Francis Marbury

     Francis Marbury was born in 1555 at London, England; Francis was ordained as a deacon in the Church of England in January 1578. He was given a ministry position in Northampton and almost immediately came into conflict with the bishop. Taking a position commonly used by Puritans, he criticised the church leadership for staffing the parish churches with poorly trained clergy and for tolerating poorly trained bishops. After serving two short jail terms, he was ordered not to return to Northampton, but disregarded the mandate and was subsequently brought before the Bishop of London, John Aylmer, for trial in November 1578. During the examination, Aylmer called Marbury an ass, an idiot and a fool, and sentenced him to Marshalsea prison for his impudence.
After two years in prison Marbury was considered sufficiently reformed to preach again and was sent to Alford in Lincolnshire, close to his ancestral home. Here he married and began a family, but again felt emboldened to speak out against the church leadership and was put under house arrest. Following a time without employment, he became desperate, writing letters to prominent officials, and was eventually allowed to resume preaching. Making good on his promise to curb his tongue, he preached uneventfully in Alford and with a growing prominence was rewarded with a position in London in 1605. He was given a second parish in 1608, which was exchanged for another closer to home a year later. He died unexpectedly in 1611 at the age of 55. With two wives Marbury had 18 children.
He is best known for being the father of Anne Hutchinson, considered the most famous (or infamous) English woman in colonial America, and Katherine Marbury Scott, the first known woman to convert to Quakerism in the United States.³ He was baptized on 27 October 1555 at St Pancreas, Soper Lane, London, England.³ He was the son of William Marbury and Agnes Lenton.² Francis Marbury married Bridget Dryden, daughter of John Dryden and Elizabeth Cope, before 1591 at England.³ Francis Marbury died on 14 February 1611 at Alford, Northamptonshire, England, at age 55.³