Most early churches and meeting houses in New England had box pews where parishioners could worship together as a family. Box pews served as a means to raise money for the upkeep and operation of the church. They were purchased, sold, inherited, and assessed an annual tax, and also served practical purposes, such as keeping out drafts during the coldest months. Some pew owners were free to expand their pews and decorate them for status and comfort. Sometimes considered Real Property, pew deeds were recorded in the Land Evidence records at City Hall.
During the American Revolution, many Loyalist families left in haste to follow the British Army to New York in 1779, and later scattered around the British Empire. On December 15, 1800, Colonel John and Frances (Ayrault) Piper of Colyton, Devonshire, finally got around to unloading their Trinity Church pew #86, inherited from Wanton, Bours and Ayrault ancestors, formerly of Newport. Trinity Church’s box pews are still intact, although they are no longer individually owned.
Above: Pew diagram from the Second Baptist Church records, 1766. Note Rev. Gardner Thurston, whose portrait hangs in the Museum of Newport History, listed at #23. Below: A late 19th century photo from the NHS archives showing boxed pews in the Seventh Day Baptist Meeting House.
