Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Norris, Edward (1584-1659)

by Gordon Goodwin

NORRIS, EDWARD (1584–1659), New England divine, born in 1584, was son of Edward Norris, vicar of Tetbury, Gloucestershire. He matriculated at Oxford from Balliol College on 30 March 1599, and graduated B.A. from Magdalen Hall on 23 Jan. 1606–7 and M.A. on 25 Oct. 1609. At Tetbury and Horsley, Gloucestershire, where he lived successively as a schoolmaster as well as a clergyman, his puritanism subjected him to much persecution. At length his persistence in shipping off to New England those of his parishioners who declined to conform, brought him under the unfavourable notice of Laud, and in 1639 he had himself to seek refuge in America. On 18 March 1640 he was chosen pastor of Salem Church, Massachusetts. He was tolerant, declined to join in the persecution of the Gortonists or anabaptists, and, when a severe code of church discipline was adopted by the assembly of ministers in 1648, persevered in his own rules of conduct for the Salem church. During the witchcraft delusion of 1651–4, he used his influence to resist the persecutions. He wrote, however, in favour of making war against the Dutch settlers (letter dated 3 May 1653 in Hazard, Hist. Coll. ii. 256).

Norris died in 1659. By his wife Eleanor he had a son Edward (1615–1684), schoolmaster at Salem 1640–76, and a daughter Mary (Savage, Genealog. Dict. iii. 288).

While he remained in England Norris distinguished himself as an uncompromising opponent of John Traske [q. v.] and his followers. He published:

1. ‘Prosopopœia,’ 4to, 1634; answered by Rice Boye in ‘The Importunate Begger,’ 4to, 1635.
2. ‘That Temporal Blessings are to be asked with submission to the Will of God,’ 8vo, London, 1636.
3. ‘The New Gospel not the True Gospel; or, a Discovery of the Life and Death, doctrine, and doings of Mr. John Traske … as also a confutation of the uncomfortable error of Mr. Boye concerning the Plague,’ 4to, London, 1638.

He often spelled his name ‘Norice’ or ‘Norrice.’

[Felt's Eccl. Hist. of New England; Felt's Annals of Salem; Winthrop's Hist. of New England (ed. Savage).]

G. G.