Anne Hutchinson was a member of the Massachusetts Bay Colony
from 1634 to 1637. She was an active community leader whose religious
views differed from those of the leaders of the colony. After two trials,
she was banished, or forced to leave, from the settlement. She and some
of her followers founded a colony in the present area of Portsmouth,
Rhode Island, where they could have religious freedom.
Early life
Anne Marbury Hutchinson was born in Alford, Lincolnshire, England.
The date of her birth remains unknown, but she was baptized on July
20, 1591. Her father, Francis Marbury (1556–c. 1610), was a clergyman
who was influenced by Puritan ideas. Puritans believed that the
Anglican Church, the official church of England, should be simplified
and cleansed of unnecessary rituals. Marbury got into trouble with the
Anglican Church more than once for his beliefs. Hutchinson’s mother,
Bridget Dryden (1570–1644), was Marbury’s second wife. In 1605, the
family moved to London.
Anne Hutchinson received a better education from her father than
most girls of the time. She was especially well educated in the scriptures
of the Bible. In 1612, she married William Hutchinson (1586–1642),
the son of a successful merchant. They resided in Alford, and over the
course of their marriage, they had more than a dozen children.
The Hutchinsons participated in the religious meetings of the
Puritan movement in Alford. They followed the teachings of Reverend
John Cotton (1585–1652), who was forced out of his ministry in 1633
for his Puritan beliefs. He therefore left England to accept a position
with the Boston Church in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Anne and
William Hutchinson decided to follow him there with their family in
1634.
Leadership and dissent
Anne Hutchinson quickly became a well-respected member of the community established in New England. Her intellect and kindness were
well noted. As a woman, however, her activities were limited. She began
hosting a weekly meeting for women at her home. The previous Sunday’s
sermon would be discussed. Her audience grew, and men began to attend meetings as well.
Eventually, Hutchinson moved beyond scriptural discussions and included discussions of religious philosophy. She embraced a religious view
that was different than that of the church leaders. The Puritans generally
believed in a covenant of works, which meant that a person had to obey
church and scriptural guidance to gain access to heaven. Anne
Hutchinson instead taught a covenant of grace. She believed that God’s
grace and love were revealed through personal intuition to those predestined to heaven. Her beliefs challenged the role of ministers and the
church. According to her critics, Hutchinson’s philosophies meant that
no one had to act morally, so they felt that her teachings threatened the
purity of the colony.
At first, Hutchinson enjoyed a large and supportive following.
When one of her greatest critics, John Winthrop (1588–1649), was
elected governor in 1637, much of that support was lost. The General
Court, or government of the colony, banished one of her supporting
ministers and sought to bring Hutchinson to trial. The charge related to
misleading ministers and their ministry.
Anne defended herself against her accusers with strong arguments.
Her confession, however, that she received direct revelations from God
for one of her statements was heretical (against accepted beliefs).
Puritans believed that God only spoke to humans through the Bible, so
Anne Hutchinson was banished from the community. Refusing to take back her statements, she was formally excommunicated, or dismissed,
from the church.
Later years
After the trials in 1638, Anne Hutchinson moved with her family to a
new settlement in Rhode Island. William Hutchinson died in 1642, and
Anne moved again. This time she settled with some of her family in the
area of Pelham Bay, New York. In the late summer of 1643, Indians attacked. Hutchinson and all of her household, except one child, were
killed. Many of her critics viewed the incident as proof of God’s judgment against her teachings.