History of Westchester County, New York, Vol. I
In New England, except in Rhode Island, religious intolerance was very bitter. It is true that in Massachusetts, under the charter of 1691, the power of committing those barbarous acts of persecution of which the theocracy of the old standing order had been guilty was taken away, and all Christiana, save Roman Catholics, were permitted to celebrate their worship, yet none but members of the Congregational Church could be freemen, and all were taxed for the support of the Ministry of that Church. In Elaine which was a District of Massachusetts, in New Hampshire, and in Connecticut, the same general system of religious intolerance prevailed. Conformity was the inflexible rule throughout New England. In New York, the Dutch were protected by the provisions of the Treaty of Breda, which guaranteed them the possession of their property then held there for religious purposes and their ecclesiastical organization.' But the royal Governors of that Province expelled any Catholic priests who might be found within their territory on the plea that they were exciting the In-
3 The articles of the two " surrendei-s of 1064 and 1674," should have been mentioned also in this connexion.
THE ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF THE MANORS.
dians to revolt against the government, and they established the English Church, so for as it could be done in a Province where the Episcopalians were very few in number by requiring each of the towns to raise money lor the support of the clergy of that church, by dividing the country into parishes, and by exercising the power of collating and inducting into these parishes such Episcopal Rectors as they thought fit.' In New Jersey, after the surrender of the Charter, when the Colony came directly under the royal authority in 1702, liberty of conscience was \n-oclaimed in favor of all except Papists and Quakers ; but as the latter were required to take oaths as qualifications for holding office, or for acting as jurors or witnesses injudicial proceedings, they, of course the great mass of the population, were practically disfranchised.