Reverend George Larkham

of Cockermouth, England

1. Mary Larkham, born 12 January 1654, christened by her father 29 January 1654 in Tallentire, Cumberland, England. She died at the age of two of smallpox on 12 April 1656 in Bridekirk, Cumberland, England and was buried at Bridekirk Church.
   From George Larkham’s journal:

"Mary, my dear daughter, departed this life in the small pox, April the 12th, between ten and eleven of the clock, on a Saturday, 1656. She lies buried in Bridekirk Church."

2. Thomas Larkham, born 16 June 1655 in Tallentire, Cumberland, England.  He was named in the will of William Rothery of Cockermouth, written 17 October 1658 and proved 21 May 1659:

"I give unto Thomas Larkham, son of George Larkham, clerk, twelve pence."

George Larkham would have been only three and one-half years of age at the time, which seems curious. Aside from this, there is no clear record of him and he was not named in George Larkham’s will, so he probably died before 10 January 1699 when George Larkham wrote his will.

In his will, George Larkham named a granddaughter, Anne Hewetson:

"Item I give to my Fatherlesse Grandchild Anne Hewetson for a Legacy ten pound to be improved for her."

George Larkham referred to Anne Hewetson as his "Grandchild" inferring that she was still a minor at the time his will was written. In 17th -18th century England, 15 was considered the age of majority, so Anne Hewetson was probably age 14 or younger on 10 January 1699, giving her a birthdate of 10 January 1685 or later.

At the time his will was written, George Larkham's living daughters, Margaret Osmotherly, Patience Langdale, and Mary Bowes were all married to men with surnames other than Hewetson. George Larkham names his living sons in the will, Deliverance Larkham and Lancelot Larkham, so they cannot be the father of Anne Hewetson if she was "fatherless" at the time. The only child of George Larkham who lived to adulthood who is not named in George Larkham's will is Thomas Larkham, born 16 June 1655, so the assumption is, he was deceased by 10 January 1699, and, by process of elimination,  most likely the father of Anne Hewetson.

3. Dorothy Larkham, born December 30, 1656, baptized by her father on January 2, 1657 in Tallentire, Cumberland, England. She died at age four ½ on October 1, 1661 in Cockermouth, Cumberland, England and was buried in the Cockermouth Church yard. From George Larkham’s journal:

"DOROTHY, my dear daughter departed this life in the small pox, Oct 1st, 1661, between seven and eight of the clock in the morning, on a Tuesday. She lies buried in Cockermouth Church yard, near the dial.”

4. Deliverance Larkham, born 9 June 1658, christened 21 July 1658 in Cockermouth, Cumberland, England. He was trained for the ministry at Richard Franklin’s Academy, and was invited to assist his father at Cockermouth; however he instead accepted an invitation to Launceston in Cornwall. He later went to Exeter.

After Deliverance's brother, Lancelot, died in September 1709, Lancelot's son Thomas was placed into the guardianship of Deliverance.  In 1710, the Inland Revenue Books show that Samuel Cole, tailor of Exeter, paid taxes for the apprenticeship of Thomas, nephew of Deliverance Larkham, who was placed by his uncle in the apprenticeship on 18 July 1710 for a period of 8 years. It is believed that this is Thomas Larkham who was first recorded in South Kingstown, Rhode Island in 1728 and named his son Lancelot. (Visit the webpage for Lancelot Larkham, linked below, for copies and references to this information.)

There is no record that Deliverance Larkham married or had children. He died in early 1723 in Exeter, Devon, England. His will is registered in the Calendars of Wills and Administrations relating to the Counties of Devon and Cornwall, however the will was probably destroyed when Exeter was bombed in World War II.  No evidence has been found that a copy or abstract of the will was made before this.

4. Mary Larkham, born 15 February 1659 and christened by her father on 24 February 1659 in Cockermouth, Devon, England.  She married John Bowes and had several children, including a son, Larkham Bowes, who later became churchwarden and sidesman in Tallantire.  No record has been found of the marriage between Mary and John Bowes.  She was named in George Larkham’s will as,

“my Daughter Mary Bowes who is my cherisher now in my old age, and who hath the greatest charge, whom I make appoint and Constitute sole Executor”.

Her son Larkham Bowes was also named in George Larkham’s will, wherein Mary’s older brother Deliverance Larkham was requested to

 “give Grandchild Larkham Bowes all the School Books if he take to be a Scoller”.

6. Lancelot Larkham, born 29 November 1661 and christened by his father on 30 November 1661 in Cockermouth, Cumberland, England.  He was named after his maternal grandfather, Lancelot Fletcher. No record of his marriage or his wife’s name has been found, however he and a son, Thomas, are named in George Larkham’s will:

“… my Son Lancelot for a Legacy Ten pound;
Itm to his Son Thomas (my Grandchild) Ten pound, To be due for him; in order to his bringing up to some trade; And I hope his parents will not defraud him &c.”

At the age of nine years, Lancelot went to live with his aunt and uncle, Daniel and Jane Condy in Tavistock.
There are a few additional records of a Lancelot Larkham in British records:

• In February 1686, Lancelot was named in the will of his cousin, Thomas Larkham, merchant of the parish of St. Martins Orgars in London and was bequeathed a "sealed ring which was left me by my grandfather." This was "my ring which hath my seal in it" that Reverend Thomas Larkham bequeathed to his grandson Thomas Larkham in his will.

• On 27 October 1686, Lan: Larkham witnessed the will of John Comer, Sr. of Oake in the Diocese of Bath and Wells in Somerset County, England.

• The records of St. Mary's Battersea in Surrey document the burial of a nurse child, Mary Larkham, daughter of Lancelot Larkham, on  28 July 1708.

• The records of St. Olave parish, Bermondsey, Surrey, England include the burial record of Lancelot Larkham on 21 September 1709. The given name Lancelot was very rare outside of Cumberland and there are virtually no other Lancelot Larkhams in 17th or 18th century British records, so this most likely Lancelot, son of George Larkham.

• After Lancelot's death, his son Thomas was placed into the guardianship of Lancelot's older brother, Deliverance.  In 1710, the Inland Revenue Books show that Samuel Cole, tailor of Exeter, paid taxes for the apprenticeship of Thomas, nephew of Deliverance Larkham, who was placed by his uncle in the apprenticeship on 18 July 1710 for a period of 8 years. It is believed that this is Thomas Larkham who was first recorded in South Kingstown, Rhode Island in 1728 and named his son Lancelot.

7. Margaret Larkham, born 29 December 1663 in Gomersal, Yorkshire, England. She married Henry Osmotherly on her twenty-fourth birthday, 29 December 1687 in Bridekirk, Cumberland, England. She is named in George Larkham’s will as:
   

“… my daughter Margaret Osmotherly Ten pound for a Legacy; I also give to her husband for a Legacy one of my mourning Rings.” 

Henry Osmotherly was the only spouse of George Larkham’s children named in his will.

8. Eliza Larkham, born 22 May 1665 in Gomersal, Yorkshire, England.  She was buried in Birstal Choir near her maternal great-grandmother. She died before her first birthday on 2 February 1666. From George Larkham’s journal:

“ELIZA, my daughter, departed this life in the small pox, Feb 2nd, towards night, 1666, upon a Saturday. She lies buried in Birstal Choir, by her great grandmother, Waterhouse.”

9. Patience Larkham, born on 16 December 1666 in Heckmondwike, Yorkshire,  England.  She is named in George Larkham’s will as “my daughter Patience Langdale (living at Leverpoole in Lancashire)”.  She married Henry Langdale on 5 November 1685 at Walton on the Hill in Lancashire and had at least one child, Jane Langdale.

10. Jane Larkham, born 24 August 1668 in Egremont, Cumberland,  England. She died before her fifth birthday in April 1673 and is buried at Bridekirk, Cumberland, England.

11. George Larkham, born 26 January 1671 at Tallantire, Cumberland, England.  He died after his first birthday, in March 1672, and is buried at Bridekirk. 

12. Henry Larkham, born May 1673 at Tallantire.  He died at 16 months of age, September 1674 and is buried at Bridekirk.

The Early Years: From Northam, Devonshire to Northam, New England
1630-1642

Little is known of George Larkham’s early life, although it is probable that his childhood was influenced by the religious controversy that followed his father, and which later touched his own life.  When George was nine or ten years of age, Reverend Thomas Larkham departed England under religious persecution for New England, where he began a ministry in Dover (soon renamed Northam) on the Pisquataway River, in an area that would later become the state of New Hampshire. Although it is not known if Patience Larkham and the four children - Thomas, Patience, George and Jane - accompanied Rev. Larkham when he first arrived in New England, they were there with him when he made a hasty retreat back to England in the midst of religious controversy and social scandal[3] with his nineteen-year-old eldest son, Thomas, in 1642.  In his diary, Thomas Larkham recounts,

… I left my family in New England and came with my eldest son, Thomas, towards England."

"November 14th, 1642, I came from New England and have been since marvellously cared for and holpen by the Lord (my) father to care for my familie which (when I left them) were as dry bones[4] and diverse years after; yet did the Lord bring them altogether again here in England." (Larkham & Moore, 2011; Radford, 1892)

George Larkham would have been twelve years of age when his father and older brother departed New England, presumably leaving young George behind with his mother and sisters, Patience, age seventeen, and Jane, age eleven.  It is not known how long George, his mother and his two sisters remained in New England, and when they were reunited once again in England with his father and older brother.

Return to England
1643

George Larkham matriculated to Exeter College, Oxford University on April 9, 1647 just before his 17th birthday. (Larkham & Moore, 2011)  It was during this time that his father accepted an appointment as chaplain in Oliver Cromwell’s Parliamentary Army during the English Civil War.  Rev. Thomas Larkham was a supporter of Cromwell, an Independent Puritan who took a generally tolerant view towards the many Protestant sects of the time.  Of this appointment, Rev. Thomas Larkham stated that he was,

“chaplain to one of greatest honour in the nation, next unto a king, had his residence among ladies of honour, and was familiar with men of greatest renown in the kingdom, when he had a thousand pounds worth of plate before him.” (Larkham & Moore, 2011)

It was through this position as army chaplain that Rev. Larkham came to Tavistock, where the vicarage had been vacant since 21 October 1643. (Sydney Lee, 1892) 

 On 14 February 1648, George’s older brother, Thomas Larkham, died in the East Indies, leaving George the only living son of Reverend Thomas Larkham (Larkham & Moore, 2011; Radford, 1892).

A year later, England was in political upheaval at the climax of the Second English Civil War. King Charles I was executed in January 1649, and the Parliament of Scotland proclaimed his son, Charles II king in February.  The next day, the House of Commons voted to abolish the House of Lords, and to abolish the monarchy the day after, 7 February 1649, formalized by acts abolishing the kingship and House of Lords in March.  Charles II fled to France, where he was exiled for the next 9 years.  By May 1649, an Act Declaring England a Commonwealth was passed. After a series of interim government bodies were put in place and removed, power was handed over to Oliver Cromwell who was declared “Lord Protector” for life. The Act of Uniformity of 1558 was abolished and with it the Church of England as the national church of England. England now had an officially established church based on Presbyterianism but there was no legal requirement that anyone attend services in the established church. The Book of Common Prayer was replaced with the Directory of Public Worship and there was much more tolerance for English Protestant sects – Congregationalists, Baptists, and other separatists. (Plant, 2020)

It was under this political and religious climate that George Larkham began his life as a Congregational minister.  He received his B.A. from Oxford in 1650 at the age of 20, and soon thereafter headed north to Cumberland where he became curate of Cockermouth. His connection to Cumberland is unknown, however it is possible he was prepared to go there while he was at Oxford, or perhaps through his father’s connections.

Cumberland
1651-1700

By the summer of 1651, George’s father, Rev. Thomas Larkham, left Tavistock to join George in Cumberland.  Rev. Larkham wrote in Epistle Dedicatory to The Wedding Supper,

“whereupon receiving (as I apprehended it) a Call from God, to be employed in my Function elsewhere, I obeyed it ; and departed from the aforesaid town of Tavistock with a purpose to return thither no more to dwell among them.” (Radford, 1892)

The Larkhams were warmly received at Cockermouth where Rev. Thomas Larkham was hailed as a ‘blessed instrument of God’.  Soon thereafter, he shepherded the formation of a new church.

According to the History of the Congregational Church, Cockermouth, on 10 December 1651, a group of church elders met at the house of Robert Bowes of Cockermouth, led by Rev. Thomas Larkham.  One week later, the Cockermouth Church was organized:

"On the 17th day of December, the same year, the church brake bread the first time together. And because they would not employ their own officers before they had received the solemn ordinance of Ordination, for fear of giving offence, they gave a call to the before mentioned Mr. Thomas Larkham, Pastor of the Church of Christ at Tavistock, in Devon, to administer that ordinance; which was assented to by that Pastor : though we since question the regularity of it according to our principles. We first brake bread in the Public Meeting Place at Cockermouth."

They did set apart and ordain by the imposition of the. hands of three ordained Presbyters then present, called by the church to that work for fear of offending the godly brethren of the Presbyterian way, George Larkham to be Pastor over them in the Lord, he having first accepted of their unanimous and solemn call, in the face of a very great assembly in the Public Meeting Place at Cockermouth.”(Lewis, 1870)

Along with George Larkham, at the foundation of the church’s organization were seven men referred to as the “Seven First Stones of this house of God”: George Larkham, George Benson, Roger Fieldhouse, Thomas Blethwaite, John Woods, Richard Bowes, and Thomas Jackson.

On 29 September 1652, George Larkham married Dorothy Fletcher, daughter of Lancelot and Mary (Waterhouse) Fletcher of Tallentire Hall, home of the Fletcher family for several generations. The manor house was purchased by Dorothy (Larkham) Fletcher’s paternal grandfather in the early 17th century and passed down in her family to her brother, Henry Fletcher.  He passed it to his daughter Anne (Dorothy’s niece), who in turn passed it to her husband, Matthias Partis, and then her son, Henry Fletcher Partis.  After his death, the manor was sold William Browne, descending in that family until the death of William Browne in 1894 .

Tallentire Hall, Home of Dorothy (Fletcher) Larkham's family

The Society of Friends in Cumberland

The first years of the newly organized church were seemingly peaceful, with the exception of the presence of members of the Society of Friends (Quakers) in Cumberland. Larkham wrote in the church journal,

“Several days of humiliation and thanksgiving were kept this year, and we brake bread every month. The Lord was thus far very gracious in not exercising us with any great trials, which came on afterwards in consequence of errors breaking forth; especially that sweeping error of Quakerism, which shook the Church in relation to many members.” (Lewis, 1870)

George Fox, founder of the Society of Friends, wrote in his journal in 1653:

“Among the rest a professor followed me, praising and commending me; but his words were like a thistle to me.  At last I turned about, and bid him fear the Lord; whereupon priest Larkham, of COCKERMOUTH (for several priests were got together on the way who came after the meeting was over), said to me, “sir, why do you judge so? You must not judge.”  But I turned to him and said, “Friend, dost not thou discern an exhortation from a judgement? I admonish him to fear God; and dost thou say I judge him?” So this priest and I ·falling into discourse, I manifested him to be amongst the false prophets and covetous hirelings... And several people being moved to speak to him, he and two others of the priests soon got away. When they were gone, John Wilkinson, who was preacher of that parish, and of two other parishes in CUMBERLAND began to dispute against his own conscience for several hours, till the people generally turned. against him; for he thought to have tired me out, but the Lord’s power tired him out, and the Lord's truth came over him and them all. Many hundreds were convinced that day, and received the Lord Jesus Christ and His free teaching, with gladness; of whom some have died in the truth, and many stand faithful witnesses thereof. The soldiers also were convinced, and their wives, and continued with me till the First-day.
On the First-day I went to the steeple-house at COCKERMOUTH, there priest Larkham lived. When he had done, I began to speak, and the people began to be rude; but the soldiers told them we had broken no law, and they became quiet. Then I turned to the priest and laid him open among the false prophets and hirelings; at which word the priest went his way, and said, “He calls me hireling”; which was true enough, and all the people knew it. Then some of the great men of-the town came to me, and said, "Sir, we have no learned men to dispute with you.” I told them I came not to dispute, but to shew the way of salvation to them, the way of everlasting life. I declared largely the way of life and truth, and directed them to Christ their Teacher, who had died for them, and bought them with His blood.” (Jones, 1976)

It’s not clear what issue each religious group had with the other, however members of Larkham’s church appeared to find the Quakers a threat to their membership.  This possibly had to do with the Quaker practice of disturbing meetings on the pretext of Spirit-given impulse. In the Cockermouth Church history, several incidents were given when members of Larkham’s church were admonished for their affiliations with Quakerism and eventually excommunicated. John Wilkinson, pastor of the congregational church at Broughton seceded with his entire congregation to the Friends. (Lewis, 1870)

Restoration of the Monarchy and the Clarendon Code

Oliver Cromwell died on 3 September 1658 and was succeeded by his son Richard as Lord Protector (Plant 2020).  Richard Cromwell had little military or civil administration experience, and in 1659, the Rump Parliament was recalled, and Richard resigned due to a lack of support within Parliament or the military After a period of civil and military unrest, a new Convention Parliament assembled on 25 April 1660.  After 9 years of exile, Charles II was invited to return to England and reclaim his throne. Charles II issued the Declaration of Breda in which he outlined his initial terms for the restoration of the Monarchy, known as the Restoration Settlement.

On May 14, 1660, George Larkham wrote in his journal,

“I saw the Proclamation for the proclaiming Charles the Second, King of England. The Lord mind his interest, and poor, though justly reproached people. Amen. Lord give me wisdom.”

Implementation of the Restoration Settlement included restoration of the Church of England as the official church of England and four acts of Parliament known collectively as the Clarendon Code, which had a significant impact on the Protestant clergy in England, including George Larkham and his father, Reverend Thomas Larkham. To this, George Larkham wrote:

“In this year began the afflictions of the churches to tumble in upon them, heaps upon heaps.”

By August 26, 1660, George Larkham no longer was able to preach in public at All Saints’ Church at Cockermouth because George Fletcher, High Sheriff of Cumberland, replaced Larkham with Robert Richarby.  Ironically, George Fletcher was the cousin of George Larkham’s wife, Dorothy (Fletcher) Larkham.

Under the acts of the Clarendon Code, George and Thomas Larkham and other Protestants who dissented from Anglicanism (the Church of England) became known as Nonconformists. Briefly summarized, the four penal acts of the Clarendon Code are as follows:

• The Corporation Act of 1661 required all municipal officials to take Anglican communion and formally reject the Solemn League and Covenant of 1643. This effectively excluded Nonconformists from public office.
• The Act of Uniformity of 1662 made mandatory the use of the Book of Common Prayer in religious service. Some 2,000 clergy refused to comply with this act and were forced to resign their ministries.
• The Conventicle Act of 1664 forbade meetings for unauthorized worship (conventicles) of more than five people who were not members of the same household. This was intended to prevent dissenting religious groups from meeting.
• The Five-Mile Act of 1665 forbade Nonconformist ministers from coming within 5 miles of a town or any other place where they had ministered. (Ross, n.d.)