Rev. James Noyes (born 1608,

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

, England – died 22 October 1656, Newbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony) was an English clergyman who emigrated to

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

. He was a founder of Newbury, Massachusetts.

Biography

James Noyes was the fifth son of the Rev. William Noyes of

Cholderton Cholderton, or more properly West Cholderton, is a village and civil parish in the Bourne Valley of Wiltshire, England. The village is about east of the town of Amesbury. It is on the A338, about south of the A303 trunk road and northeast ...

, Wiltshire, and his wife Anne, and was born at Cholderton in 1608. He was the cousin, on his mother's side, of Thomas Parker (1595-1677), who had been left to the education of William Noyes when his father Robert Parker fled into exile in the

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in 1607. Educated under the guidance of his father, and receiving much instruction from Parker, he entered Brasenose College, Oxford in 1627, but did not proceed to a degree. After studying in Dublin, Oxford and Leyden, Parker returned to teach at Newbury in Berkshire, where he was assistant preacher to

William Twisse William Twisse (1578 near Newbury, England – 20 July 1646) was a prominent English clergyman and theologian. He was named Prolocutor of the Westminster Assembly in an Ordinance dated 12 June 1643, putting him at the head of the churchmen o ...

: Parker summoned James to assist him, and under their guidance James found his vocation. In 1633 James married Sarah, eldest daughter of Joseph Brown of Southampton and his wife Sarah Hibbert, and on March 1634 Parker and Noyes, together with his brother Nicholas Noyes and nephew John Woodbridge, and their families, emigrated to

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

. They sailed aboard the ''

Mary and John ''Mary and John'' was a 400-ton ship that is known to have sailed between England and the American colonies four times from 1607 to 1633. She was during the later voyages captained by Robert Davies and owned by Roger Ludlow (1590–1664), one of t ...

'' of London, accompanied by the ''Hercules'': the ship was detained in the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

where all passengers signed the Oath of Allegiance to the King and the Church before they were allowed to sail from London. During the voyage Parker and Noyes preached or expounded every day, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon, and were "abundant in prayer". Arriving in May 1634, they made landfall at Nantaskut in Massachusetts Bay Colony. Thomas Parker went with around 100 others to the new plantation at Agawam ( Ipswich, Massachusetts) where as Teacher he assisted

Nathaniel Ward Nathaniel Ward (1578 – October 1652) was a Puritan clergyman and pamphleteer in England and Massachusetts. Biography A son of John Ward, a noted Puritan minister, he was born in Haverhill, Suffolk, England. He studied law and graduated fr ...

as Pastor. James Noyes served at first in Medford, the settlement on the north side of the

Mystic River The Mystic River is a riverU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 in Massachusetts, in the United States. In Massachusett, means "large estuary," alluding to t ...

laid out for Matthew Cradock. Parker and his company remained at Agawam through the winter, and in the following spring sought permission from the General Court to settle on the Quascacunquen River (now called the Parker River). This was granted in May 1635, only weeks before the revocation of the (Plymouth Council) Great Charter of New England, and the settlement of

Newbury, Massachusetts Newbury is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, USA. The population was 6,716 at the 2020 census. Newbury includes the villages of Old Town (Newbury Center), Plum Island and Byfield. Each village is a precinct with its own voting district, ...

proceeded. A church (the tenth in the Colony) being gathered, Thomas Parker became their Pastor, and James Noyes, though also invited to a ministry at

Watertown Watertown may refer to: Places in China In China, a water town is a type of ancient scenic town known for its waterways. Places in the United States *Watertown, Connecticut, a New England town **Watertown (CDP), Connecticut, the central village ...

, preferred to join his dear friend at Newbury as Teacher. Both remained there for the rest of their lives. Noyes and Parker prepared students for Harvard, refusing all compensation for their services: twelve or fourteen pupils at a time were taught at the

James Noyes House The James Noyes House is a historic First Period house at 7 Parker Street in Newbury, Massachusetts, United States. The house was built by the Reverend James Noyes, a Puritan pastor, who settled in Newbury in the mid-17th century.

, where both men lived. NewburyMA JamesNoyesHouse

The following portrait of Noyes by Thomas Parker deserves quotation in full:

"He was a man of singular qualifications: in piety excelling, an implacable enemy to all heresy and schism, and a most able warrior against the same. He was of a reaching and ready apprehension, a large invention, a most profound judgement, a rare, tenacious, and comprehensive memory, fixed and unmoveable in his grounded conceptions, sure in words and speech, without rashness, gentle and mild in expression, without all passion or provocative language; and as he was a notable disputant, so he never would provoke his adversary, saving by the short knocks and heavy weight of argument. He was of so loving and compassionate and humble carriage, that I believe never any were acquainted with him, but did desire the continuance of his society and acquaintance. He was resolute for the truth, and in defence thereof, had no respect for any persons. He was a most excellent counsellor in doubts, and could strike at a hair's breadth, like the Benjaminites, and expedite the entangled out of briars. He was courageous in dangers, and still was apt to believe the best, and made fair weather in a storm. He was much honoured and esteemed in the country, and his death was much bewailed. I think he may be reckoned amongst the greatest worthies of his age."

The

, built ca. 1646, is a historic First Period house at 7 Parker Street in Newbury, Massachusetts. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

Writings

* ''The Temple Measured: or, a brief survey of the temple mystical, which is the instituted church of Christ'' (For Edmund Paxton, London 1647). * ''A Short Catechism composed by Mr James Noyes, Late Teacher of the Church of Christ in Newbury, For the use of the Children there'' (Printed by Samuel Green and Marmaduke Johnson, Cambridge 1661). * ''Moses and Aaron, or the Rights of Church and State'' (By T.R. for Emund Paxton, London 1661).

Yale

His son, Rev. James Noyes II of Stonington, Connecticut, was one of the first trustees of

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

, a group of ten Congregationalist ministers, now known as "The Founders". Their engraved names line the facade of

Woodbridge Hall Woodbridge Hall may refer to: * Woodbridge Hall, Hewitt Quadrangle, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut * Woodbridge Hall, Reed College Reed College is a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1908, Reed is a resident ...

at Yale University. The building is named for

Timothy Woodbridge Timothy Woodbridge (February 27, 1709 – May 10, 1774)Mitchell, p. 32. was an American missionary, deacon and schoolteacher, later a judge, representative, and Superintendent of Indian Affairs, from Springfield, Massachusetts, who spent most ...

, cousin to Rev. James Noyes II and one of the other ten founding ministers of the college. Woodbridge Hall

The Noyes Family continues a long tradition at Yale with notable persons having contributed to the University. Rev. James Noyes II was the first Senior Fellow (Chair) of the Board of Trustees, and his younger brother Rev. Moses Noyes also served as a member of the Trustees. Dr. John Noyes graduated Yale 1775. Rev. Daniel Parker Noyes graduated Yale 1840, as did his two sons Edward Parish Noyes, 1880, and Frederic A. Noyes, 1862. Theodore R. Noyes receive a Yale medical degree 1867.

Haskell Noyes Haskell Noyes (July 22, 1886 – December 8, 1948) was an American college basketball player and coach as well as a noted conservationist. Born into a well-to-do family of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Noyes attended Yale University from 1904 to 1908. He ...

graduated Yale 1908. Herbert MacArthur Noyes graduated Yale 1914. Newbold Noyes, Jr. graduated Yale 1941. Herbert MacArthur Noyes Jr. graduated Yale 1949. Thomas E. Noyes graduated Yale 1953. Professor Edward Simpson Noyes, PhD (1892-1967) graduated Yale 1913, was a professor of English at Yale for 40 years, and served as chairman of the Board of Admissions for 18 years, director of the Master of Arts in Teaching program, and received the Yale Medal of Honor in 1968. His son, Dr. Edward “Ted” MacArthur Noyes II (1919-1999), graduated Yale 1940 and was also presented with the Yale Medal of Honor for his lifetime service to

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

in 1996, and served as president of the

Yale Club Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

of New Haven. His son, Dr. Edward MacArthur Noyes III and daughter Nancy Noyes Foss were the first brother and sister to graduate together from Yale in 1971.

Family

His son James Noyes II (born 11 March 1640, Newbury – 30 December 1719, Stonington, Connecticut) was also a clergyman and founded

. He graduated from Harvard in 1659, began to preach in 1664, and was pastor of the church in Stonington, Connecticut from 1674 until his death. A councilor in civil affairs in the critical periods of his colony, James Noyes II also practiced medicine with success. Early Noyes descendants often were ministers and teachers, and sometimes distinguished – for example, the

Salem Witch Trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused. Thirty people were found guilty, 19 of whom w ...

(James's nephew

Nicholas Noyes Rev. Nicholas Noyes II (December 22, 1647 at Newbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony – December 13, 1717 at Salem, Massachusetts Bay Colony) was a colonial minister during the time of the Salem witch trials. He was the second minister, called the " ...

) and the founding of

. On 14 November 1692, during the Salem Witch Trials, 17-year-old Mary Herrick accused Noyes' daughter, Sarah Noyes Hale (wife of John Hale), and the ghost of executed

Mary Eastey Mary Towne Eastey (also spelled Esty, Easty, Estey, Eastick, Eastie, or Estye) ( bap. August 24, 1634 – September 22, 1692) was a defendant in the Salem witch trials in colonial Massachusetts. She was executed by hanging in Salem in 1692. ...

of afflicting her, but she was never formally charged with witchcraft or arrested. A later commentator on the trials,

Charles Upham Charles Hazlitt Upham, (21 September 1908 – 22 November 1994) was a New Zealand soldier who was awarded the Victoria Cross (VC) twice during the Second World War - for gallantry in Crete in May 1941, and in Egypt, in July 1942. He was the mo ...

suggests that this accusation was one that helped turn public opinion to end the prosecutions, and spurred John Hale's willingness to reconsider his support of the trials.Charles W. Upham,
Salem Witchcraft
', 1969 (1867), Vol. II, pp. 345–46. Rev James Noyes I is also the ancestor of

John Humphrey Noyes John Humphrey Noyes (September 3, 1811 – April 13, 1886) was an American preacher, radical religious philosopher, and utopian socialist. He founded the Putney, Oneida and Wallingford Communities, and is credited with coining the term "com ...

, leader of the Perfectionist movement and founder of the

Oneida Community The Oneida Community was a perfectionist religious communal society founded by John Humphrey Noyes and his followers in 1848 near Oneida, New York. The community believed that Jesus had already returned in AD 70, making it possible for the ...

. The daughter of Rev. James Noyes I, Sarah Noyes, is the great-grandmother of American hero Nathan Hale.

Notes

References

* * It is asserted that the "Additional Corrections and Additions," page 3, of Wheeler's "History of Stonington" has the following: "Miss Harriet E. Noyes of New Hampshire says: 'From recent investigations in England the name of Rev. William Noyes's wife was proven to be Anne Stephens, daughter of Nicholas Stephens of Burdrop Manor, and sister of Dorothy Stephens, mother of Rev. Thomas Parker'." (This does not appear in th
online edition
(Internet Archive).)

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Noyes, James 1608 births 1656 deaths American Christian clergy Kingdom of England emigrants to Massachusetts Bay Colony People of colonial Massachusetts Alumni of the University of Oxford Yale University founders People from Newbury, Massachusetts Noyes family