Networks of Faith and Finance: Boston’s Scottish Exile Community in the Later Seventeenth Century

Many Scots fled their native country to escape persecution at the hands of their monarch Charles II for their adherence to the Presbyterian faith. A significant number sought refuge in Boston, a city whose leaders they knew to be sympathetic to their plight and in which they spied a commercial opportunity. Between 1660 and 1689, they cultivated networks of faith and finance. Through their patrons in the Dutch and English Atlantic Worlds, these Scots were well placed to capitalize on political opportunities that emerged after the Glorious Revolution.