We are delighted to offer some tours focusing on Rhode Island heritage in England. Our tour can be designed for one or two days, with some major additional options such as a visit to England’s best medieval cathedral, a cream tea or an ancient inn.
In this part of England we have several sites with important connections to both Roger and Mary Williams and so foundational to Rhode Island Heritage. Mary was most probably born in the medieval gatehouse at Worksop where her father Richard Bernard was vicar. Clamber up the ancient stairs to see the rooms in which the Bernard family lived around 1605. Bernard himself came from Epworth (birthplace of the Wesleys) and was associated with the Gainsborough separatist congregation led by John Smyth. Mary later married Williams after she had moved to Essex due to her connections with local aristocratic ladies.
Williams built up a connection with one of those families through Sir Henry Vane. We can take you to the remote and beautiful location at Belleau where Williams came to discuss religious liberty with Vane, and also with the exiled John Wheelwright. Near to here is the home of Anne Hutchinson, who passed through Rhode Island after she was ejected from Massachusetts.
South from there we can visit the famous town of Boston (home of John Cotton) and Sempringham, where Williams rode in 1629 to plan his escape from England as part of the ‘Great Migration’. This is a rarely visited and remote location linked also to stories of an English saint.
All this planned and led by the Cambridge-educated historian and author, Adrian Gray. All tours are bespoke, planned to suit your needs, so email us in advance to discuss your wishes and desires.
Other tours are also available.