Nathaniel Ward - Icon Profile | Alexandria
Nathaniel Ward (1578-1652) was an English Puritan minister, lawyer, and pamphleteer whose sharp-witted writings and complex legacy epitomize the intellectual ferment of 17th-century New England. Best known for authoring "The Simple Cobbler of Aggawam in America" (1647) and drafting the first legal code in North America, Ward embodied the intersection of religious zeal, legal scholarship, and political activism that characterized the early colonial period.
First emerging in English records as a barrister at Lincoln's Inn, Ward's life took a dramatic turn when he abandoned law for theology, studying under the renowned Puritan theologian Samuel Ward (no relation) at Cambridge. His conversion to Puritanism during this period would prove decisive, eventually leading to his suspension from the Church of England in 1633 by Archbishop William Laud for nonconformity. This persecution, like that faced by many of his contemporaries, spurred his migration to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1634.
Ward's most significant contribution came through his drafting of the "Body of Liberties" (1641), a groundbreaking legal code that laid the foundation for Massachusetts law and influenced subsequent American jurisprudence. This 100-article document remarkably balanced Puritan theological principles with progressive legal concepts, including provisions for human rights and due process that were advanced for their time. His satirical work "The Simple Cobbler," written under the pseudonym Theodore de la Guard, displayed his masterful use of wit and invective to address religious and social issues, particularly targeting religious tolerance, which he viewed as dangerous to social order.
Ward's legacy remains a subject of scholarly fascination, particularly in how his writings reveal the tensions between religious orthodoxy and civil liberties in colonial America. His simultaneous advocacy for legal rights and opposition to religious freedom presents an intriguing paradox that continues to resonate in contemporary debates about the relationship between law, religion, and society. Modern scholars particularly note how his work prefigured later American constitutional principles while remaining firmly rooted in Puritan ideology, making him a complex figure who defies simple categorization in early American intellectual history.