History Part 1

Henrywood
Melvin Magnall
Tue 24 Jun 2008 23:31
 
 

Part 1.

 

In the 90’s I was involved with the greatest youth organization in the world, the Ocean Youth Club, now renamed Ocean Youth Trust. We had twelve 72 ft. ketches that each took eighteen to sea. We took 3000 youth starting at 12 years of age every year. A small group of friends and I made Bury, 45 miles away from the sea, the no.1 club in the UK. At that time our youth were the best in the country.

 

So how did I get involved with Henry Wood and America? We were doing a Christmas disco and I was the doorman. Being fed up, I wandered into the tourist display area which was part of the public building. Looking through the small booklets, I spotted a title The Quakers of Tottington. This I took and became deeply involved with the story of Henry Wood. The book was written by Gladys Cowpe, long since dead, a native of Tottington which is now part of Bury.

 

Henry Wood was born in 1603 at Brookhouse Farm which still stands today. The Woods were farmers. He became head of the family very early. He was educated by the head churchman of Bury, Hugh Watmore, who also educated another youth, a certain Henry Dunster, who we will come to later in the story.

 

 

Melvin, Roy, and Gavin at Henry Wood’s birthplace

 

 

  

 

Roy, Nancy and Gavin with the commemorative plaque at the Henry Wood birthplace

 

 

 

During the English Civil War, Henry and his son John fought against King Charles 1. Henry’s near neighbours, the Greenhalches of Brandlesholme Hall, fought for the king. King Charles was defeated, losing his head at Westminster London. Cromwell became the Lord Protector of England, so the Puritans became the rulers. Henry did not like the Puritans and instead joined a movement started by George Fox which became the Quakers.

 

Cromwell’s reign was short and Charles 2 came to the throne. The Quakers were told to conform to the Church of England, but they did not. Henry Wood, being at the forefront of disobedience, was fined, losing his cattle one by one. He spent many years in prison.

 

At that time William Penn was building Philadelphia and giving land to persecuted Quakers. Henry and his son John obtained 300 acres on the New Jersey side of the Delaware River. So in 1683 eighty-year-old Henry and his son John and family left Liverpool on the ship Lyon to sail to America, arriving later that year. Henry lived another three years….to be continued.