Clergyman; born in
Fowey, Cornwall, England, in 1599; was both a clergyman and politician, and after imprisonment for non-conformity he went to
Rotterdam, where he preached several years.
He came to
New England in 1635, succeeded
Roger Williams as pastor at
Salem, and excommunicated his adherents.
In politics and commerce he was equally active.
In 1641 he sailed for
England, to procure an alteration in the navigation laws, and had several interviews with Charles I. He preached to and commanded a regiment of Parliamentary troops in
Ireland in 1649, and afterwards held civil offices.
After the restoration he was committed to the Tower, and on Oct. 16, 1660, was beheaded for high treason, as having been concerned in the death of Charles 1.
He wrote a work called
A good work for a good magistrate, in 1651, in which he recommended burning the historical records in the Tower.