Edward Gove - Hampton Leader , Hothead, Prisoner in the Tower of London
Family Connection - 7th great-grandfather of Ruth Ann Hazen
Edward Gove was born in Smithfield, London on April 14, 1630 to John and Mary (Sale) Gove. His family immigrated to Boston in 1647 and settled in Charlestown.
Edward purchased property in Salisbury in April 1657, and married Hannah Partridge in 1660. They had thirteen children.
In 1663, he bought about 110 acres in what is now Hampton, NH. This property included farmland, a house, and a share of the town common land. At this point in time, Hampton was part of the Massachusetts Colony.
In Spring of 1665, Gove moved with his family to Hampton.
One of his descendants, William Henry Gove, wrote a family history in 1922. In it, he says the following about his ancestor, based on court records and other original documents:
"He was a strenuous man, and frank, even to bluntness. When he was wronged he quickly sought to avenge himself, as far as possible, by his own individual efforts. He did not refrain from forceful language and personal assault, and was before the quarterly court several times for such offences."
The area now known as the State of New Hampshire was originally declared to be part of the Massachusetts Colony. On Sept. 18,1679, New Hampshire was made a Royal Province, by royal decree.
Edward was chosen as a representative in the first Assembly in 1680. He was, notably, a leader of the opposition to the Royal Governor. He also was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the province militia.
Over the next several years, a conflict raged over who owned the land in New Hampshire. Many of the original land owners paid the native tribes for land, but the English Crown declared themselves owners of all the land in the province and demanded that the land owners pay "rent" to the crown. This conflict became a flash point in Hampton.
In late 1682, it appears that Gove was to be arrested for sowing dissent among the colonists, and a warrant was issued. He and some of his men took refuge in the town of Exeter. On Jan. 27, 1683, he rode from Exeter to Hampton with twelve men, intending to create a larger rebellion, but no one joined them. Gove and his men surrendered and were put in irons.
Gove and his men were brought to trial for rebellion against the government. All were found guilty. All but Edward Gove were then pardoned. Gove was sentenced to be hung, drawn and quartered.
For whatever reason, Provincial Governor Cranfield chose to send Gove to England rather than carrying out the sentence in New Hampshire. So, on March 29th, 1683, Gove was sent to England on the ship "Richard". Upon arrival, he was taken to the Tower of London and imprisoned in irons.
Edward Gove's wife and colleagues sent a steady stream of petitions to London on behalf of Edward. First, his irons were removed and he was given some time each day outside of his cell, but still confined to the prison grounds. After many petitions, the King ordered a pardon on August 26, 1685. Gove was released and returned to New Hampshire with his property restored.
Edward Gove died in Hampton, New Hampshire, on July 29,1691. He was buried in Pine Grove Cemetery in Hampton.
Edward Gove > Ebenezer Gove > Edward Gove > Hannah Gove > Jeremiah Fogg > Charles Heman Fogg > Simon Stickney Fogg > William Darwin Fogg > Bessie Laken Fogg > Ruth Ann Bradley
Edward Gove is in yellow section, fourth row from center of the Jeremiah Fogg tree. Jeremiah Fogg is in the yellow section, fifth row from center of the Ruth Ann Bradley chart.
Much of the background for this post is from The Gove Book - History and Genealogy of the American Family of Gove, and Notes of the European Goves, written in 1922 by William Henry Gove, and republished by Forgotten Books, copyright 2018.
Comments
Post a Comment