The
Saybrook Colony was established in late 1635 at the mouth of the
Connecticut RiverThe Connecticut River is the largest river in New England, flowing south from the Connecticut Lakes in northern New Hampshire, along the border between New Hampshire and Vermont, through western Massachusetts and central Connecticut into Long Island Sound at Old Saybrook, Connecticut. It has a...
in what is today
Old Saybrook, ConnecticutOld Saybrook is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 10,367 at the 2000 census. It contains the incorporated borough of Fenwick, as well as the census-designated places of Old Saybrook Center and Saybrook Manor.-History:...
, and environs.
John Winthrop, the YoungerJohn Winthrop , generally known as John Winthrop the Younger, was governor of Connecticut.He was born in Groton, England, as the son of John Winthrop, the founding governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony...
, son of the Governor of Massachusetts, was designated Governor by the group that claimed possession of the land via a deed of conveyance from
Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of WarwickRobert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick , was an English colonial administrator, admiral, and puritan.Rich was the eldest son of Robert Rich, 1st Earl of Warwick and his wife Penelope Devereux, Lady Rich, and succeeded to his father's title in 1619...
. Winthrop was aided by Colonel George Fenwick and Captain Lion Gardiner. As the principals of the group who had planned to settle the colony were supporters of
Oliver CromwellOliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader best known for his involvement in making England into a republican Commonwealth and for his later role as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland.He was one of the commanders of the New Model Army which defeated the royalists in...
and remained in England during the
English Civil WarThe English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. The first and second civil wars pitted the supporters of King Charles I against the supporters of the Long Parliament, while the third war saw fighting between supporters of...
, the colony struggled and by 1644, Fenwick agreed to merge the colony with the more vibrant
Connecticut ColonyThe Colony of Connecticut was an English colony located in British America that became the U.S. state of Connecticut. Originally known as the River Colony, it was organized on March 3, 1636 as a haven for Puritan noblemen. After early struggles with the Dutch, the English gained control of the...
a few miles up river.
- Lower Connecticut River Valley
The Lower Connecticut River Valley is a region of the state of Connecticut focused around the juncture where the Connecticut River meets Long Island Sound. It includes towns in southern Middlesex County and the western edge of New London County...
— Connecticut planning region covering the area
Discussion
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The
Saybrook Colony was established in late 1635 at the mouth of the
Connecticut RiverThe Connecticut River is the largest river in New England, flowing south from the Connecticut Lakes in northern New Hampshire, along the border between New Hampshire and Vermont, through western Massachusetts and central Connecticut into Long Island Sound at Old Saybrook, Connecticut. It has a...
in what is today
Old Saybrook, ConnecticutOld Saybrook is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 10,367 at the 2000 census. It contains the incorporated borough of Fenwick, as well as the census-designated places of Old Saybrook Center and Saybrook Manor.-History:...
, and environs.
John Winthrop, the YoungerJohn Winthrop , generally known as John Winthrop the Younger, was governor of Connecticut.He was born in Groton, England, as the son of John Winthrop, the founding governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony...
, son of the Governor of Massachusetts, was designated Governor by the group that claimed possession of the land via a deed of conveyance from
Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of WarwickRobert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick , was an English colonial administrator, admiral, and puritan.Rich was the eldest son of Robert Rich, 1st Earl of Warwick and his wife Penelope Devereux, Lady Rich, and succeeded to his father's title in 1619...
. Winthrop was aided by Colonel George Fenwick and Captain Lion Gardiner. As the principals of the group who had planned to settle the colony were supporters of
Oliver CromwellOliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader best known for his involvement in making England into a republican Commonwealth and for his later role as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland.He was one of the commanders of the New Model Army which defeated the royalists in...
and remained in England during the
English Civil WarThe English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. The first and second civil wars pitted the supporters of King Charles I against the supporters of the Long Parliament, while the third war saw fighting between supporters of...
, the colony struggled and by 1644, Fenwick agreed to merge the colony with the more vibrant
Connecticut ColonyThe Colony of Connecticut was an English colony located in British America that became the U.S. state of Connecticut. Originally known as the River Colony, it was organized on March 3, 1636 as a haven for Puritan noblemen. After early struggles with the Dutch, the English gained control of the...
a few miles up river.
See also
- Lower Connecticut River Valley
The Lower Connecticut River Valley is a region of the state of Connecticut focused around the juncture where the Connecticut River meets Long Island Sound. It includes towns in southern Middlesex County and the western edge of New London County...
— Connecticut planning region covering the area
Further reading
- Ward, Harry M. The United Colonies of New England, 1643-90 (Vantage Press, 1961).
- Andrews, Charles McLean. The Colonial Period of American History (Vol. II) - The Beginnings of Connecticut 1632-1662 (Tercentenary Commission Publication Vol. XXXII 1934).