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<
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Below you’ll see several documents from King’s Chapel’s records. Looking at each, what is the source of each page? Although they are from different volumes and years, look closely for any commonalities between these pages. Do any names or details appear across documents?
Each of these documents provides a small glimpse into the lives of Lancaster and Margaret Hill, a Black couple who worshipped at King’s Chapel between the 1750s and 1770s. Lancaster and Margaret were married at King’s Chapel on April 9, 1755.
Lancaster Hill came to Boston from Charlestown in 1751. A free man, he married Margaret, a woman enslaved by Dr. Sylvester Gardiner, at King’s Chapel in 1755. Despite his free status, slavery defined much of Lancaster’s life. The lives of his wife and children were at the whim of Dr. Gardiner. The Hills were married at the Chapel because Dr. Gardiner was a member, and when he began attending Trinity Church, so did Lancaster and Margaret. They appear in the Trinity vital register burying one of their infant children, and their son was later married there in 1793. Lancaster operated a grocery on Marlborough Street, modern Washington Street, across from Dr. Gardiner’s home, a spot probably chosen to maintain a close proximity to his wife and children. In 1777, Lancaster put his name to Prince Hall’s petition calling on the recently independent Massachusetts government to put an end to slavery due to the “natural and unalienable right...to freedom.” The petition, purposefully mirroring the language of the American Revolution, unfortunately failed. Lancaster would however live to see his children and all those enslaved in Massachusetts freed after the court cases of Elizabeth Freeman and Quock Walker abolished slavery in the Commonwealth in 1783. Unfortunately, Margaret died in 1782, and though her exact status is unclear, it is believed she remained enslaved all her life.   
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The appearance of Lancaster and Margaret in the King’s Chapel vital register offers a concrete record of their life and marriage, but it also can reveal much about the enslaved and free Black experience in colonial Boston. Lancaster and Margaret did not choose to attend King’s Chapel; they attended because Dr. Gardiner did. Even though Lancaster was free he still had to sit upstairs in the uncomfortable gallery pews to which all Blacks were relegated, by vote of the King’s Chapel Vestry, its governing board.  Lancaster’s life was very much defined by slavery in spite of his free status, and his name on Prince Hall’s 1777 petition is a powerful reminder of the effects of slavery in Boston.
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Est. 1686
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  • Home
    • About Us >
      • Welcome
      • Calendar
      • Clergy & Staff
      • Contact Us & Directions >
        • Send A Message
      • Employment Opportunities >
        • Pianist/ Music Leader
        • Verger Position
  • Worship
    • Holy Week 2022
    • Sunday at 9 AM
    • Sunday at 11 AM
    • Lent 2022
    • Sermons
    • Special Annual Services
    • Book of Common Prayer
  • Music
    • Tuesday Recitals
    • Concert Series
    • Musical Inquiries
  • History & Tours
    • Plan Your Visit >
      • 2023 At A Glance
      • Guided Tour Offerings >
        • Group Tours
    • Explore Our History >
      • A Brief History
      • The Stone Chapel: Art & Architecture >
        • The Wooden Chapel
        • Georgian Architecture
        • Box Pews
        • Interior Colors
        • Memorials
        • The Chancel Windows
        • The Last Supper Painting
      • Crypt and Burying Ground >
        • Crypt >
          • Crypt Highlights: Crypt Entrance
          • Crypt Highlights: Tomb Structure
          • Crypt Highlights: The Stranger's Tomb
          • Crypt Highlights: Research and Family Connections
          • Crypt Highlights: Remaining Memorials
          • Crypt Highlights: Hand-Hewn Beams
        • Burying Ground
      • Religious History >
        • Online Exhibit: Independent Country, Independent Church
        • 334 Years of Ministry
      • Slavery at King's Chapel
    • Online Exhibits >
      • Revolutionary King's Chapel: Online Exhibit
      • Literary King's Chapel
      • Uncovering the Past: Exploring Black History Through Primary Sources
    • History Events & Programs >
      • Past Events & Programs
      • Recorded History Programs
    • Christmas History at King's Chapel >
      • Decking the Halls: The History of Decorating with Greens
      • Christmas Lights: Then and Now
      • 18th & 19th Century Christmas Services & Music
      • Christmas Feasts & Treats Throughout History
      • Holiday History Trivia
    • History Program Blog
    • About Us >
      • History Program Staff
      • Contact Us
    • Support the History Program
  • Community
    • News & Updates >
      • Parish Community News
    • Community from Home
    • Community Action Committee >
      • Anti-Racism Resources
    • Memorial to Enslaved Persons
    • Environmental Action Initiative
    • Join King's Chapel
    • For Members >
      • Budget Meeting 2023
      • Partner Church Sunday 2022
      • KC Bylaws
      • 2022- 2023 Church Leadership
  • Giving
    • Why Give
    • Ways to Give
    • Stewardship >
      • Pledge
  • Weddings & Baptisms
    • Weddings >
      • Dear Prospective Couple
      • Wedding Inquiry
      • Wedding Service
    • Baptisms
  • Space Rentals