had agreed to smuggle them out of the country.
Before the congregation arrived in Boston, the captain had betrayed them to the authorities. The Pilgrims were searched, their money was taken, and their belongings were ransacked. They were then put on display for the crowds and confined in cells on the first floor of the Guildhall. During the month of their imprisonment, the magistrates treated them very well. Richard Clyfton, William Brewster, and John Robinson were the last to be released.
The second attempt to flee to Holland was successful. Robinson was not among the main group that left the country as he, Clifton, Brewster, and other leaders stayed behind until the following year to help weaker members leave the country. Clifton ended up staying behind due to his advanced age.
Period in The Netherlands
The congregation initially settled in Amsterdam where Separatists began to settle as early as 1593. The local congregation of Separatists was strife-ridden, and the Pilgrims left Amsterdam after the first year and settled in Leyden.Leyden was a bustling city in 1609. It contained a number of imposing buildings, and it was one of Europe’s most important centers of learning. Some of the most important scholars of the day were on the faculty of the University of Leyden, and it attracted students from all over western Europe.
Soon after the congregation settled in Leyden, John Robinson was publicly ordained as their new minister. Here he comes into the influence and friendship of Reverend Robert Parker
Robert Parker (minister)
Robert Parker English Puritan scholar and divine, who became minister of a separatist congregation in the Holland where he died while exiled for his heterodoxy. He was a descended from the Spencer family of Althorp, Northamptonshire...
, M.A., who served as elder and scribe for a short time. William Brewster became their ruling elder. Under the leadership of Robinson and Brewster, the congregation grew steadily. People from all over England made their way to Leyden, and in time, the congregation came to number several hundred.
In January 1611, Robinson, William Jepson, Henry Wood, and his brother-in-law, Randall Thickins, purchased a large house called Grone Point. It was located almost directly behind St. Peter’s Church
Pieterskerk, Leiden
The Pieterskerk is a late-Gothic church in Leiden dedicated to Saint Peter. It is best known today as the church of the Pilgrim Fathers where John Robinson was buried.-History:...
on Klok-steeg, which means “Bell Lane.” This site was only a block or two from the university, and it was purchased from John de Laliane for 8,000 guilders. Some 2,000 guilders were paid in advance, and the mortgage was paid off at the rate of 500 guilders per year. It seems apparent that they must have had a hard time raising that sum as they did not take possession of it until May of the following year.
This building served both as a home and a church. Over the next several years, twenty-one apartments were constructed in the garden for the less affluent members.
At the University of Leyden
On September 5, 1615, John Robinson entered Leiden UniversityLeiden University
Leiden University , located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close...
as a student of theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
. He attended the lectures of the noted theologians, Episcopius
Simon Episcopius
Simon Episcopius was a Dutch theologian and Remonstrant who played a significant role at the Synod of Dort in 1618...
and Polyander. His entry into the university “freed him from control of magistrates” and entitled him to another privilege of the Dutch intellectuals. Every month he was eligible to receive a half tun
Tun
- Science and technology :* TUN/TAP, a computer network device driver* TUN , a Danish product standard for building materials* Tun , a part of the Mayan long count calendar system* A unit of time in the Mayan Long Count calendar...
(126 gallons) of beer, and ten gallons of wine every three months which were free of all taxes. In addition, no troops could be quartered in his home except during military emergencies. He also became exempt from standing night watch, and making contributions to public works and fortifications.
During his time at the university, Robinson was an active participant in the Arminian
Arminianism
Arminianism is a school of soteriological thought within Protestant Christianity based on the theological ideas of the Dutch Reformed theologian Jacobus Arminius and his historic followers, the Remonstrants...
controversy, siding with the Calvinist
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
s. The former believed in free will
Free will
"To make my own decisions whether I am successful or not due to uncontrollable forces" -Troy MorrisonA pragmatic definition of free willFree will is the ability of agents to make choices free from certain kinds of constraints. The existence of free will and its exact nature and definition have long...
, they rejected predestination
Predestination
Predestination, in theology is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God. John Calvin interpreted biblical predestination to mean that God willed eternal damnation for some people and salvation for others...
, and they advocated the possibility of salvation for all. Calvinists, on the other hand, maintained that God is sovereign in the areas of redemption and regeneration. They believed that God saves whom he will, when he will, and how he will.
Robinson was urged by Polyander and other professors to defend Calvinism in public debates with Episcopius, a member of the university’s faculty. He began attending the professor's lectures to become well versed in his opponent's views. The debate lasted for three days. William Bradford, who was present, wrote that the Lord helped Robinson “to defend the truth and fail his adversary, as he put him [Episcopius] to an apparent non-plus in this great and public audience.”
Robinson was also a prolific writer. During various periods, he wrote sixty-two essays, which include his adamant A Justification of Separation from the Church of England (1610), Of Religious Communion, Private and Public (1614), edited and had published The Ecclesiastical Polity of Christ and the opposed Hierarchical Polity written by the Rev. Robert Parker (1616), Apologia Brownistarum (1619), A Defence of the Doctrine propounded by the Synod of Dort
Synod of Dort
The Synod of Dort was a National Synod held in Dordrecht in 1618-1619, by the Dutch Reformed Church, to settle a divisive controversy initiated by the rise of Arminianism. The first meeting was on November 13, 1618, and the final meeting, the 154th, was on May 9, 1619...
(1624), Observations Divine and Morall (1625), and his more tolerant A Treatise on the Lawfulness of Hearing Ministers in the Church of England (1624; published after his death in 1634). Several pamphlets were also written defending Separatist doctrine, and their withdrawal from the Church of England. His Works, with a memoir by R. Ashton, were reprinted in three volumes in 1851.
The years spent in Holland were a time of poverty and hardship for a great majority of the congregation; there were fewer English Separatists joining their congregation than anticipated. The culture and language were difficult for the English congregation to learn, and their children became more Dutch as the years passed by. The congregation came to believe that they faced eventual extinction if they remained in Holland. Moreover, a war was brewing between the Dutch and Spanish. Finally a decision was made to emigrate again, this time to America.
According to Rev. Dr. Robert Merrill Bartlett, "Robinson taught his fellowship: (1) The necessity for an enlightened, scholarly ministry who lived with their people and served as their teacher. (2) The central importance of an educated laity who could read, study the Bible, and think for themselves. (3) Independence of the local church from king and bishops. The people were the church. The people had the right to run their churches, choose their ministers and lay leaders. Their aim was a free church where men could speak their minds and seek new truth. (4) Reform of the church from control by crown and bishops, and reform from corruption and superstition."
Bartlett went on to write, "The irenic spirit of his famous Farewell at Delfshaven helped make Plimoth Plantation the most liberal and tolerant church in the New World."
Part of Robinson's Farewell speech read as follows:
"I Charge you before God and his blessed angels that you follow me no further than you have seen me follow Christ. If God reveal anything to you by any other instrument of His, be as ready to receive it as you were to receive any truth from my ministry, for I am verily persuaded the Lord hath more truth and light yet to break forth from His holy word.
"The Lutherans cannot be drawn to go beyond what Luther saw. Whatever part of His will our God has revealed to Calvin, they (Lutherans) will rather die than embrace it; and the Calvinists, you see, stick fast where they were left by that great man of God, who yet saw not all things. This is a misery much to be lamented.
"For though they were precious shining lights in their time, yet God has not revealed his whole will to them. And were they now living, they would be as ready and willing to embrace further light, as they had received."
A minority travel to America
The decision to relocate was made early in 1619, when Deacon John CarverJohn Carver
John Carver was a Pilgrim leader. He was the first governor of Plymouth Colony and his is the first signature on the Mayflower Compact.-Mayflower:...
and Robert Cushman
Robert Cushman
Robert Cushman was one of the Pilgrims. He was born in the village of Rolvenden in Kent, England, and was baptized in the parish church there on February 9, 1577/78. He spent part of his early life in Canterbury on Sun Street. Cushman married Sarah Reder on 31 July 1606...
, who had business experience, were sent to London to negotiate with the London Company
London Company
The London Company was an English joint stock company established by royal charter by James I of England on April 10, 1606 with the purpose of establishing colonial settlements in North America.The territory granted to the London Company included the coast of North America from the 34th parallel ...
. They carried with them articles of belief, written by Robinson and Brewster, as evidence of their loyalty and orthodoxy.
Only a minority of the congregation (thirty-five members), under William Bradford, sailed on the Mayflower from England to America. They were joined by sixty-six people from Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
and London who had little or no religious motivation. The majority of the congregation remained in Leyden, and planned to make the voyage at a later date. John Robinson agreed in advance to go with the group that was in the majority, and thus did not make the great historic trip. Before Brewster and his group left Holland, a solemn service was held, at which Robinson chose Ezra 8:21 as his text:
“Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we
might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right
way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.”
The Pilgrims reached the coast of what is now Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
on December 21, 1620. They named their little settlement “Plymouth” after the city that they had sailed from in England. For the next several years, these Pilgrims awaited the arrival of Robinson and the rest of the congregation.
The departure for most of the rest of the congregation was delayed for several years, and before long, Robinson had died. He became ill on February 22, 1625, and recovered enough to preach twice the next day, which was Sunday. By the next Sunday, Reverend John Robinson, the great "Apostle of Leyden", was dead. His remains were interred at St. Peter's Church.
Posthumous events
After Robinson had died, the congregation began a period of gradual decline. In time, there were only Dutch members left. A group broke away from the rest and moved to Amsterdam. Others, including one of his sons, immigrated to America and joined the Pilgrims at Plymouth. The remaining members finally united with the Reformed Church of HollandDutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
in 1658.
In 1865, a marble marker was placed on the building occupying the site of Robinson’s home. It was inscribed:
“On this spot, lived, taught, and died John Robinson, 1611-1625.”
-
- “In Memory of
- Rev. John Robinson, M. A.
- Pastor of the English Church Worshipping Over Against
- This Spot, A. D. 1609 - 1625, Whence at his Prompting
- Went Forth
- THE PILGRIM FATHERS
- To Settle New England
- in 1620
- - - - - - - - - -
- Buried under this house of worship, 4 March, 1625
- Aet. XLIX Years.
- In Memoria Aeterna Erit Justus.
- Erected by the National Council of the Congregational
- Churches of the United States of America
- A. D. 1891”
-
- “In Memory of
- JOHN ROBINSON
- Pastor of the English Church in Leyden
- 1609 1625
- His Broadly Tolerant Mind
- Guided and Developed the Religious Life of
- THE PILGRIMS OF THE MAYFLOWER
- of Him These Walls Enshrine All That Was Mortal
- His Undying Spirit
- Still Dominates the Consciences of a Mighty Nation
- In the Land Beyond the Seas
- This tablet was erected by the General Society of Mayflower
- Descendants in the United States of America A.D. 1928.”
John Robinson and Bridget White were the parents of the following children:
- Ann, the oldest of the children, born at Norwich, and named in honor of her grandmother in Sturton, married Jan Schetter of UtrechtUtrecht (city)Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
before 1622, so her name was not listed in the register. She was left a widow by the autumn of 1625. - John, born in Scrooby in 1606, matriculated at the University of Leyden, April 5, 1633.
- Bridget, born at Leyden about 1608, married (1) John Greenwood, who studied theology at the University of Leyden in 1629. After his death, she married (2) William Lee of Amsterdam in 1637.
- Isaac, born at Leyden in 1610. Arrived in Plymouth Colony on the Lyon in 1631. Married (1) Margaret Handford; (2) Mary Faunce.
- Mercy, born at Leyden in 1612, was buried in 1623.
- Fear, born at Leyden in 1614, married John Jennings, Jr. in 1648 and lived her life in Leyden. He died in 1664, leaving three children. She died before May 31, 1670.
- Jacob, born at Leyden in 1616, married (name unknown). Died in May, 1638, and is buried in St. Peter’s Church.
Bridget Robinson continued to live after her husband's death in the Engelsche Poort at the Green Gate. She had arranged passage for her and the children on the Mayflower (a second ship of the same name) in 1629 to New England, but she changed her mind for some unknown reason at the last minute and did not sail (interestingly, the captain never removed their names from the ship's manifest). She was mentioned as being in Leyden on April 6, 1640 in the Poll Tax Register. Professor John Hoornbeek stated that she and her children joined the Dutch Reformed Church
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
. She died in 1643.
On October 28, 1643, Bridget Robinson’s Will was drawn up at the office of notary
Notary public
A notary public in the common law world is a public officer constituted by law to serve the public in non-contentious matters usually concerned with estates, deeds, powers-of-attorney, and foreign and international business...
J. F. van Merwen on the Breestraat. It indicates that she was still a widow and at the time had four children: John, a doctor of medicine, who was married and living in England; Isaac, who was married and lived in New England; Bridget, who had married William Lee; and Fear, who later married John Jennings, Jr.
External links
- Our Pilgrim Heritage by Rev. Dr. Robert Merrill Bartlett, MSMD. At "Discover History." Undated. Accessed 28 September 2008.