A settler of Massachusetts, born at Springfield, Essex, England, in 1590. He was of ancient family and well educated. In the charter of the colony of Massachusetts Bay, granted by Charles I., March 28, 1628, he is named as one of the patentees and also as one of the assistants in governing the colony. In company with Gov. John Winthrop in 1630 he came to America and was one of the first settlers of Roxbury. Being wealthy, he engaged in the fur-trade with the Indians, and was made treasurer of the colony. In a few years many of the settlers desired to remove to the Connecticut River and Pynchon led a colony in 1636 to Springfield. The land was purchased from the Indians and he was made chief magistrate and so continued till 1651, being also for most of the time a member of the General Court. The change was occasioned by the publication of his book, The Meritorious Price of Our Redemption (London, 1650), in which he maintained that Christ did not suffer the punishment due to man’s sins but by his perfect obedience procured man’s redemption. The General Court pronounced the book heretical and called upon Rev. John Norton, of Ipswich, to answer it, which he did to their satisfaction. Meanwhile Pynchon had stated to the court that his views were somewhat modified after conference with Norton. However being removed from the government and cited again to appear before the court, he left the colony in 1652 and fixed his residence at Wraysbury, England. In 1655 his rejoinder to Norton appeared under the title, The Meritorious Price of Man’s Redemption. In this he admits that the sufferings of Christ were appointed as a punishment for man’s sins, but denies that Christ suffered the vindictive wrath of God or the pains of hell. Pynchon’s other publications were The Jews’ Synagogue (1652); The Time when the First Sabbath was Ordained (1654); Holy Time; or the True Limits of the Lord’s Day (1654); The Covenant of Nature made with Adam Described (1661). He died at Wraysbury, on the 9th of October 1662. But three copies of his first book are known to be in existence; one was sold at the Brinley sale for $400. See Rev. Ezra H. Byington’s article on “William Pynchon” in the Andover Review, September, 1886.
