Chapter 2 - Governor Richard Bellingham

In 1635, 16 year old Penelope Pelham arrived in Boston off the Susan and Ellen, to live with her brother, Herbert, in Cambridge. (He was treasurer of Harvard College in 1643.) Sir Richard Saltonstall and his wife are recorded as coming in the same ship.
 

In Winthrop's words: "The governor, Mr. Bellingham was married. (I would not mention such ordinary matters in our history but by occasion of some remarkable accidents.) The young gentlewoman was ready to be contracted to a friend of his, who had lodged in his house, and by his consent had proceeded so far with her, when on a sudden the Governor treated with her and obtained her for himself. He excused it by the strength of his affection and that she was not absolutely promised to the other gentleman. Two errors more he committed upon it. 1, That he would not have his marriage contract published where he dwelt, contrary to an order of court. 2, That he married himself, contrary to the constant practise of the country."
 

The law of the time referred to was recorded as follows:
 

"1639, 7 mo 9. For preventing of all unlawful mariages, &c., it is ordered that, after duoe publication of this order, noe persons shalbee joined in marriage before the intentionof the parties proceeding therein hath bene three times published at some time of publick lecture or towne meeting, in both the townes where the parties, or either of them do ordinarily reside; and in such townes where no lectures are, then the same intention to be set up in writing, upon some poast standing in public view and used for such purposes onely and there to stand, so as it may easily bee read by the space of fourteen days."
 

The marriage was in 1641, a month or two after his election.
 

Carpenter's novel Woman of Shawmut had the Governor's wife as its heroine and described the marriage. Her brother Herbert reminds the Governor that the banns have already been published between her and another man, and asks:
 

"Will the godly ministers or the magistrates unite thee and her?" Bellingham replies "The magistrates! Is not the Governor of his Majesty's Colony of Massachusetts Bay a magistrate who outranks them all? Who shall say to Governor Bellingham, 'Do ye so'? Have I not in me all authority which in another lieth?"
 

"It is even so," said Herbert bowing low.
 

The flush mounted higher in the governor's face as he paused, and a deathlike silence pervaded the room. Then, seizing the hand of Penelope, he led her to the centre of the room, and standing there, with his arm about the girl's waist, demanded,
 

"Summon thy household, good Master Pelham, and they shall see Governor Bellingham's power. Now, even this very hour, shall Penelope Pelham be his bride."
 

A vivid flush rose to the girl's cheeks; but she said nothing. Priscilla hastened to do the governor's bidding; and a moment later the people of the household timidly entered, and stood in a throng about the door. The governor acknowledged their presentce by a glance and a slight inclination of the head.
 

"Penelope Pelham," he said, "wilt thou, in the presence of these, take Richard Bellingham to be thy lawful husband?"
 

Yea I will," softly answered Penelope.
 

"And I, Richard Bellingham, will take thee, Penelope, to wife. And now I, the Governor of His Majesty's Colony of Massachusetts Bay, do pronounce and declare that Richard Bellingham and Penelope Pelham are man and wife together. The King shall be my witness."
 

At the next session of the magistrates, while Bellingham presided, "The case of Richard Bellingham for breach of order of the court" was presented.
 

"The great inquest presented him for breach of the order of court, and at the court following, in the 4th month, the secretary called him to answer the prosecution, but he was not going off the bench, as the manner was, and but few of the magistrates present, he put it off to another time, intending to speak with him privately, and with the rest of the magistrates about the case, and accordingly he told him the reason why he dod not proceed, viz., being unwilling to command him publicly to go off the bench, and yet not thinking it fit he should sit as a judge, when he was by law to answer as an offender. This he took ill, and said he would not go off the bench except he were commanded."
 

The secretary said that the case must be postponed if he would not leave his seat to stand at the bar. No record is known of any further action in this case.
 

Governor Winthrop described Bellingham's term: "The General Court was full of uncomfortable agitations and contentions by reason of Bellingham's unfriendliness to some other magistrates. He set himself in an opposite frame to them in all proceedings, which did much retard all business, and was an occasion of grief to many godly minds and matter of reproach to the whole Court in the mouth of others, and brought himself low in the eyes of those with whom formerly he had been in honor."
 

He showed "an evil spirit of emulation and jealousy, through his melancholic disposition, at seeing others of the magistrates bear more sway with the people than himself. Dudley, being a very wise and just man, and one that would not be trodden under foot of any man, took occasion (alleging his age, etc.) to tell the Court that he was resolved to leave his place. The Court was much affected and entreated him to leave off these thoughts. The Governor (Bellingham) also made a speech, as if he desired to leave his place of magistracy also; but he was fain to make his own answer, for no man desired him to keep or to consider better of it."
 

During his year, the Deputies sent a committee to give him a solemn admonition, a first in the Colony. Despite all of the above, he was chosen a Selectman by the freemen of Boston. It was custom to include the Governor.
 

"By 1643 there were a score of towns and churches in the jurisdiction of Massachusetts Bay, with over sixteen thousand people, more than all the rest of English America put together."
 

"Fourteen years were required for the complete evolution of the government from that of trading corporation to commonwealth." "By 1644, then, the transition of the Massachusetts Bay government from trading company to commonwealth was complete. The officers, originally intended to serve as president and board of directors of a joint stock corporation, were now governor and executive council and upper house and superior court of justice of a colony. They were elected annually by the freemen, who were originally the stockholders of the company, and now the holders of a franchise determined by sanctity."
 

During this first term as Governor, Bellingham also experienced a near death experience. Apparently, while crossing the Winnisimet River, his boat sank or overturned. The only person nearby was a black, who pulled Bellingham from the water. A romanticized description of this is found in A Woman of Shawmut, but the only public record is a deed recorded years later:
 

"A deed, by affidavit of three persons, from Governor Richard Bellingham, deceased, to Angola, a negro, in reward for saving the life of the governor, "coming to me with his boat, when I was sunke in the river, betwene Boston and Winisimet, severall years since, & layd hold of mee & got ne into the boat, he came in and saved my life, which Kindnese of him I remember; and besides my giveing him fifty foot square of my land, to him & his, I shall see hee not want whilst I live." This unique deed is published in Vol V. of "Reports of Boston Record Commmissioners," p.23.