Samuel Gorton - Ancestry and Early Life

Ancestry and Early Life

Baptized on 12 February 1592/3 in Manchester, Lancashire, England, Samuel Gorton was the son of Thomas and Anne Gorton from the chapelry of Gorton, a part of Manchester. Gorton's grandfather and great grandfather were both also likely named Thomas Gorton of the same place. They were members of an ancient family, found in Gorton as early as 1332.

Gorton received a classical education from tutors, and became an accomplished scholar, particularly in the area of languages and English law. His library contained volumes "in which the ancient statutes of his country were written.". Though in one document he was called a "clothier of London," he wrote of himself that "he had not engaged in any servile employment until he settled in the colonies." His father had been a merchant in London and a guild member, and the family was well off financially. His reason for leaving the comforts of England and sailing to North America was given in his writings. One biographer summarized this by writing, "He yearned for a country where he could be free to worship God according to what the Bible taught him, as God enabled him to understand it." Another biographer noted that "Gorton was one of the noble spirits who esteemed liberty more than life, and, counting no sacrifice too great for the maintenance of principal, could not dwell at ease in a land where the inalienable rights of humanity were not acknowledged or were mocked at." In his own words, Gorton wrote, "I left my native country to enjoy liberty of conscience in respect to faith toward God and for no other end."