by Barbara Rimkunas
This "Historically Speaking" column was published in the Exeter News-Letter on Friday, September 23, 2022.
There is a period in Exeter’s history that we do not like to talk about. We were once part of Massachusetts.
The English began arriving in M’squamscook in the early 1630s, confident that the region was open for the taking, having obtained patents from the English crown. Historian, Charles Bell, described the only other English habitations, Strawbery Banke and Dover, as, “straggling, small and weak, being self-ruled, for as yet there was no general government in New Hampshire. The Europeans who composed the population had most of them come thither to better their worldly condition by fishery and trade, and with no purpose of a religious character.” There were a few English families living at the falls of the Squamscott River, three headed by men named ‘Thomas:’ Thomas Wiggin, Thomas Leavitt, and Thomas Wilson. The other known inhabitants were Ralph Hall and Edward Hilton.
The Reverend John Wheelwright had not intended to live in the wilds of New Hampshire. He arrived in America to live in Massachusetts Bay Colony along with his Puritan brethren. Caught up in a theological dispute, he was banished from the colony and trekked to the wilderness of New Hampshire, deciding to settle in M’squamscook in the early spring of 1638. There, probably with the help of Edward Colcord, who had some experience trading with the native Abenaki band, he negotiated some basic ground rules with the rightful owners of the area and gave the place the username of “Exeter.”
Most of the people who arrived with Wheelwright were his followers – estimated by Bell to be about ten families – from Massachusetts. Not all were banished, like Wheelwright, but this didn’t deter them from their dislike of the bay colony. With no central government in New Hampshire, the Englishmen of Exeter decided they had better set to paper how they would govern. After a few drafts and a bit of squabbling about their relationship to God and King, they signed a document on July 4th, 1640, stating, “Whereas a certen combination was made by us the brethren of the church of Exeter wth the rest of the Inhabitants,” they would essentially govern themselves according to the King’s laws. They set up a town government with a ruler (Isaac Gross) and two officers. This system existed (indeed, still exists as our Selectboard) throughout the following years.
All went well. They created common lands, divvied up the remaining land based on a man’s social status and needs, and continued along. Rules were laid down to control cattle, swine, fishing rights and the rights accorded to the Squamscott natives. But with no New Hampshire governance, by 1643 the other towns in the province had aligned themselves with the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It just made sense. Legal matters could be dealt with in the organized MBC court system – and these were people who liked to litigate. With the objections of some members, in May of 1643 Exeter sent a petition to the Massachusetts General Court asking that Exeter be under their jurisdiction. “Sure,” replied the General Court, “but you need to abide by our rules. No special conditions.” We do not know what the Exeter delegation had asked for, maybe Starbucks instead of Dunks, but they backed down quickly and agreed to follow the power and might of the esteemed Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Small legal matters were attended to locally. Only the big cases were taken to court in Massachusetts. Puritan austerity prevailed; one husband had to face the court on charges that his wife was displaying excessive vanity by wearing a silk scarf. He defended her by saying she did not wear the scarf year-round. “If she did weare her scarfe for pride she would be as proud in summer as she is in winter and in dry weather as in wet.”
Behind the scenes, there was a custody battle over the ownership of New Hampshire. The owner of the patent, John Mason, had died and it was not until 1650 that his grandson, Robert Tufton Mason, was able to reestablish his claim. The government in Britain had undergone civil turmoil but with the restoration of Charles II to the English throne, the question of just who owned New Hampshire began anew. A commission was sent to New England to determine where the boundaries where between New Hampshire and the Massachusetts Bay Colony. On January 1, 1680, New Hampshire, Exeter included, was again restored as a royal province. Bell estimates there were about three hundred inhabitants of Exeter at this point. However, the new royal governor, Edward Cranfield, was disliked universally. Bell describes him as, “a needy, arbitrary and unscrupulous man.” No doubt there were more colorful words used in the 1680s. Cranfield was so disliked that a rebellion of sorts occurred in 1683 led by Edward Gove of Hampton. It was poorly planned (alcohol was involved) but it sent a strong message. To dodge the land claims of Robert Mason, the town kept sparce records. Deeds were ‘misplaced’ or sometimes the record books disappeared. Governor Cranfield was continually frustrated in his attempts to make money from the colony. Back in England, a new king, James II – a Catholic – gained the throne. Within a few years, he was succeeded by William III – a Protestant. In the shuffle, New England found itself without any royal governor. For two more years – 1690-1692 – Exeter was again part of Massachusetts. When things calmed down, Exeter, Hampton, Dover, and Portsmouth were finally settled as the Province of New Hampshire. We shall speak of this no more.
Barbara Rimkunas is curator of the Exeter Historical Society. Support the Exeter Historical Society by becoming a member! Join online at: www.exeterhistory.org