Nathaniel Ward
Nathaniel Ward was a Puritan clergyman and writer born in Haverhill, England, around 1578–1580. He was educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he earned a Master of Arts degree in 1603 before practicing law as a barrister. His career took him to Europe, where he was influenced by Calvinist writer David Pareus. Ward was ordained as an Anglican minister in 1618 and served as a chaplain in Prussia before returning to England, where he became a lecturer and later a minister at Stondon Massey rectory in Essex. His tenure there ended in censure due to his nonconformity to Anglican teachings, leading to his departure for the American colonies in 1634. In New England, he contributed significantly by editing "The Body of Liberties," which became the first legal code in New England. Ward also authored "The Simple Cobbler of Aggawam in America," a work noted for its eloquence and criticism of contemporary issues, published under a pseudonym. He returned to England shortly after its release and served as a minister in Shenfield until his death in 1652.
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Nathaniel Ward
Clergyman
- Born: c. 1578-1580
- Birthplace: Haverhill, Suffolk, England
- Died: 1652
- Place of death: Shenfield, England
Biography
Nathaniel Ward was a Puritan clergyman and writer. He was born in Haverhill, England, between 1578 and 1580. His father was John Ward, whose twenty-five year ministry in Haverhill and in St. Edmunds, Suffolk, was more renowned than the ministry of his son. Nathaniel Ward studied law and received a master of arts degree in 1603 from Cambridge’s Emmanuel College. Ward became a barrister and practiced law for more than a decade until he traveled to continental Europe with a group of merchants.
His travels in Europe brought him to Heidelberg, Germany, where he met a famous writer, David Pareus. Influenced by the Calvinist Pareus, Ward was ordained an Anglican minister in 1618. Records indicate that Ward was a chaplain in a factory owned by Eastland merchants and located in Elbing, Prussia, for several years. When he returned to England, he became a lecturer.
In 1623, Ward was given a ministerial appointment to Stondon Massey rectory in Essex. He held the position for seven years until he was censured, but not excommunicated, by then Bishop Laud of London, who had investigated Ward’s nonconformity to Anglican teaching. After two years of counseling with Laud proved ineffective, Ward was dismissed as minister from the rectory. Ward departed for the American colonies in 1634, and joined the Reverend Thomas Parker in his ministry to the Puritan community in Agawam, later named Ipswich.
Although Ward had to resign his position after two years due to poor health, he remained in the colonies and devoted his time to editing the pamphlet “The Body of Liberties,” which became the first code of laws in New England when the general court of the Colony of Massachusetts adopted it in December of 1641. The document stated the principles needed to guide the community to meet the needs of the people.
Ward’s next work, The Simple Cobbler of Aggawam in America was published in England sometime between 1646 and 1647 under a pseudonym, Theodore de la Guard (“Theodore” being Greek for Nathaniel, and “de la Guard” being French for Ward). Ward returned to England following the publication and continued refining his work, releasing three editions of The Simple Cobbler of Aggawam in America in 1647. Two American editions of the publication were released in Boston in 1718, and David Pulsifer edited an edition which was released in America in 1843. The Simple Cobbler of Aggawam in America was noted for the author’s eloquence and patriotism, but also for his bigotry and sarcasm.
Within a year following Ward’s return to England, he received the appointment of minister to the church at Shenfield in Essex which was only five miles from Stondon Massey, where his ministry in England had begun. He remained minister in Shenfield until his death in 1652.