Richard Vines (colonist)
Encyclopedia
Richard Vines was an English colonial explorer of northern New England
, and an early administrator and deputy governor of the Province of Maine
.
, Devon
, in 1585, and studied medicine. He came into the employ of Sir Ferdinando Gorges
, a leading organizer of the English exploration and settlement of North America. It is possible that Gorges sent him on a exploratory expedition in 1609, but the evidence for this is uncertain. In 1616 Vines went on an expedition whose purpose was to establish a "test winter settlement" on the coast of Maine. This expedition followed up on the failed Popham Colony
(1607-8) and a similar failed expedition by explorer John Smith. Vines successfully spent the winter of 1616-7 in Maine, trading with the local Indians and further exploring its coast.
His signature appears as a witness on a document dated 1629 claiming to be a deed for the sale of land by Indians to a group of settlers led by John Wheelwright
on the south side of the Piscataqua River
in what is now New Hampshire
. This document was alleged to be a forgery by 19th century historian James Savage
, based in part on evidence that Vines was in England at the time of the sale. In 1630 he was definitely involved in the establishment of settlements around Cape Elizabeth, Maine
as part of Gorges' efforts to establish the proprietary Province of Maine
. Gorges did not receive a royal charter for the land and a commission as governor until 1639, at which time Gorges appointed his cousin Thomas
as deputy governor. Thomas Gorges established the government of the colony, and in 1642 he and Vines led an exploratory expedition into the interior that reached as far as the White Mountains
. Gorges returned to England in 1643 to fight in the English Civil War
. Government of the colony devolved to a council, which elected Vines deputy governor in 1644. Vines governed until 1645, during which time the colony was involved in conflicting land claims of the Lygonia
territory administered by George Cleeve
.
By 1646 Vines had established himself in Barbados
, where he had two plantations, principally growing cotton, and also practiced medicine.
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, and an early administrator and deputy governor of the Province of Maine
Province of Maine
The Province of Maine refers to several English colonies of that name that existed in the 17th century along the northeast coast of North America, at times roughly encompassing portions of the present-day U.S. states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, as well as the Canadian provinces of Quebec...
.
Life
Vines was born in BidefordBideford
Bideford is a small port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, south-west England. It is also the main town of the Torridge local government district.-History:...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, in 1585, and studied medicine. He came into the employ of Sir Ferdinando Gorges
Ferdinando Gorges
Sir Ferdinando Gorges , the "Father of English Colonization in North America", was an early English colonial entrepreneur and founder of the Province of Maine in 1622, although Gorges himself never set foot in the New World.-Biography:...
, a leading organizer of the English exploration and settlement of North America. It is possible that Gorges sent him on a exploratory expedition in 1609, but the evidence for this is uncertain. In 1616 Vines went on an expedition whose purpose was to establish a "test winter settlement" on the coast of Maine. This expedition followed up on the failed Popham Colony
Popham Colony
The Popham Colony was a short-lived English colonial settlement in North America that was founded in 1607 and located in the present-day town of Phippsburg, Maine near the mouth of the Kennebec River by the proprietary Virginia Company of Plymouth...
(1607-8) and a similar failed expedition by explorer John Smith. Vines successfully spent the winter of 1616-7 in Maine, trading with the local Indians and further exploring its coast.
His signature appears as a witness on a document dated 1629 claiming to be a deed for the sale of land by Indians to a group of settlers led by John Wheelwright
John Wheelwright
John Wheelwright was a clergyman in England and America.-Early life:...
on the south side of the Piscataqua River
Piscataqua River
The Piscataqua River, in the northeastern United States, is a long tidal estuary formed by the confluence of the Salmon Falls and Cocheco rivers...
in what is now New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. This document was alleged to be a forgery by 19th century historian James Savage
James Savage (banker)
James Savage was one of the founding fathers of Provident Institution for Savings in the Town of Boston established in 1816 as the first chartered savings bank in the United States...
, based in part on evidence that Vines was in England at the time of the sale. In 1630 he was definitely involved in the establishment of settlements around Cape Elizabeth, Maine
Cape Elizabeth, Maine
Cape Elizabeth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The town is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area...
as part of Gorges' efforts to establish the proprietary Province of Maine
Province of Maine
The Province of Maine refers to several English colonies of that name that existed in the 17th century along the northeast coast of North America, at times roughly encompassing portions of the present-day U.S. states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, as well as the Canadian provinces of Quebec...
. Gorges did not receive a royal charter for the land and a commission as governor until 1639, at which time Gorges appointed his cousin Thomas
Thomas Gorges (Maine)
Thomas Gorges was a colonial governor of the Province of Maine, an officer in the Parliamentary Army, and a Member of Parliament both during the rule of Oliver Cromwell, and after the restoration of King Charles II to the throne....
as deputy governor. Thomas Gorges established the government of the colony, and in 1642 he and Vines led an exploratory expedition into the interior that reached as far as the White Mountains
White Mountains (New Hampshire)
The White Mountains are a mountain range covering about a quarter of the state of New Hampshire and a small portion of western Maine in the United States. Part of the Appalachian Mountains, they are considered the most rugged mountains in New England...
. Gorges returned to England in 1643 to fight in the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. Government of the colony devolved to a council, which elected Vines deputy governor in 1644. Vines governed until 1645, during which time the colony was involved in conflicting land claims of the Lygonia
Lygonia
Lygonia was a proprietary province in pre-colonial Maine, created through a grant from the Plymouth Council for New England in 1630 to lands then under control of Sir Ferdinando Gorges. The grant was named for his mother, Cicely Gorges...
territory administered by George Cleeve
George Cleeve
George Cleeve was an early settler and "founder of Portland, Maine"; Deputy President of the Province of Lygonia from 1643 until the final submission of its Maine towns to Massachusetts authority in 1658....
.
By 1646 Vines had established himself in Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
, where he had two plantations, principally growing cotton, and also practiced medicine.