John Myles

Background

John Myles was born around 1621, in Wales, United Kingdom, the son of Walter Myles of Newton, Herefordshire, and Susannah Palmes.

Education

At the age of fifteen, Myles matriculated at the University of Oxford from Brasenose College on March 18, 1635/1636.

Career

On October 1, 1649 Myles and Thomas Proud, after a visit to the Baptist society at the Glasshouse in Broadstreet, London, formed one of the earliest Baptist churches in Wales, at Ilston, near Swansea. He became pastor of the church and an active leader among the Welsh Baptists. The act of Parliament of February 22, 1650, "for the better Propagation and Preaching of the Gospel in Wales" names him as one of the twenty-five Welsh ministers who should recommend "godly and painful men" as worthy to preach and teach in Wales. He helped to form an association of Welsh Baptist churches, which in 1651 sent him as delegate to a meeting of Baptist ministers in London. At the Restoration he was ejected from his parish, and, after the passage of the Act of Uniformity (August 24, 1662), decided to leave the country.

Taking the records of the church at Ilston, he and several friends emigrated to New England. At Rehoboth in Plymouth Colony in 1663 he helped to organize one of the earliest Baptist churches in America, and became its pastor. It is evident that he no longer advocated strict communion as he had in Wales, for his church at Rehoboth was unusually liberal in admitting paedobaptists to the Lord's Supper.

On July 2, 1667, Myles, and another member were fined £5 each by the General Court of Plymouth Colony "for theire breach of order in seting up of a publicke meeting without the knowlidge and approbation of the Court, " and were ordered to leave Rehoboth within the month. Accordingly, the Baptists migrated a short distance into Wannamoisett and erected a meeting house there.

On October 30 of the same year the Court meeting at Plymouth granted the land at Wannamoisett to "Capt. Willett and Mr. Myles, Sr. , and others theire naighbours". On this land they built the town of Swansea. Myles became the minister of the settlement and master of the first school. When the members of his congregation were scattered by King Philip's War, he went to Boston and became acting pastor of the First Baptist Church there. Although he was invited to remain, he later resumed his pastorate at Swansea, and held it until his death on February 3, 1683.

Achievements

• The clergyman, John Myles, was the founder of Swansea, Massachusetts and founder of the earliest recorded Baptist churches in Wales (U. K. ) and Massachusetts (U. S. A. ).

Connections

John Myles was married to Ann, daughter of John Humphreys and widow of William Palmes, or Palmer. They had several children.

Father:

Walter Myles

Mother:

Susannah Myles (Palmes)

Wife:

Anne Myles (Humphrey)

Daughter:

Margaret Myles

Daughter:

Katherine Myles

Daughter:

Hannah Mason (Myles)

Son:

Samuel Myles

Samuel Myles was the second rector of King's Chapel, Boston.

Son:

John Miles, Jr.