page_title: Puritans
section_title: Notable Puritans
hierarchical_section_title: Puritans / Notable Puritans
context_page_description: The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries, who sought to purify the Church of England of Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become more Protestant. Puritanism played a significant role in English history, especially during the Protectorate.
  Puritans were dissatisfied with the limited extent of the English Reformation and with the Church of England's toleration of certain practices associated with the Roman Catholic Church. They formed and identified with various religious groups advocating greater purity of worship and doctrine, as well as personal and corporate piety. Puritans adopted a Reformed theology and, in that sense, were Calvinists. In church polity, some advocated separation from all other established Christian denominations in favour of autonomous gathered churches. These Separatist and independent strands of Puritanism became prominent in the 1640s, when the supporters of a presbyterian polity in the Westminster Assembly were unable to forge a new English national church.
context_section_description: Peter Bulkley was an influential Puritan minister and founder of Concord.
  John Bunyan was famous for The Pilgrim's Progress.
  William Bradford was Plymouth Colony's Governor.
  Anne Bradstreet was the first female to have her works published in the British North American colonies.
  Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader and eventually became Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland. He was a very religious man and was considered an independent Puritan.
  John Endecott was the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and an important military leader.
  Jonathan Edwards, evangelical preacher who sparked the First Great Awakening
  Thomas Hooker was a Puritan minister and co-founder of the Connecticut Colony.
  Anne Hutchinson was a Puritan woman noted for speaking freely about her religious views, which resulted in her banishment from Massachusetts Bay Colony.
  John Milton is regarded as among the greatest English poets; author of epics like Paradise Lost, and dramas like Samson Agonistes. He was a staunch supporter of Cromwell.
  James Noyes was an influential Puritan minister, teacher and founder of Newbury.
  Philip Nye (minister) was the key adviser to Oliver Cromwell on matters of religion and regulation of the Church.
  Thomas Parker was an influential Puritan minister, teacher and founder of Newbury.
  John Winthrop is noted for his sermon "A Model of Christian Charity" and as a leading figure in founding the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
  Robert Woodford was an English lawyer, largely based at Northampton and London. His diary for the period 1637–1641 records in detail the outlook of an educated Puritan.
caption: Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland
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