Florentius Seymour

Florentius Seymour ( 1605 – November 3, 1682) was Governor of Bermuda from 1663 to 1668 and again from 1681 to 1682. Seymour was one of the colony's most prominent Puritan leaders and opposed the growing Quaker movement in Bermuda during the Restoration era.

Early life and family

Seymour was born around 1605 in London, England, the son of Captain William Seymour. During the English Civil War, Seymour joined fellow Independents exiled to Eleuthera in the Bahamas before eventually returning to Bermuda after the colony relaxed restrictions on religious dissent.

Seymour married Ruth Paynter and they had nine children. Their family were prominent landowners in Bermuda, owning property in the Southampton Parish of the western region of Bermuda.

Government service

Seymour was heavily involved in the civic affairs of Bermuda, including service as a juror, militia lieutenant, and commander. After the passing of his father in 1655, Seymour was appointed to fill his post as captain of Paget's Fort on Paget Island in Bermuda. He also served as a councilor of state.

Governor of Bermuda

Seymour was twice appointed as governor by the Bermuda Company, first in 1663 and again in 1681. As such, Seymour served as the 22nd and 25th governor of Bermuda. During his time as governor, Seymour oversaw the island's response to a bubonic plague outbreak. While governor, Seymour introduced measures requiring church attendance and militia participation, imposing fines on those who failed to attend worship services and confiscating weapons from pacifists who refused military duties. By 1664, attendance at church services in Bermuda were enforced through monetary penalties.

Seymour also supported a series of anti-Quaker laws enacted during the 1660s. These measures included fines for non-attendance at Anglican or established church services, restrictions on Quaker meetings and public preaching, laws barring certain Quakers and their relatives from holding public office, and prohibitions on the landing of foreign Quaker missionaries in Bermuda.

Death

Seymour died while in office on November 3, 1682.