John Davenport (1597-1670)

John Davenport was born in Coventry in 1597, the son of Henry Davenport who had been mayor of the city. He first came up to Oxford in 1613 where he matriculated as a student at Merton College. He migrated to Magdalen Hall in 1615, probably because of its Calvinist/Puritan reputation at the time, but left partway through his degree to become a vicar in London. He later returned to Oxford in 1625 to finish his university education, completing his BD and MA degrees at Magdalen Hall.

A committed Puritan, Davenport eventually resigned from the established Church of England and moved to Holland in 1633. In 1637 he sailed to Boston, having acquired the patent for a colony in Massachusetts. In March 1638 he co-founded the Colony of New Haven with Theopilus Eaton who became its first Governor.

In 1667 Davenport was offered the position of Pastor at the First Church in Boston, a position he eventually took up having been released from his congregation in New Haven. Throughout his life he remained a staunch advocate of Puritan beliefs and theology, often courting controversy with local administrations. He died in Boston on 15 March 1670 of apoplexy and is now buried in the King’s Chapel Burial Ground.

Although not established until some 30 years following his death, Davenport is credited as one of the visionaries for Yale University, where Davenport College is named in is honour. A portrait of Davenport resides in the collection of the Yale University Art Gallery. He was also instrumental in founding Hopkins School, an independent preparatory school in New Haven.