John Lathrop 1584-1653

Born:                     1584 Etton, East Riding, Yorkshire, England

Died:                     1653

Spouse :               Hannah Howse

Children:              Jane, Anne, John, Barbara, Thomas, Samuel, Joseph, Benjamin, Elizabeth, Barnabas, Abigail, Bathsheba, John

 "I would like to tell you the story of a man who was born over 400 years ago. His name was John Lathrop and he was born 20 Dec 1584 at Etton, Yorkshire, England. He decided at an early age to follow in the footsteps of his father who was a minister in the Church of England. He began his studies at Christ Church College, Oxford University at the age of 18 years. He later transferred to Queens College at Cambridge, England where he received his Bachelor of Art at age 21 years and his Masters of Art at age 25 years.
At age 23 years he began his church service as a Deacon in the Church of England at Bennington, Hertfordshire. After graduation at age 25 years he moved to Kent where he became curate or minister over the Parish church of Egerton – just 48 miles SE of London. He served 11 years as clergyman at this parish where the record shows he christened over 200 children, married the youth and presided over burials. It was here that he married Hannah Howse – the daughter of an Anglican minister of a neighboring parish. It was here that four of their children were born.
Religious circumstances at this time were such that all Anglican ministers would have had to take the “Oath of Supremacy” which denounces all Papal authority and acknowledges the King of England as the head of the Church. Additionally John Lathrop would have had to teach and abide by the “Act of Uniformity” which establishes the Anglican Prayer Book as the only legal form of worship.
By the year 1624, at age 39 years, John Lathrop broke with the Anglican Church and moved back to London to become Pastor of the First Independent Congregation in the Southwark part of London. In the church of England John Lathrop had security and status, but he gave this all up in an effort to follow the more simple forms of worship. He came to deplore the pomp and ceremony of his former church and questioned the authority of his own ordination. The Bishop of London was made aware of his actions and he pursued John Lathrop and the Puritans with zeal. John Lathrop and his congregation were forced to meet in secret. John was at the heart of the Puritan reform and was tried and imprisoned for his actions. He spent two years in prison, enduring terrible conditions, but would not renounce his beliefs or agree to cease his preaching. John’s family bargained for his release – that he be freed on the condition that he emigrate to New England – never to return.
This was agreed upon and John and his family along with at least thirty of John’s original congregation took their journey in 1634 and settled in Barnstable on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Here John Lathrop became a prominent colonial minister teaching the scriptures and the simpler forms of worship. He was instrumental in bringing about Christian reform and died at age 69 in the year 1653."
  
source:http://abish.byui.edu/specialCollections/fhc/owen.htm