On November 7, 1637, Anne Hutchinson was brought to trial before Massachusetts Bay Colony Governor John Winthrop and the General Court. Anne had gained a large following from her weekly meetings (conventicles) at her home where she discussed John Cotton's sermons and her own beliefs, some contrary to orthodox Puritan doctrine.

There was religious, and thus political, unrest in the colony, and Governor Winthrop saw Anne Hutchinson as a driving force of that, and thus a danger to the colony's success. Imagine that one of your primary accusers presides over your trial, in General Court, and sits in judgement of you. The accuser also acting as a judge. Massachusetts Bay Colony was a theocracy.

The charges against her were slandering the ministers, troubling the peace of the commonwealth and churches by promoting divisive opinions and not stopping her home meetings, even after a synod condemned them. Accounts of the court proceedings are from Winthrop's journals ¹ and a set of anonymous notes. ²

The court had difficulty proving their accusations because Hutchinson had not spoken her opinions in public forums, only in private meetings.

Hutchinson shrewdly deflected their interrogation and questions. She was as adept, if not more so, at quoting Bible chapter and verse to support her views as were the clergy. There were 40 magistrates on the court. ³

The primary focus of the trial became the charge of slandering the ministers. She argued that this view was only expressed in private conversations, where one would expect the conversation to be private. The trial's first day Hutchinson essentially stonewalled her accusers. She was told to come back the next day.

On that day she accused the ministers of violating their mandate of confidentiality when she had shared her thoughts with them at the meeting with them in 1636. She called for the ministers to testify under oath. They were reluctant, and agreed only if the defense witnesses spoke first. There were three defense witnesses: deacon John Coggeshall, lay leader Thomas Leverett, and minister John Cotton. ⁴

The first two witnesses made brief statements that made little difference to the court. John Cotton's turn was greatly anticipated, as he was a mentor to Hutchinson beginning back in England.

John Cotton claimed not to remember many details of the October 1636 meeting. He said the ministers seemed not to be upset over her remarks at that time, only later. He attempted to defend Hutchinson without condemning himself.

Then, Hutchinson addressed the court. ⁵ Why she volunteered this testimony is a mystery. Different historians offer different explanations. It could have just been her zeal, her realization that she was going to be convicted in any case and wanted leave a legacy, or as a woman she wanted to break out of the silence of the patriarchal ways displaying an intellect equal to her male peers, or just a final act of defiance. ⁶ Whatever the reason was for her lecturing her male accusers, she sealed her fate.

"If you please to give me leave, I shall give you the ground of what I know to be true." ⁷

Hutchinson then described how the Lord had revealed himself several times to her by an immediate revelation through Scripture.

"So to me, by an immediate revelation." ⁸

"Then the Lord did reveal himself to me, sitting upon a throne of justice, and all the world appearing before him, and though I must come to New England, yet I must not fear or be dismayed. Then the Lord brought another scripture to me, Isaiah 8:9. The Lord spake this to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of these people." ⁹

"You have no power over my body, neither can you do me any harm - for I am in the hands of the eternal Jehovah, my Saviour, I am at his appointment, the bounds of my habitation are cast in heaven, no further do I esteem of any mortal man than creatures in his hand, I fear none but the great Jehovah, which hath foretold me of these things, and I do verily believe that he will deliver me out of your hands. Therefore take heed how you proceed against me - for I know that, for this you go about to do to me, God will ruin you and your posterity and this whole state." ¹⁰

It was heresy as the orthodoxy at the time was that no average man, especially a woman, could have direct communication with God or the Holy Spirit, only the ministers. ¹¹

Governor Winthrop announced:

"This case is altered."

Winthrop now thought there was enough evidence to convict. Words against the ministers was secondary to her claiming direct revelations from God. He saw this as an ecclesiastical crime. ¹²

At least thiry of the magistrates agreed with Winthrop when he declared:

"I am persuaded, that the revelation she brings forth is delusion." ¹³

Next up, the precise charges of her conviction and her sentence.