Joseph received his education at St. Mary's Hall, Oxford, admitted a Bachelor of Arts 14 Nov. 1614. Ordained 1619 by Bishop of Exeter. Served Colyton, Devonshire for 3 years. 1621-1632 Rector for North Leigh. Came into conflict with church over association with John Wareham, who was expelled for violating church rules. Resigned North Leigh post in 1632 and became curate at Broadway. Later came under fire for preaching without a license. Expelled from Church of England Feb. 17, 1635. A month later on about March 20, the Hull’s Company ship left Weymouth for New England. They landed in Boston on May 6, 1635.

In Tepper's "Passengers to America" pp 77 79 appears a list of passengers bound for New England from Weymouth the 20th of March 1635/36. Among these families we find the following: Joseph Hull of Somerset, a Minister, age 40, wife, Agnes 25; and children: Joan 15; Joseph 13; Tristram 11; Elizabeth 7; Temperance 9; Grissell 5; and Dorothy 3. Rev. Hull also has the following servants with him: Judith French 20; John Woot 20; ant Robert Dabyn 28. (http://www.edb.utexas.edu/mike/genealogy/Text/1stgen.htm)

They were granted the right to settle at Wessaguscus, SE of Boston (later changed to Weymouth.) Hull was later expelled for his liberal views. He wanted to bridge the gap between Anglicans, Puritans, and Separatists and his beliefs got him expelled from the colony after less than a year. He moved to Hingham briefly, before moving to Old Plymouth Colony in 1639. He became on of the founders of Barnstable, but his ministerial career ther was cut short by the arrival of Rev. John Lothrop. He moved to the neighboring Yarmouth, but his ministry there was not by permission of the Barnstable church. He was excommunicated on 1 May 1641 (see NEHGR 10:41). On 7 Mar 1642, the Court at Plymouth issued an order than he not preach in the Colony. It apparently didn’t come to much, however, as his wife was re-admitted to the Barnstable church 6 days later, and Joseph himself, having acknowledged his sin, was let back in in 1643.

He didn’t stay long in Plymouth, however. He soon moved north and built a ministry at Accominticus, ME and Isle of Shoals, NH. In 1652, Maine came under the jurisdiction of Massachusetts, and a minister was sent to supersede him. For 10 years, he was a vicar of Launceston, Cornwall. He was then ejected from the parish and returned to New England, became a minister at Durham, NH. Once again, he had trouble, this time with the Quakers, so he moved back to Isle of Shoals until his death several years later. [ [1051]]

Savage’s: JOSEPH, Yarmouth 1642, forbid. to be min. See Felt, Eccles. Hist. I. 498. He had been excom. at Barnstable merely for going to Y. people as their min. without leave of his fellow-mem. at B. but was readmit. 10 Aug. of next yr. But prob. he sat down first at Weymouth, where is seen by the rec. 12 June 1636, his right for 9 heads, i. e. 54 acres, being larger than any other share. His d. Joanna m. 28 Nov. 1639, John Bursley of Barnstable, and had Naomi, bapt. 22 Mar. 1640; and Ruth, 9 May 1641. It is necessary to follow the poor man to Maine, where, no long time bef. his d. 19 Nov. 1665, he had been preach. at Isle of Shoals, as his wid. Agnes showed in her inv. "the Isle owed him for his min. £20." and tho. I regret to say the sum was only £52. 5. 5. yet £10. is put down for books.