2-329-830 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

William Laud, 17th century Archbishop of Canterbury, c1880. Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633, Laud (1573-1645) was a fervent supporter of King Charles I of England, whom he encouraged to believe in divine right. His support for Charles, absolute monarchy, and his persecuting of opposing views led to his beheading during the English Civil War. His attitudes toward Puritanism persuaded several Puritans to leave England for America, notably those who sailed aboard the 'Griffin' in 1634. A print from Cassell's History of the United States, by Edmund Ollier, Volume I, Cassell Petter and Galpin, London, c1880.