page_title: William Arnold (settler)
section_title: Early life
hierarchical_section_title: William Arnold (settler) / Early life
caption_attribution_description: English: Church of St. Mary Major, Ilchester.
context_page_description: William Arnold was one of the founding settlers of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, and he and his sons were among the wealthiest people in the colony. He was raised and educated in England where he was the warden of St. Mary's, the parish church of Ilchester in southeastern Somerset. He emigrated to New England with family and associates in 1635. He initially settled in Hingham in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, but he soon relocated to the new settlement of Providence Plantation with Roger Williams. He was one of the 13 original proprietors of Providence, appearing on the deed signed by Roger Williams in 1638, and was one of the 12 founding members of the first Baptist church to be established in America.
  After living in Providence for about two years, Arnold moved with his family and others to the north side of the Pawtuxet River forming a settlement commonly called Pawtuxet, later a part of Cranston, Rhode Island.
context_section_description: William Arnold was born in Ilchester, Somerset, England on 24 June 1587 to Nicholas Arnold (c. 1550–1623) by his first wife Alice Gully (1553–1596).  In about 1610, he married Christian Peak who was baptized 15 February 1584, the daughter of Thomas Peak of Muchelney, Somerset, a village about six miles (9.7 km) west of Ilchester.
  Arnold's parents lived in the small village of Northover, located across the River Yeo (also known as the River Ivel) from the town of Ilchester.  His father was a tailor, and he evidently was prominent in his work and likely a member of the Tailor's Guild, which carried professional and political clout in its day.  After the baptism of his oldest daughter Thomasine in 1572, Nicholas moved with his small family from Northover across the river to the much larger town of Ilchester where he became well established in his trade, and where the remainder of his children were born.
  Arnold's mother Alice was the daughter of John Gully (c. 1508–1559) and his wife Alice (c. 1510–1583) of Northover.  She died in 1596 shortly after childbirth when Arnold was eight years old, and he was thereafter largely raised and influenced by his sister Joanne who was ten years older than he.  Joanne eventually married William Hopkins of Yeovilton and died at an early age in England. Her children Francis Hopkins and Thomas Hopkins emigrated to New England with Arnold.
  Arnold and his siblings were likely educated at the Free Grammar School associated with the parish church in Limington, slightly more than a mile to the east of Ilchester. This ancient school is where Thomas Wolsey was the curate and schoolmaster from 1500 to 1509. Wolsey later became the Lord Cardinal and Primate of England.
  Only two records for Arnold are known to exist while he still lived in England. The first of these was a transcript of baptisms, marriages, and burials that he signed in 1622 as the warden of St. Mary's, the parish church of Ilchester.  The other record mentioning his name was the will of his father Nicholas Arnold, dated 18 January 1623.  There is no record of Arnold between 1623 and his sailing to New England in 1635.
  Arnold was an educated man; he had to be able to read and write as the warden of his parish church, and appears to have had a secure relationship with his church and community. Unknown are his motives for emigrating from England or when he began planning to do so, but his plan materialized in 1635.
caption: Church of St. Mary Major, Ilchester, where Arnold was the warden in 1622.
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