Boston in Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom — Northwestern Europe (the British Isles)

The Puritan Vision

Photographed by Ray Gurganus

1. The Puritan Vision Marker

Inscription. On the Eighth of April, 1630, prominent members of the Rev. John Cotton's congregation of St. Botolph‘s Church, set sail on board the ‘Arbella’ for New England, to establish the Massachusetts Bay colony and to realise their vision of founding “A City Upon a Hill”, under their chosen leader John Winthrop.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Immigration • Notable Events • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical date for this entry is April 8, 1630.

Location. 52° 58.702′ N, 0° 1.485′ W. Marker is in Boston, England, in Lincolnshire. It is on Church Close. Touch for map. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South West England

and in the Midlands.

Globally, it is on the Atlantic Ocean,

in the North Atlantic Region,

in Europe,

in Atlantic Europe,

on one of the British Isles,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Roman Empire.

Other nearby markers. At least one other marker is within walking distance of this marker: The Reverend John Cotton and Boston's American Legacy (about 90 meters away, measured

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Also see . . . Winthrop Fleet (Wikipedia). Excerpt:

The initial group (Arbella and her three escorts) departed Yarmouth, Isle of Wight on April 8, the remainder following in two or three weeks. Seven hundred men, women, and children were distributed among the ships of the fleet. The voyage was rather uneventful, the direction and speed of the wind being the main topic in Winthrop's journal, as it affected how much progress was made each day. There were a few days of severe weather, and every day was cold. The children were cold and bored, and there is a description of a game played with a rope that helped with both problems. Many were sick during the voyage.

The Winthrop Fleet was a well-planned and financed expedition that formed the nucleus of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. They were not the first settlers of the area; there was an existing settlement at Salem, started in about 1626 and populated by a few hundred Puritans governed by John Endicott, who had arrived in 1629 and seized control from Roger Conant. Winthrop superseded Endicott as Governor of the Colony upon his arrival in 1630. The flow
Photographed by Ray Gurganus

2. Stained Glass window in St Botolph's Church, Boston, depicting John Cotton
of Puritans to New England continued for another ten years, during a period known as the Great Migration.

(Submitted on August 3, 2026.)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 3, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 3, 2026, by Ray Gurganus of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 5 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 3, 2026, by Ray Gurganus of Washington, District of Columbia. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.

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