1605-1679
The son of a Puritan clergyman, William Goffe was apprenticed to a London grocer and became a freeman of the Grocers' Company in 1642. He joined Parliament's army during the First Civil War and is listed as a captain in Colonel Harley's regiment at the formation of the New Model Army in April 1645. By his marriage to Frances, daughter of Edward Whalley, he became connected to the family of Oliver Cromwell.
Goffe was one of the most radical of the Army officers, both in politics and religion. On the first day of the Putney Debates in October 1647, he proposed a prayer meeting before the debates began. Quoting Biblical prophecy, he was the first of the Army officers openly to call for negotiations with King Charles to end, and for the King to be brought to account. He repeated these demands at the Windsor prayer meeting of April 1648, where senior Army officers sought divine guidance to determine the causes of the troubles that continued to afflict the nation. Moved by Goffe's exposition of God's purpose, the officers resolved to bring the King to trial at the earliest opportunity. After the King's defeat in the Second Civil War, Goffe was appointed to the High Court of Justice and was a signatory of the death warrant.
Goffe commanded Cromwell's own regiment of foot during the invasion of Scotland in 1650 and fought with distinction at the battles of Dunbar and Worcester. He supported Cromwell's dissolution of the Rump Parliament in April 1653 and personally assisted in the expulsion of the radicals of the Nominated Assembly the following December. Goffe was elected MP for Yarmouth in the First Protectorate Parliament and was appointed a "Trier" to vet candidates for the clergy in 1654.
Goffe was appointed Major-General for Berkshire, Hampshire and Sussex. Despite his complaints of lack of funds, and a sense of his own unworthiness, Goffe worked hard to bring about a godly reformation in his region. He was extremely hostile to travelling Quakers, whom he regarded as subversive and dangerous. He threatened to beat George Fox when he came to Sussex. Goffe transferred his loyalty to Richard Cromwell after Cromwell's death in 1658 and is said to have advised him to use military force to resist Fleetwood and Disbrowe. Goffe lost all influence when Richard fell from power.
With his father-in-law and fellow-regicide Edward Whalley, Goffe fled to New England at the Restoration and hid in the frontier town of Hadley, Massachusetts. With the help of sympathetic colonists, Whalley and Goffe evaded capture by Royalist agents sent to seek them out. Goffe entered colonial folklore as the "Angel of Hadley", reportedly emerging from the forest to lead the settlers in repelling an attack by hostile redskins in 1675 althought this is disputed [1]
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YEAR1649-03-17Act_Abolishing_the_Office_of_King0Act Abolishing the Office of King Act Abolishing the Office of King
Act Abolishing the Office of King
DateThis property is a special property in this wiki.: 17 March 1649
1648-11-18Army_Remonstrance1Army Remonstrance Army Remonstrance
Army Remonstrance
DateThis property is a special property in this wiki.: 18 November 1648
1649-01-30Civil_War_-_Regicide2Civil War - Regicide Civil War - Regicide
Civil War - Regicide
DateThis property is a special property in this wiki.: 30 January 1649, 6 December 1648
1648-12-06Civil_War_-_Regicide2Civil War - Regicide Civil War - Regicide
Civil War - Regicide
DateThis property is a special property in this wiki.: 30 January 1649, 6 December 1648
1660-04-04Civil_War_-_Restoration3Civil War - Restoration Civil War - Restoration
Civil War - Restoration
DateThis property is a special property in this wiki.: 4 April 1660
1642-06-01Commissions_of_Array4Commissions of Array Commissions of Array
Commissions of Array
DateThis property is a special property in this wiki.: 1 June 1642
1645-01-10Execution_of_Archbishop_William_Laud5Execution of Archbishop William Laud Execution of Archbishop William Laud
Execution of Archbishop William Laud
DateThis property is a special property in this wiki.: 10 January 1645
1649-01-30Execution_of_Charles_I6Execution of Charles I Execution of Charles I
Execution of Charles I
DateThis property is a special property in this wiki.: 30 January 1649
1641-05-12Execution_of_Thomas_Wentworth7Execution of Thomas Wentworth Execution of Thomas Wentworth
Execution of Thomas Wentworth
DateThis property is a special property in this wiki.: 12 May 1641
1647-12-24Four_Bills8Four Bills Four Bills
Four Bills
DateThis property is a special property in this wiki.: 24 December 1647
1641-11-22Grand_Remonstrance9Grand Remonstrance Grand Remonstrance
Grand Remonstrance
DateThis property is a special property in this wiki.: 22 November 1641
1647-09-22Heads_of_Proposals0Heads of Proposals Heads of Proposals
Heads of Proposals
DateThis property is a special property in this wiki.: 22 September 1647
1653-12-16Instrument_of_Government1Instrument of Government Instrument of Government
Instrument of Government
DateThis property is a special property in this wiki.: 16 December 1653
1641-12-07Militia_Ordinance2Militia Ordinance Militia Ordinance
Militia Ordinance
DateThis property is a special property in this wiki.: 7 December 1641
1645-06-14Naseby3Naseby Naseby
Naseby
DateThis property is a special property in this wiki.: 14 June 1645
1638-02-27National_Covenant4National Covenant National Covenant
National Covenant
DateThis property is a special property in this wiki.: 27 February 1638
1646-07-01Newcastle_Proposals5Newcastle Proposals Newcastle Proposals
Newcastle Proposals
DateThis property is a special property in this wiki.: 1 July 1646
1642-06-01Nineteen_Propositions6Nineteen Propositions Nineteen Propositions
Nineteen Propositions
DateThis property is a special property in this wiki.: 1 June 1642
1628-06-07Petition_of_Right7Petition of Right Petition of Right
Petition of Right
DateThis property is a special property in this wiki.: 7 June 1628
1649-09-11Petition_of_the_Leveller_Women8Petition of the Leveller Women Petition of the Leveller Women
Petition of the Leveller Women
DateThis property is a special property in this wiki.: 11 September 1649
1647-10-01Putney_Debates9Putney Debates Putney Debates
Putney Debates
DateThis property is a special property in this wiki.: 1 October 1647
1647-06-05Representation_of_the_Army0Representation of the Army Representation of the Army
Representation of the Army
DateThis property is a special property in this wiki.: 5 June 1647
1640-12-11Root_and_Branch_Petition1Root and Branch Petition Root and Branch Petition
Root and Branch Petition
DateThis property is a special property in this wiki.: 11 December 1640
1647-05-01Saffron_Walden2Saffron Walden Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden
DateThis property is a special property in this wiki.: 1 May 1647
1637-07-23Scottish_Prayer_Book3Scottish Prayer Book Scottish Prayer Book
Scottish Prayer Book
DateThis property is a special property in this wiki.: 23 July 1637
1640-04-13Short_Parliament4Short Parliament Short Parliament
Short Parliament
DateThis property is a special property in this wiki.: 13 April 1640
1639-01-01The_Bishop's_War5The Bishop's War The Bishop's War
The Bishop's War
DateThis property is a special property in this wiki.: 1 January 1639
1642-01-04The_Five_Members6The Five Members The Five Members
The Five Members
DateThis property is a special property in this wiki.: 4 January 1642
1648-02-22The_Second_Civil_War7The Second Civil War The Second Civil War
The Second Civil War
DateThis property is a special property in this wiki.: 22 February 1648
1644-12-19The_Self_Denying_Ordinance8The Self Denying Ordinance The Self Denying Ordinance
The Self Denying Ordinance
DateThis property is a special property in this wiki.: 19 December 1644
1645-01-29Treaty_of_Uxbridge9Treaty of Uxbridge Treaty of Uxbridge
Treaty of Uxbridge
DateThis property is a special property in this wiki.: 29 January 1645
1645-06-14
- ↑ http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/conn.river/hadley.html