NUTTER, Hatevil
1603 - Bef 1675 (< 72 years)
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Hatevil Nutter Was A Cruel Religious Hypocrite
Posted on April 15, 2011 by Boyce Thompson Hatevil Nutter had had enough. An
elder in Puritan church in Dover, N.H., he objected to the way the three Quaker
women “beset” Congregationalist minister John Reyner when he worshiped in
public. He didn’t like the way they bedeviled the Puritan minister when he was
at home. He believed their teachings were wrong and their methods pernicious.
For six weeks in 1662, the women had held meetings and services at various homes
around town. The Quaker women, my 11th great grandfather cruelly reasoned, had
the liberty to go elsewhere, but they failed to exercise that liberty. Instead,
they tried to spread their beliefs in Dover, preaching against professional
ministers, restrictions on individual conscience, and the established customs of
church-ruled settlements. Something had to be done.
Nutter, who filled the pulpit on occasion, sprung into action. He helped to get
Dover citizens to sign a petition “humbly craving relief against the spreading &
the wicked errors of the Quakers among them.” According to a Quaker historian,
Hatevil (pronounced just like you think, Hate Evil) stirred up crown magistrate
Captain Richard Walderne to issue an order to the constables of surrounding
jurisdictions.
A little background may be necessary. Many of the Puritans who settled in New
England in the 1660s did not believe in a separate church and state. They fled
Europe, in many cases, because they believed the Church of England had strayed
from its basic principles. They refused to tolerate dissent.
Walderne’s order required the constables ”in the King’s name” to take “these
vagabond Quakers, Ann Coleman, Mary Tomkins, and Alice Ambrose,” tie them fast
to a cart’s tail, and “whip their naked backs, not exceeding ten stripes apiece
on each of the them, in each town; and so to convey them from constable to
constable, till they are out of this jurisdiction.”
The medieval-style punishment was severe, even by Colonial standards. The order
called for whippings in at least 11 towns. It would require travel over 80 miles
in bitterly cold weather. The first stop was Dover, to which Nutter had come
from England 30 years before. The women were seized on a frigid winter day by
constables John and Thomas Roberts. George Bishop recorded the events:
“Deputy Waldrom caused these women to be stripped naked from the middle upwards,
and tied to a cart, and after awhile cruelly whipped them, whilst the priest
stood and looked and laughed at it.”
Hatevil thought it was a real laugh-riot as well, according to Sewell, another
witness. “All this whipping of the Quaker women, by the Constables (in front of
the meeting-house) was in the presence of one Hate-Evil Nutwell (Nutter), a
Ruling Elder, who stirred up the Constables (John and Thomas Roberts) to this
wicked action, and so proved that he bore a wrong name (Hate Evil).”
According to Sewell’s History of the Quakers, the women were carried next to
Hampton, where the constable wanted to whip the women with their clothes on. But
they said, “‘set us free, or do according to thine order.’ He then spoke to a
woman to take off their clothes. But she said she would not for all the world.
Why, said he, then I’ll do it myself…So he stripped them, and then stood
trembling whip in hand, and so he did the execution.
“Then he carried them to Salisbury through the dirt and the snow half the leg
deep; and here they were whipped again. Indeed, their bodies were so torn, that
if Providence had not watched over them, they might have been in danger of their
lives.”
Once the women got to Salisbury, one Walter Barefoot convinced the constable to
swear him in as a deputy. He received the women and the warrant and put a stop
to the persecution. Dr. Barefoot dressed their wounds and returned them to the
Maine side of the Piscataqua River.
Barefoot had the support of the town’s people, who were guided by the
influential Major Robert Pike, one of the leaders of the lower Merrimac valley.
According to history books, Pike stood far in advance of his time. He advocated
religious freedom and opposed ecclesiastical authority. He even courageously
wrote to the court at Salem, objecting to the witchcraft trials.
The Old Quaker Meeting House in DoverEventually, much to Nutter’s chagrin, the
Quaker women returned to Dover and established a church. More than a third of
Dover’s citizens eventually became Quakers.
The Nutter connection to the Thompson family comes through Grandmother Marie
(Meanie) Elise Kruttschnitt’s grandfather, Frederick Manthano Pickering
(1862-1945), who was born in Portland, Me. Intrepid family genealogist Sue Wolfe
discovered the connection several years ago and documented it with a set of
papers more than an inch thick.
Sue discovered that Hatevil was born in 1598, probably in Harlington, Bedford,
England, and came to the United States in the mid 1630s. According to the
history of Dover, N.H., he did not arrive with the first wave of immigrants in
1633. He probably showed up a little later. Public records show that in 1637 he
bought a lot from one Captain Thomas Wiggin. Over the years, he received various
land grants from the town.
Hatevil was part owner of a sawmill at Lamprey River, and he owned a ship yard
on the shore of the Fore River. He helped organize the First Church in November
1638 and served in various official capacities during his lifetime.
“His house stood on the east side of High Street, about 15 or 20 rods from the
north corner of the meeting house-lot,” reads the history of Dover. “An old pear
tree stands (1923) in the hollow, which was part of the cellar.”
Nutter was by no means alone in his hatred of Quakers. Laws were passed during
his time imposing fines on the master of any vessel who brought a Quaker into
the colony. Quakers who managed to set foot in the Colonies were supposed to be
sent immediately to a house of correction, where they would receive 20 stripes
and be confined to hard labor.
A later act levied a 40-shilling fine against anyone who harbored a Quaker for
one hour. After the first conviction, the offender, if a man, would lose one
ear; and upon the third conviction, the other ear. Offending women would be
whipped each time. After four convictions, offenders–men and women alike–would
have their tongue bored through with a hot iron.
Many Quakers came to America to escape religious persecution in Europe. They
found it in new forms once they arrived.
Tags: Alice Ambrose, Ann Coleman, Frederick Manthano Pickering, George Bishop,
Hatevil Nutter, John Reyner, John Roberts, Major Robert Pike, Mary Tomkins,
Richard Walderne, Thomas Roberts15 Responses to “Hatevil Nutter Was A Cruel
Religious Hypocrite”
Sue Wolfe April 15, 2011 at 4:51 pm #
What a story! The second part of his name really describes him.
Reply Bill June 18, 2011 at 5:45 pm #
Thanks for this. I too am a descendant. Ironically, one of Nutter’s
great-grandsons (Hatevil Hall, my 7th great grandfather) became a Quaker and
was a leader and founder of the Falmouth (now Portland), Maine meeting. I’m
sure this cruel history was known to him.
Reply Jason March 31, 2012 at 8:34 pm #
Thanks for writing this story. I too am a descendant of Hatevil from his
daughter Mary’s marriage to John Wingate. What a cruel man to have to share
DNA with!
Reply Jim Walton April 20, 2012 at 9:53 pm #
I find it unfortunate that a piece of history is taken out of context and the
blame laid on someone who really was not to blame. I too am a direct
descendant of Hatevil Nutter and also the Quaker George Walton. But there is
much more to this story that casts it in a little different light. First, I
believe his name was pronounced “Hatavul” rather than the “Hate Evil” that the
Quakers branded him with, but their version is certainly justified from their
viewpoint. However it was not Nutter who was responsible. It was the entire
society. In fact, had it not been for the Quaker poet, John Greenleaf
Whittier, we may have never heard of this incident.
For reference, check out the New Hampshire State Archives web site and
download the first volume of the New Hampshire State Papers. From page 226 to
page 240 you will find a number of court documents dealing with the Quakers.
They include such things as cutting off their ears, piercing their tongues,
expulsion from the colony with complete forfeiture of all property, death, and
anyone aiding and abetting the Quakers was subject to the same punishments.
In one instance, a woman who was sentenced to hang was allowed to live on the
condition her son took her out of the territory within 48 hours. She was
required, however, to stand on the gallows with the rope about her neck while
she watched her two friends hanged.
The standard punishment was tying them to the back of a cart, stripping them
to the waist, and whipping them with 10 lashes then sending them on the the
next town until they were literally whipped out of the territory. This law was
passed in 1661.
While we consider them wrong by any measure of decency, remember they were
living in a different time and many of their laws would be very foreign to us.
To them the Quakers were as much a threat as any terrorist today–and that’s
how they were perceived.
Let’s not be too hard on Grandpa Nutter. He was a sincere, righteous,
Christian believer as he was taught to understand righteousness and
Christianity. He acted as he thought best to protect his family and his
community from the devices of the Devil. We would have perhaps done the same
thing.
The persecution of the Quakers got so out of hand, the King had to send his
own emissary to put a stop to it. Hatevil was just a small cog in a very large
wheel, but he was not the “cruel religious hypocryte” that Boyce would make
him out to be. While I might feel shame for some of the things he may have
done, I cannot feel shame for having him as by ancestor.
Reply
Boyce Thompson, Jr. May 2, 2012 at 8:06 am #
Very strong argument, Jim. I’m a little less willing to let him off the hook
because he was a product of his times. And it may be going too far to equate
Quakers with terrorists. But I appreciate your perspective. Thanks for
commenting.
Reply
Jim Walton July 17, 2012 at 6:11 pm #
I wasn’t necessarily equating Quakers with terrorists, what I was doing
was explaining the perception of the Puritans who did believe the Quakers
were the equivalent to terrorists.
Every society, even today, has things that are considered wrong or evil by
other societies. We have our own standards and live by them. Perhaps 500
years hence we to will be roundly criticized for some of the decisions we
make today.
The real culprit in this event was the court in Boston who demanded the
punishment. The local church members were merely asking for relief from
what they perceived to be instruments of the Devil. They did not ask for
them to be whipped, just removed from the territory. The court demanded
the whippings, and the local constable carried out the court order. The
“eye witness” accounts, particularly those reported by Quaker writers, is
always suspect.
Sad? Yes. Terrible? Absolutely. Would we do such a thing today? Well, we
consider ourselves more humane when we use a relatively painless form of
capital punishment. But I still contend that we cannot judge our ancestors
based on today’s morality.
Your grandmother may have been fined, or even whipped for having a child
before she was married 9 months. I know some of mine were. A woman having
sex outside of marriage was whipped and pilloried. How would that fly in
today’s society
Hatevil was not a cruel religious hypocrite, he may have been a misguided
religious zealot, but he lived what he believed. How many of us can say
the same about our own religious convictions?
Reply Marybeth April 28, 2012 at 9:33 pm #
I too am a direct descendent of Hatevil and I am a Quaker. I’ve heard that
there is a painting of the Three Quaker Women of Dover in the Dover Friends
Meetinghouse. Also, there may be a connection with Quakers and Hatevil before
he came to America. I did some research on this a few years back, which is a
bit fuzzy to me now. I think Hatevil was born in the area, Pendle Hill, where
George Fox, the founder of the Religious Society of Friends (the formal name
for Quakers), grew up. Furthermore, George Fox’s father may have been the
caretaker for the church where Hatevil’s uncle was the minister (Anthony
Nutter). So Hatevil and George Fox may have known each other, and probably
didn’t like each other very much! This area, Pendle Hill, is also the place
where there was a spate of “witch” killings in the early 1600s. There is a
book written about this time — I think it is called “The Pendle Hill Witches.”
Hatevil’s uncle Anthony played a role in the persecution of these women.
Reply
Boyce Thompson, Jr. May 2, 2012 at 8:01 am #
This is amazing work. Thanks much for responding to my story. I can’t
believe how much more can be learned from publishing a simple story on the
Internet.
Reply June May 2, 2012 at 12:12 pm #
I came to this site today, because I found a note from a Nutter’s descendants.
It lists descendants as Thomas Roberts-John Dam- John Hall- Hatevil Nutter. It
told story about the town’s approval for a saw mill in 1647. It also stated
that it was an early history of the family given to her long ago buys an Aunt
Mary. The book I found it in was one of the volumes of the Genealogy and
Family History of the State of New Hampshire compiled by Erza S Stearns in
1901. It is interesting to see both sides of the story. What is the old saying
“There are three sides of the truth: his, yours and the truth will be found
somewhere in the middle.”
Reply Ed Peritz May 19, 2012 at 5:12 pm #
Hi, I’ve just begun fact checking a partial family tree commissioned by my
grandmother and given to me over 50 years ago. I just moved to this branch
which starts with Elder Hotevil (sic) Nutter, of S. Piscataqua. no dates
given. But next, in line is Mary Nutter married to John Wingate, died 1687 and
continues the Wingate line to Betsy, 1798-1842 of Farmington, ME. She married
a Joseph S. Kelley, 1793-1870 or ’71 of Gilmanton, N.H. It appears that this
Hot or Hatevil must be one in the same.
As a life long student of history, and one time teacher of same–still with
most relatives in MA–I pretty much believe in the religious cruelties Puritans
inflicted on non-compliers. Even the Dutch threw them out. John Williams fled
and founded R.I. My brother’s house in Salem was near the so-called witch
house. Be that as it may, at least when it came time to make a nation, the
voice of the Puritans was gagged, while the voice of the Quakers was still
influential.
There are some Tebbets and Frosts, also in this branch whom married Wingates
or their widows.
Cheers, Ed Peritz
Reply Laura November 5, 2012 at 11:33 pm #
Interesting history including the responses. Hatevil Nutter was my 10th great
grandfather (through his daughter Abigail Nutter who married John Roberts and
their son Thomas Roberts and his decendants Love Roberts I, II and III. Love
III’s daughter married Wentworth Lowd and his granddaughter Laura Etta Lowd is
my great great grandmother). It is interesting to read the history and so
important to understand the context of the time.
Reply Sam Nutter December 20, 2012 at 1:22 pm #
I am also a great, great…. grandson of Hatevil Nutter and would love any more
information about him and other Nutters.
Reply Rita Guinn January 31, 2013 at 11:51 am #
I’m also a great-great-great, etc. grandchild of Hatevil Nutter (through his
daughter Abigail). I’ve often thought that my maternal grandpa most resembled
old Hatevil–sure he was right about everything. I’m curious as to whether
Mayor Nutter of Philadelphia is any kin to us…
Reply Anthony Adams February 22, 2013 at 8:05 pm #
Wow- excellent post, he is my 10th greatgrandfather as well. Thanks very much!
Reply
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