Michael Metcalf (1586 – 27 December 1664) was an early English colonist in Massachusetts, who had been persecuted for his

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...

beliefs in his native England. Metcalf was from

Norwich, England Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

and worked as a master weaver. His father was a Puritan minister. He was persecuted by Bishop Wren and the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

for his Puritan beliefs and, upon fleeing to Massachusetts, wrote a long letter addressed to "all true professors of Christ's gospel" in Norwich. He spoke of the "great trouble" he had with the "Arch-Deacon's and Bishop's court at the hands of my enemies concerning the matter of bowing as well as for other matters of like consequence." Before the ecclesiastical court, Metcalf defended himself by quoting not only the Bible but also the church's own theologians. He related in his letter that their responses included "Blockhead, old heretic, the devil made you, I will send you to the devil." When his life was put in danger, his wife sometimes hid him in the thatched roof of their house. He left London on September 17, 1636, and arrived in New England on Christmas. He left his wife and children behind in England. Metcalf was one of the first residents of

Dedham, Massachusetts Dedham ( ) is a New England town, town in, and the county seat of, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Located on Boston's southwestern border, the population was 25,364 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. First settled by E ...

and a signer of the Covenant. In 1641, he served as Selectman. At the age of 70 he began teaching reading in the

Dedham Public Schools The Dedham Public School System (Dedham Public Schools) is a Pre-kindergarten, PK–Twelfth grade, 12 graded school district in Dedham, Massachusetts. It is the oldest public school system in the United States. History On January 2, 1643, the ...

, the first system of its kind in the country. In 1652, Metcalf purchased a joined armchair that is today the oldest dated piece of American furniture. His descendant, Father Theodore Metcalf of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, served as Master of Ceremonies at the laying of the cornerstone ceremony at St. Mary's Church in Dedham in 1880, 244 years after Metcalf arrived in Dedham.

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* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Metcalf, Michael Educators from Dedham, Massachusetts Puritans People from Norwich English emigrants to Massachusetts Bay Colony 1586 births 1664 deaths Dedham, Massachusetts selectmen Signers of the Dedham Covenant People from colonial Dedham, Massachusetts