Simon Bradstreet Esq' was Chosen Gov' & Sworn Thos Danforth Esqr was Chosen depy Gov1 & Sworn . Isaac Addington was chosen Secretary Jurt 1 Simon Bradstreet Esq' was chosen Govern', and tooke the Oath of Allegiance, and the Oath of His Place, or Office, for this Year, Or until there be a Settlement of Government from the Crown of England. Thomas Danforth Esq' was chosen Depty GovTM . . . ... Isaac Addington Esq' was chosen Secretary Jur: 2 The Court met for the last time on May 6, 1692, when it "Adjourn'd unto Tuesday the 24th of May Currt at one a Clock Afternoon;" but before that day came, Sir William Phips had arrived with the Province Charter. The events from April 18, 1689, to May 6, 1692, are given in the following SUMMARY 1689 April 18 April 20 Andros's government overthrown May 1 Council for Safety of the People and Conservation of the Peace appointed, with Simon Bradstreet as President and Isaac Addington as Clerk Doings of the Council for Safety on April 20 approved May 9 Representatives meet May 24 Government settled as of May, 1686, but no assumption of June 11 Addington chosen Secretary June 13 1689 Aug. 12 1690 Jan. 24 May 28 1691 May 20 sworn as Governor and Deputy-Governor Addington sworn as Secretary The government approved by William III 1692 May 4 Bradstreet, Danforth, and Addington reëlected 1 Court Records, vi. 183. 2 vi. 214. 8 vi. 217. As already stated (p. 7, above) the New Plymouth Colony was included in the Territory and Dominion of New England created by Andros's Commission of IV MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL, 1685-1691 A DUDLEY'S COUNCIL, 1685-1686 In Dudley's Commission (October 8, 1685) as President of the Council for New England, Dudley himself was nominated and ap June 3, 1686. A General Court was held at Plymouth in June, 1686, and Courts of Assistants were held in June, July, and October, 1686 (Plymouth Colony Records, vi. 184-204, vii. 299-304). At the General Court held in June, 1686, Thomas Hinckley, William Bradford, and Samuel Sprague were chosen respectively Governor, Deputy-Governor, and Secretary (vi. 185). No Court was held between October 5, 1686, and June, 1689, when Thomas Hinckley, William Bradford, and Samuel Sprague were chosen respectively Governor, Deputy-Governor, and Secretary (vi. 205); and the following proceedings took place: At their Mates Generall Court of Election held at Plimouth, for the Colony of New Plimouth, on the first Tuesday in June, 1689. W ties HEREAS, through the great changes divine Providence hath ordered out, both in England and in this countrey, we, the loyall subjects of the crown of England, are left in an unsetled estate, destitute of goverment, and exposed to the ill consequents thereof; and having heretofore enjoyed a quiet settlement of goverment in this their mat colony of New Plimouth for more than threescore and six years without any interruption; having also been by the late Kings of England from time to time, by their royall letters, graciously owned and acknowledged therein, whereby notwithstanding our late unjust interruption and suspention therefrom by the illeagall arbitrary power of St Edmond Andros, now ceased, the Generall Court held here in the name of their present maties, William and Mary, King and Queen of England, &c., together with the encouragement given by their said ma ties gracious declarations, and in humble confidence of their sd maties good liking, doe, therefore, hereby resume and declare their reassuming of their said former way of goverment, according to such wholsome constitutions, rules, and orders as were here in force in June, 1686, our title therto being warranted by prescription and otherwise as aforesaid, and expect a reddy submission thereunto by all their mat ties good subjects of this colony, untill their maties or this Court shall otherwise order. And that all our Courts be hereafter held, and all warrants directed, and officers sworne, in the name of their maties, William and Mary, King and Queen of England, &c. (vi. 208-209). The last General Court appears to have been held on July 7, 1691 (vi. 268-269), though a Court of Assistants was held on April 5, 1692, the final record being: The Court... adjourn to Thursday ye 9th day of June next, and all proces and bonds continued to sd adjournm*, & parties ordered to attend the same (vii. 312). pointed "to be the first President of the said Councell and to continue in the said Office vntill we our Heires or Successors shall otherwise direct;" while the following seventeen persons were nominated and appointed "to be of our Councell:"1 The only provision in Dudley's Commission for the replacing of a Councillor was in case of death, as follows: And if any of the members of the said Councell shall happen to dy Our Will & pleasure is and Wee do hereby direct & appoint the President of our Councell for the time being to elect some other person to be a member of the said Councell for that time, and to send over the name of such person soe chosen, and the names of two more Whom our said President shall judge fittly qualified for the said trust that We our heires & successors may nominate & appoint which of the three shall be the member in the place of the member so dying 2 This provision proved unsatisfactory, since at the very beginning a difficulty arose because three members declined to serve, while a fourth member was incapacitated from serving. In a letter to Blathwayt dated May 29, Randolph said: This acquaints you that the 25 following the presdt and 14 of the Councill mett at Boston and taking the oathes were entred vpon the 1 Publications of this Society, ii. 38. A list, sent by Randolph to the Committee on September 2, 1685, of "The Names of Persons well disposed & humbly offred to be of his Maties Councill in the Colony of the Massachusetts Bay & the Provinces in New Engd to consist of One President one Deputy-President & 18 to be of ye Councill," will be found in Toppan's Randolph, iv. 43–47. 2 Publications of this Society, ii. 43. 8 According to the Council Records (ii. 1; cf. Dudley Records, p. 226), only the President and eleven members of the Council were present on May 25; yet in their letter to the Committee of June 1 the President and Council stated that "Joseph Dudley Esqre President haveing first taken the Oathes in his Majtys Commission required, did administer the same Oathes unto fourteen of the Members of his Majty Councill then present and entred upon the exercise of the Government" (Council Records, ii. 23; cf. Dudley Records, pp. 239-240). The two members of the Council not recorded in the Council Records (ii. 1) as present on May 25 were Gom* Mr Champernoon: was so much indisposed that twas not possible for him to come to Boston: Butt old Mr Bradstreet and his son wholy refused to accept the Commission as a thing contriued to abridge them of their libertye and indeed against Magna Charta: and Mr Saltenstall also diserted vs: in whose places are very proper to bee inserted: Richard Smith of Narragansett: Mr William Brown Junior: the third I leaue to Mr Masons nomination who is coming ouer vpon the next ship which will in a short tyme sayle from hence.1 On June 1 the President and Council drew up a letter to the Committee which contained the following paragraph: Wee may not omitt humbly to represent to your Lordshipps, that there being no direction for a supply of Members into his Majtys Councill except only in the case of death, whereas by the removall, constant sickness, or other avoidance of any of the Members, His Majestyes Councill may sometimes faile of a Quorum or more full appearance, needfull for his Majty service; it is therefore humbly offered, that in such cases wherein there appeares an impossibilitie or refusal of service, His Majty would graciously grant that a supply of Members may be appointed as in case of Death.2 On June 19 the President and Council wrote to the Committee as follows: Wee cannot avoid to lay before your Lords PDS the inconvenience hapning by ye indispositions & refusall of Severall persons nominated in his Maties most Gracious Commission: & the great distance of others from his Maties town of Boston the vsuall place of meeting. ffor avoiding therefore any obstruction in prosecuting his Maties seuerall commands in that Commission to us directed Its humbly proposed as very necessary for his Maties Seruice, and wee do accordingly nominate eight persons, whose names are herevnto annexed to Supply those vacancyes, Submitting in all duty & obedience their choice & appointment to his Matie, and waite his Maties gracious Jonathan Tyng and John Usher. There are curious discrepancies in the records. Thus twelve persons are recorded as present in Council on June 1 (Council Records, ii. 19; Dudley Records, p. 237), yet the letter to the Committee drawn up that day was signed by eleven members (Toppan's Randolph, iv. 82), while the address to the King also drawn up June 1 was signed by fourteen members (iv. 85). 1 Toppan's Randolph, vi. 171–172. * Council Records, ii. 23-24. Cf. Dudley Records, p. 240. answeare So Soon as it Shall please your Lords to report the Same vnto his Matie They then said that "Mr Bradstreet Major Saltenstall Dudley Bradstreet do not accept yo Commission;" that "Mr Champernoon weak & vnable to act in that Commission;" and gave these Names of persons to Supply their vacancyes As a matter of fact, no new members were added to Dudley's Council.2 B ANDROS'S COUNCIL, 1686-1688 In Andros's first Commission (June 3, 1686) as Governor of the Territory and Dominion of New England, no persons were named for the Council; but in the Instructions issued to him on September 12, 1686, he was directed upon his arrival in Boston "forthwith to call together the members of Our Councill for that Our Territory and Dominion," and the following twenty-seven persons were named: 3 Article 6 of the same Instructions reads as follows: And that Wee may alwayes be informed of the names of persons fit to supply the Vacancies of Our Councill you are to transmit unto us by 1 Toppan's Randolph, iv. 85-86. 2 Randolph is at times strangely confused as to the Council. Thus in a letter to Archbishop Sancroft dated July 7, 1686, he said: "Of a president and eighteen members of the councell, there is onely myselfe, since Mr. Mason's departure for England, that is of the church of England" (Toppan's Randolph, iv. 89). Dudley's government consisted of a President and seventeen members of the Council. From a transcript (Public Record Office, Colonial Office, Class 5, Vol. 904, pp. 283-296) in the possession of the Editor. |