 john davenport (april 9, 1597 &ndash; may 30, 1670) was an english puritan clergyman and co-founder of the american colony of new haven. ==early life== born in manchester, warwickshire, england to a wealthy family, davenport was educated at oxford university. he matriculated at merton college in 1613 but migrated to magdalen college two years later, eventually leaving oxford before completing his degree.lecture by francis j. bremer, ph.d., at the stamford historical society, april 17, 2005 his father was henry davenport (d. may 29, 1627), draper, alderman, and mayor of coventry, son of edward davenport, mayor of coventry, and was born of numerous royal families. his mother, winifred barnaby (1569 - april 12, 1597), is a descendant of english and french royalty. a direct descendant of king edward the iii.gary boyd roberts. the royal descents of 600 immigrants to the american colonies or the united states, 1st edition. baltimore: genealogical publishing, 2004, pp. 422-3, 479-80; and frederick lews weis, et al. ancestral roots of certain american colonists who came to america before 1700, 8th edition. baltimore: genealogical publishing, 2004, line 230a, p. 205. see roberts, pp. 422-3, for discussion of barnaby's ancestry. ==career== after serving as chaplain of hilton castle, he became curate of st lawrence jewry in london. in 1624, he was chosen vicar of st. stephenâs church, in coleman street, london. in 1625, he returned to oxford for further studies, receiving an ma and bd.francis j. bremer, âjohn davenport: the american career of an international puritan,â lecture at the stamford historical society, april 17, 2005; online at http://www.stamfordhistory.org/dav_bremer1.htm he became an associate of john preston, a leading puritan teacher and scholar, and edited his works for posthumous publication. his efforts to organize the re-purchase of "lay-impropriations" for the support of rural clergy were frustrated by bishop william laud and condemned by the court of exchequer, as were also his efforts for the relief of reformed clergy displaced by war in the electorate of the palatinate. in 1633 he resigned from the established church and moved to holland. while in holland, it is believed that he was the model for several portraits by rembrandt, though these are now thought to be self-portraits of rembrandt. in 1637, he acquired the patent for a colony in massachusetts and sailed with much of his congregation for boston. while staying in boston with reverend john cotton in march 1638, he sat during the chur
1597_births 1670_deaths 17th-century_Christian_clergy Alumni_of_Magdalen_College,_Oxford Alumni_of_Merton_College,_Oxford American_Christian_clergy American_people_of_English_descent Deaths_from_bleeding History_of_New_Haven,_Connecticut New_England_Puritan_ministers New_England_Puritanism People_from_Coventry People_from_New_Haven,_Connecticut Puritans Settlers_of_Connecticut Yale_University_founders