Why is Ferdinando Gorges called the Father of English Colonization in North America?
Gorges earned the title through his early and sustained involvement in English trade with and settlement of North America, including helping fund the Popham Colony in 1607 and obtaining the 1622 charter that established the Province of Maine. His decades of effort through the Plymouth Company and Plymouth Council for New England made him the most persistent advocate for English colonization of the northeastern coast, even though he never traveled to America himself.
Did Ferdinando Gorges ever visit North America?
No. Despite earning the title "Father of English Colonization in North America," Gorges never set foot in the New World. His involvement was entirely conducted from England, through investment, charters, correspondence, and political advocacy.
When was the Province of Maine founded and by whom?
The Province of Maine was established by a land patent dated the 10th of August 1622, granted to Ferdinando Gorges and John Mason by the Plymouth Council for New England in the reign of King James I. The original boundaries ran between the Merrimack and Kennebec rivers.
What role did Ferdinando Gorges play in Essex's Rebellion?
Gorges was involved in the 1601 Essex Conspiracy led by Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, against Queen Elizabeth I. He escaped punishment by testifying against the main conspirators, including Essex, whose rebellion failed and who was executed.
When did the Gorges family give up their claim to Maine?
In May 1677, Ferdinando Gorges's grandson, also named Ferdinando Gorges, sold all family rights to Maine to the state of Massachusetts for one thousand two hundred and fifty pounds. Maine itself did not achieve separate statehood until 1820.
How did Ferdinando Gorges become interested in North America?
Gorges's interest was reportedly sparked when Captain George Weymouth presented him with three captured American Indians who learned English and described their homeland. Gorges later claimed one of them was Tisquantum, known as Squanto of the Patuxent, though historians have disputed this.