The Tower of London has been many things to many people, including the birthplace, on this day in 1620, of Lucy Apsley. Her father, a wealthy and powerful man, was governor of the tower at the time. So Lucy grew up in a privileged world, which included receiving the best education available to a young woman. As a teenager she was born again by the grace of God and began serving her Saviour within the Presbyterian religious system. When she married Colonel John Hutchinson, who became governor of Nottingham, the couple did their best to improve the social conditions of their countrymen, listening to their problems and studying their lives. While expecting her first baby, Lucy became quite interested in the debate about infant baptism, consulting with some of her Protestant acquaintances for answers, but at the time she reached no definite conclusions.
When the English Civil War began, the Hutchinsons devoted themselves to the liberty of their people. After one nearby battle, Lucy became employed in treating the wounds of some of their neighbors as they were brought into their castle home. Many Baptists fought on the side of liberty, hoping that a change of government would give them freedom of worship. Among the wounded whom Lucy treated were some of those Baptists. She began to listen to their conversations and prayers. When they began some Bible studies, she sat in, and over time became convinced of believer’s baptism. When she confessed to her husband of her change of opinion, he became interested, and he too was converted. From that point on, the couple worked hard for the cause of Biblical Truth.
Some years later, Lucy wrote a biography of her famous husband. It was written in the style of Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress,” and in fact it bore a great many other similarities to the plot and outcome.