Most Sutton residents pass St Nicholas Church without realising that its former rector helped establish America's oldest university. Jose Glover, who served as Rector of Sutton from 1624 until 1636, played a crucial role in the founding of Harvard College through his vision to bring printing to the New World.
From Sutton's Pulpit to Massachusetts Bay
Jose Glover, also recorded as Joseph, Joos, or Josse Glover, served as Rector of St Nicholas Church in Sutton for approximately twelve years. The church, which still stands in the town centre, contains a monument to Sarah Glover, the rector's first wife, who died in 1628. The current building, rebuilt between 1862 and 1864, incorporates monuments from the earlier church where Glover preached.
By the early 1630s, Glover had developed a strong interest in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He visited New England around 1634 and began garnering support for what would become Harvard College. The colony lacked a printing press, which Glover recognised as essential for producing educational materials, religious texts, and official documents.
The Printing Press Venture
In 1638, Glover secured a significant achievement. He purchased a complete printing press and equipment, obtaining funds from both England and Holland. On 7 June 1638, he signed an agreement in Cambridge with two blacksmiths, Stephen and Matthew Daye, to transport the equipment to America aboard the ship John of London.
Stephen Daye, born in Sutton around 1594, became the first printer in colonial America under indenture to Glover's second wife, Elizabeth. The Daye brothers and the Glovers sailed together on the John of London, carrying the press that would transform intellectual life in the colonies.
Tragedy at Sea
Glover never lived to see his vision realised. He died of fever during the Atlantic crossing in late 1638 and was buried at sea. His widow, Elizabeth Harris Glover, whom he had married around 1630, continued his work after arriving in Massachusetts. She operated the printing press and employed Stephen Daye to produce the first documents printed in North America.
The first items to emerge from the press included The Free Man's Oath in 1639, used for administering oaths of allegiance, followed by The Whole Booke of Psalmes in 1640. This latter volume became the first full-length book published in the American colonies.
A Family Connection to Harvard's First President
Following Jose Glover's death, Elizabeth Glover married Henry Dunster in 1641. Dunster served as the first president of Harvard College from 1639 to 1654. When Elizabeth died in 1643, she bequeathed the printing press to Harvard, establishing what would become Harvard University Press.
This donation created a lasting link between Sutton and America's oldest university. The press Glover had transported across the Atlantic became the foundation of academic publishing at Harvard, enabling the distribution of knowledge throughout the colonies.
Sutton's Legacy Across the Atlantic
The connection between Sutton and Harvard extends beyond Jose Glover. Stephen Daye, who operated that first press, was born in Sutton and learnt his trade there before accompanying Glover to America. The two men, one a cleric and the other a craftsman, both emerged from this London borough to shape the intellectual foundations of the United States.
Harvard College itself was founded in 1636, named in 1639 after John Harvard, a clergyman who bequeathed his library and funds to the institution. Yet without Glover's printing press, the college would have lacked the means to reproduce texts and disseminate learning. The press arrived in 1638, the same year that Glover died bringing it to the colonies.
Today, St Nicholas Church remains a visible link to this remarkable history. Visitors to the church can see monuments from Glover's era, including the memorial to his first wife Sarah. The church stands as a reminder that this south London borough contributed significantly to the establishment of higher education in America.