BROWSINGS BY THE EDITOR IN HIS OWN LIBRARY Sprague's Journal of Maine History Vol. 6 August September October 1918 No. 2 page 61-65 BROWSINGS BY THE EDITOR IN HIS OWN LIBRARY Both the Massachusetts and New Hampshire historical societies have assembled in their volumes of collections ' proceedings and other books issued by them a mass of literature relating to Maine colonial period. We do not have these in our private collection on Maine, but the student working in the State Library at Augusta has them always at hand to guide him in his searching. The late Charles Francis Adams, Jr., contributed to the Massa- chusetts Society an historical monograph published in Vol. 22 Of its proceedings, and reprinted by the University Press, Cambridge, 1883. This relates to "Sir Christopher Gardiner Knight" who ap- peared in Boston in 1630. This we find on our shelves and it is a strange tale of a remarka- ble character who appeared in New England in April, 1630. His career closely identified with Maine, is intertwined with romance and adventure. It is the peculiar privilege of the American historian to be able to trace his narrative to its origin by means of documentary evi- dence, and thus relate facts rather than fable or tradition. Mr. Adams in introducing his subject to the reader says: Such melodramatic personages are not common in Massachusetts his- tory and accordingly Sir Christopher long since attracted the notice of the New England poets and writers of fiction. Here were great possibilities, Miss Sedgwick was the first to avail herself of them, for as early as 1827 she introduced the knight, under the name of Sir Philip Gardiner, into her novel of Hope Leslie. He is the walking villain of that now forgotten tale. The historian Motley next tried his band upon him in his story of Merry- mount, published in 1849. The same year Whittier incidentally touched upon him in Margaret Smith's Journal; and then Mr. John T. Adams, in 1856, went over the ground once more in his Knight of the Golden Melice. Finally, in 1873. Longfellow put the Rhyme of Sir Christopher Gardiner in the mouth of the Landlord as the last of the Tales of a Wayside Inn, Both Motley and Adams, as well as Whittier and Longfellow, present the knight under his own name, and, so to speak, in his proper person. They adhere more or less to the record. Miss Sedgwick does not. But they have all made somewhat droll work with the facts of history; and, the historians, themselves have in, this respect not, greatly bettered matters. Gardiner's origin and family history are rather obscure. He claimed descent from Stephen Gardyner, Bishop of Winchester and Lord Chancellor of Queen Mary, yet it has never been established with accuracy. Although born a Protestant, Bradford and others assert that he renounced this faith and became a member of the church of Rome. This however is in question and was never fully settled. Regarding his claim to knighthood Adams believes that: His title was of a doubtful character, for in one place he is spoken of as a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre, having received the honor at Jerusalem; while in another it is as a Knight of the Golden Melice. But that he had a right to some title would seem to be established by the fact that at a latter day he was referred to in official proceedings in England as Sir Christopher Gardiner, Knight. It seems to be very well settled by those who have written of that period that Sir Christopher visited New England as a duly accred- ited, though secret agent of Gorges. Sir Ferdinando Gorges and Captain John Mason obtained their charter or grant from James I. to the most of the Province of Maine west of the Kennebec, and a part of New Hampshire, in 1622. In 1623, Gorges had sent his son, Captain Robert Gorges, out to Massachusetts Bay in charge of a company who was to settle there. He had secured for Captain Robert the grant of a domain. Adams says: It covered, as nearly as its limits can now be fixed. a tract just north of Boston. including the whole shore from the mouth of the Charles to Lynn, and interior as far back as Concord and Sudbury. Robert Gorges did not take actual possession of this domain, but never abandoned his claim to it. Subsequently, in 1628, the Coun- cil for New England, with the assent of Sir Ferdinando Gorges, granted to the Massachusetts Company a large tract which included this. But Gorges contended that the subsequent grant was made reserving all vested rights under the first one. Robert Gorges died and whatever rights he had passed to his brother John, who con- veyed portions of it to Sir William Brereton and John Oldham. @ The Massachusetts Company denied the validity of these convey- ances; and besides this claimed that the great charter of 1629, set- tled it against Gorges beyond all dispute. It then became a matter of actual possession. Gorges claimed that he already had it by the settlement there of several inhabitants, in 1624, under the direction of Captain Robert. The Massachusetts Company immediately per- ceeded to circumvent all of this by hurrying out instructions to Endicott, who was at Salem, to forthwith "send forty or fifty per- sons to Massachusetts Bay to inhabit there." This he did in June, 1629, which was the beginning of the settlement of Charlestown. Under these circumstances it is evident that Gorges deemed it wise to have someone on the ground to represent him and protect his interests. From letters and documents found among Sir Christo- pher Gardiner's belongings it seems clear that he was selected for this purpose. It is well known that the Massachusetts leaders regarded Gorges as their rival and possible enemy. He was of the Church of Eng- land which fact undoubtedly intensified their feelings against him. When Sir Christopher came and was in the company of the Gorges settlers and known to have visited Thomas Morton, well known as an agent for Gorges, their suspicions were instantly aroused. That Governor Bradford conceived it his duty to interview the stranger is apparent for he records the fact that he was accom- panied by servants, and: a comly yonge woman, whom he caled his cousin, but it was suspected that she (after the Italian maner) was his concubine. In other words, as Mr. Adams observes. "Sir Christopher com- mitted the folly of bringing a mistress out into the wilderness with him.), Naturally the Puritan magistrates became inquisitorial as to his antecedents and object in visiting Boston. They could not hale him into their courts for acting in behalf of Gorges. But it was not long before they were informed that he had left behind two wives in England. The name of the young woman who accompanied him from the North of England to America was Mary Grove. She has attracted much attention among historical writers, poets and novelists. It is quite certain that she lived with him while he was living near Boston. The authorities did not attempt any legal proceedings against him regarding his relations with Mary Grove, but they did make some move towards prosecuting him for the crime of bigamy in England. Sir Christopher learning of this instead of remaining and facing his adversaries made his escape into the wilderness iii- tending, as it is supposed to reach the Dutch settlement at Manhat- tan. He never succeeded in doing this. Soon after his departure some Indians informed the governor of his whereabouts and were authorized to take him and bring him before the magistrates which they did. After thus having him in their possession they were at a loss to know just what disposition to make of him, for in order to fasten any crime upon him, they would have to send to England for evidence. It was not long before they concluded to allow him go on his way. Thomas Purchase was the first settler on the Androscoggin within the limits of what is now the town of Brunswick, Maine. There he had cleared up quite a large farm and also dealt extensively with the Indians buying furs and peltry of them; and was also a packer and shipper of salmon from the Androscoggin to Boston. At about this time he made a trip to Boston to transact business and, inci- dentally to find himself a wife of which he stood in much need. While there he fell in with Sir Christopher and Mary Grove. It was, a case of "love at first sight," with he and Mary and after a short courtship they were married there and she returned with him to his home in Maine; and oddly enough Sir Christopher went along with them and had a home with them for some months. Just what activ- ities he was engaged in while a sojourner in Maine is not quite clear. Only one record has been found relating to him at that time and is in the records of the first General Court of the Province of Maine, held at Saco, by "the Worshipful Thomas Gorges," in 1640, The record reads as follows: Richard Tucker cometh into this Court and declareth that nine years since, or thereabouts. there came one Sir Christopher Gardiner to the plain- tiff in the name of the defendant. Thomas Purchase and borrowed of him a warming-pan. which cost here in this country 12s. 6d., which the defendant hath all this time and still doth wrongfully detain from the plaintiff. And also the said Sir Christopher did six months after, or thereabouts, buy of the plaintiff a new fowling piece for 40s. which he promised to pay within a, month after, which money both for the warming-pan and, the piece the plaintiff hath oftentimes demanded of the defendant, who doth still refuse to pay the same, to the damage of the plaintiff at least £5 sterling, for which the plaintiff commenceth his action of trespass in the case, against tile defendant in this court, and humbly desireth a legal hearing according to law, T. Purchase denies ever authorizing Sir C. Gardiner to buy any warming-pan or fowling piece for him, etc. Verdict for the plaintiff, £2 2s. 6d. for the two, articles, 2d damages, 12s. 6d costs of the court. It appears that he remained at Brunswick all through the winter 631-32 and far into the succeeding summer. He arrived in England from Maine on the 15th day of August, 1632. At this time a formidable attack was made on the Massachusetts Bay Company. That he entered into it with much energy appears from the records. He denounced Governor Winthrop, the magis- rates, and the people generally of Massachusetts. He declared that they were "traitors and rebels against his majesty, with divers ther most scandalous and opprobrious speeches," dilating freely on the wrongs he had suffered at their hands. The managers of the company about this time learned of the story of his two wives and attempted to retaliate by proceeding against him for this. Whatever investigation they made was not fruitful of results. Adams says: Either the women had never existed, or they could no longer be found, or the evidence somehow broke down. The assault made upon the company did not prevail and it came off victorious. After this all trace of him was lost in England. From all that can be learned Mary Grove outlived her youthful indiscretions, and she and her husband Thomas Purchase lived hap- pily together on the banks of the River Androscoggin until the time of her death which occurred in Boston, June 7th, 1656. (c) 1998 Courtesy of the Androscoggin Historical Society ************************************************* * * * * NOTICE: Printing the files within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. * * * * The USGenWeb Project makes no claims or estimates of the validity of the information submitted and reminds you that each new piece of information must be researched and proved or disproved by weight of evidence. 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