John Lothropp

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Reverend John Lothropp (1584 - 1653) was a Congregationalist minister who led a small religious following to the American colonies. Born in Etton, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. He was baptized Dec 20, 1584. He attended Queen's College Cambridge, where he was matriculated in 1601, graduated with a B.A. in 1605, and with a MA in 1609. He was ordained in the Church of England and appointed curate of a local parish in Egerton, Kent. In 1623 he renounced his orders and joined the cause of the Independents.

Lothropp first gained prominence as a clergyman in 1624, when he was called to replace Rev Henry Jacob, as the pastor of the First Independent Church in London, a congregation of sixty members, which met at Southwark. Church historians sometimes call this church the Jacob Lathrop Jessy Church, named for it's first three pastors. They were forced to meet in private to avoid the scrutiny of Bishop of LondonWilliam Laud. Following the group's discovery on April 22, 1632 by officers of the king, forty two of Lothropp's Independents were arrested. Only eighteen escaped capture. They were prosecuted for failure to take the oath of loyalty to the established church. They were jailed in the Clink prison at Newgate. All were released on bail by the spring of 1634 except Lothropp who was deemed too dangerous to be set at liberty. While he was in prison his wife Hannah House became ill and died. His six surviving children were according to tradition left to fend for themselves begging for bread on the streets of London. Friends being unable to care for his children brought them to the Bishop of Lambeth who had charge of Mr. Lothropp. The bishop ultimately released him on bond in May of 1634 with the understanding that he would immediately remove to the New World.

He, with his group, sailed on the Griffin and arrived in Boston Sept. 18, 1634. Lothropp did not stay in Boston long. Within days, he and his group relocated to Scituate where they "joyned in covenaunt together" along with nine others who preceded them to form the "church of Christ collected att Scituate." The Congregation at Scituate was not a success. Dissension on the issue of baptism as well as other unspecified grievances and the lack of good grazing land and fodder for their cattle caused the church in Scituate to split in 1638.

Lothropp petitioned Governor Thomas Prence in Plymouth for a "place for the transplanting of us, to the end that God might have more glory and wee more comfort". Thus as Otis says "Mr. Lothropp and a large company arrived in Barnstable, Oct 11, 1639 O.S., bringing with them the crops which they had raised in Scituate." There, within three years they had built homes for all the families and then Lothropp began construction on a larger sturdier meeting house by Coggin's (or Cooper's) Pond, which was completed in 1644. This building, now part of The Sturgis Library in Barnstable, Massachusetts is one of John Lothrop's original homes and meeting houses, and is now also the oldest building housing a public library in America.

Rev. John Lothropp's legacy is steadfastness in adherence to the principles of Independency, even in the face of imprisonment, and tolerance in matters of faith and conscience. No applicant to his church was required to sign a creed or confession of faith. No Magistrate, jail or stocks were needed to restrain crime during his tenure. "He was a man of humble and broken heart spirit, lively in dispensation of the Word of God, studious of peace, furnished with godly contentment, willing to spend and be spent for the cause of the church of Christ."

He married Hannah House in England, on October 10, 1610. They had eight children:

     1. Jane Lothropp b: 29 SEPT 1614 in Egerton, Kent, England
     2. Anne Lothropp b: MAY 1616 in Egerton, England
     3. John Lothropp b: FEB. 1617/18 in Egerton, England
     4. Barbara Lothropp b: OCT. 1619 in Egerton, England
     5. Thomas Lothropp b: FEB. 1620/21 in Eastwell, Kent, England
     6. Samuel Lothropp b: 1622 in Egerton, England
     7. Joseph Lothropp , Capt. b: APR 1624 in Eastwell, Kent, England
     8. Benjamin Lothropp b: DEC 1626 in Eastwell, Kent, England

After Hannah's death, Lothropp married again, to Ann Hammond (?) in 1635. They had five children.

     9. Elizabeth Lothropp b: in Scituate, MA
     10. Barnabas Lothropp b: JUN 1636 in Barnstable, MA
     11. Abigail Lothropp b: 2 NOV. 1639 in Barnstable, MA
     12. Bathsheba. Lothropp b: FEB. 1640/41 in Scituate, MA
     13. John Lothropp , Capt. b: 9 FEB. 1643/44 in Barnstable, MA


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[edit] Bibliography

  • Huntington, Rev E. B. AM"A Genealogical Memoir of the Lo-Lathrop Family in this country embracing as far as known the descendants of The Rev. John Lothropp of Scituate and Barnstable, Mass., and Mark Lothrop of Salem and Bridgewater, Mass. the first generation of descendants of other names." ; Ridgefield Ct. 1884. A searchable online version of this book is available to the Lothropp Foundation website listed above.
  • Price, Richard. John Lothropp: "A Puritan Biography And Genealogy". Salt Lake City, Utah, 1984.
  • Otis, Amos. "Genealogical Notes of Barnstable Families". 1888.
  • Holt, Helene Exiled : the story of John Lathrop, 1584-1653, a novel 1987
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