England in America, 1580-1652 eBook

Lyon Gardiner Tyler
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 289 pages of information about England in America, 1580-1652.

England in America, 1580-1652 eBook

Lyon Gardiner Tyler
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 289 pages of information about England in America, 1580-1652.

The patent also gave to the company “all Jurisdiccons, Rights, Royalties, Liberties, Freedoms, Ymmunities, Priviledges, Franchises, Preheminences, and Commodities, whatsoever, which they, the said Council established at Plymouth, ... then had, ... within the saide Landes and Premisses."[3] On account of the reckless manner in which the Council for New England granted away its territory, the patent conflicted with several others of an earlier date.  In March, 1622, they had granted to John Mason a patent for all the land between Naumkeag and the Merrimac River.  Then, in December, 1622, a part of this territory having a front of ten miles “upon the northeast side of Boston Bay,” and extending thirty miles into the interior, was granted to Captain Robert Gorges.[4] Next, at the division in June, 1623, the part of New England about Boston Bay fell to Lord Sheffield, the earl of Warwick, and Lord Edward Gorges, a cousin of Sir Ferdinando.  The rights under the first and last of these grants were surrendered in 1629,[5] but, according to Ferdinando Gorges, he, as one of the council, only sanctioned the patent to Rosewell and his partners on the understanding that the grant to his son should not be interfered with; and the maintenance of this claim was the occasion of dispute for some years.[6]

June 20, 1628, the new company sent out a party of emigrants under John Endicott, who arrived, September 6, at Naumkeag, where, with the number already on Boston Bay at their coming, they made about fifty or sixty persons.  He found the remains of Conant’s company disposed to question the claims of the new-comers, but the dispute was amicably arranged, and in commemoration Naumkeag was given the name of Salem, the Hebrew word for “Peaceful."[7]

For nearly a year little is known of the settlers except that in the winter some died of the scurvy and others of an “infectious fever."[8] Endicott wrote to Plymouth for medical assistance, and Bradford sent Dr. Samuel Fuller, whose services were thankfully acknowledged.  One transaction which has come down to us shows that Endicott’s government early marked out the lines on which the Massachusetts colony travelled for many years afterwards.  Endicott made it evident that he would make no compromise with any of the “ungodly” in Massachusetts.  Morton’s settlement fell within Endicott’s jurisdiction, and he resolved to finish the work which the Plymouth people began.  So, about three months after the first visit, Endicott, with a small party, crossed the bay, hewed down the abominable May-pole, and, solemnly dubbing the place Mount Dago, in memory of the Philistine idol which fell down before the ark of the Lord, “admonished Morton’s men to look ther should be better walking.”

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England in America, 1580-1652 from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.