When I began reading Clark L. Beck, Jr.’s essay on Robert Barclay, I was struck by again how much Quakers and religion in general influenced the governors and politics of the day. It should serve as a reminder how much politics and religion have always been intertwined. For the Scottish Barclay, his father’s experiences and conversion to Quakerism had a great effect in his own conversion in 1670.
After Carteret’s death, an auction was held and Barclay as one of twenty-four other proprietors purchased East Jersey and they elected him governor. This was partly seen as a way to increase Scottish Quaker settlement and give them a place of religious tolerance in the New World. Unfortunately, this idea never really took hold.
As for Quaker migration the extraordinary success of Pennsylvania meant that few Friends would choose to settle in East Jersey. As this became apparent, the governor gradually altered his vision to include all persecuted Scots…A steady decline in Scottish settlement marked Barclay’s closing years as governor. The general antipathy of the Scots toward emigration, the economic failure of Perth Amboy, the increased religious toleration in Britain after the death of Charles II, and the virtual commercial monopoly of the port of New York all contributed to dissolve Barclay’s dream.
He died in 1690 at the age of forty-one.
This is the fourth in a series of brief summaries from The Governors of New Jersey. These posts are not meant to be comprehensive and I urge you to pick up a copy of the book if you have any interest in New Jersey history
Jorge Cruz Santos 