George Fenwick (1603?–1657), was an English
Parliamentarian, and a leading colonist in the short-lived
Saybrook Colony
The Saybrook Colony was an English colony established in late 1635 at the mouth of the Connecticut River in present-day Old Saybrook, Connecticut by John Winthrop, the Younger, son of John Winthrop, the Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. ...
.
Early life
Fenwick was the son of George Fenwick of
Brinkburn, Northumberland, and Dorothy, daughter of John Forster of Newham, was born about 1603. Fenwick was called to the bar at
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...
on 21 November 1631, and admitted ancient on 24 May 1650.
Settlement in America
He took an active part in the scheme for colonising Connecticut, signed the agreement of the patentees with
John Winthrop the Younger
John Winthrop the Younger (February 12, 1606 – April 6, 1676) was an early governor of the Connecticut Colony, and he played a large role in the merger of several separate settlements into the unified colony.
Early life
Winthrop was born ...
in 1635, and visited Boston in 1636. In 1639 he settled with his wife and family in the
Saybrook Colony
The Saybrook Colony was an English colony established in late 1635 at the mouth of the Connecticut River in present-day Old Saybrook, Connecticut by John Winthrop, the Younger, son of John Winthrop, the Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. ...
at the mouth of the
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...
, as agent for the patentees and governor of the fort of Saybrook. In 1642 upon the death of Native American leader,
Wequash Cook, Fenwick took in Cook's son, Wenamoag, to raise, but it is unknown what happened to Wenamoag after Fenwick's wife died and Fenwick returned to England in 1645.
Letters written by him during his residence in America are printed in the ''Massachusetts Historical Collections'', iv. 6, 365, v. 1, 223, and in the publications of the
Prince Society
__NOTOC__
The Prince Society, or Prince Society for Mutual Publication, (1858-1944) in Boston, Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"titl ...
, ''Hutchinson Papers'', i. 120. At the meeting of the commissioners of the united colonies in 1643, Fenwick, as agent of the patentees, was one of the two representatives of Connecticut. On 5 December 1644 he sold the fort at Saybrook and its appurtenances to the
Colony of Connecticut
The ''Connecticut Colony'' or ''Colony of Connecticut'', originally known as the Connecticut River Colony or simply the River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636 as a settl ...
, pledging himself at the same time that all the lands mentioned in the patent should fall under the jurisdiction of Connecticut if it came into his power. The non-fulfilment of this promise led to numerous disputes, and in 1657 the colony refused to give his heirs possession of his estate until they paid 500
£ for non-fulfilment of the agreement and gave an acquittance of all claims. Fenwick returned to England in 1645. While living at Saybrook he lost his first wife; her monument is said to be still extant there.
Parliamentary career
On 20 Oct 1645 Fenwick was elected to the
Long Parliament
The Long Parliament was an English Parliament which lasted from 1640 until 1660. It followed the fiasco of the Short Parliament, which had convened for only three weeks during the spring of 1640 after an 11-year parliamentary absence. In Septem ...
as member for
Morpeth
Morpeth may refer to:
*Morpeth, New South Wales, Australia
** Electoral district of Morpeth, a former electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in New South Wales
* Morpeth, Ontario, Canada
* Morpeth, Northumberland, England, UK
** Morpeth (UK ...
. During the
Second English Civil War
The Second English Civil War took place between February to August 1648 in Kingdom of England, England and Wales. It forms part of the series of conflicts known collectively as the 1639-1651 Wars of the Three Kingdoms, which include the 1641 ...
he commanded a regiment of northern militia, took part in the defeat of Sir Richard Tempest by Lambert, relieved
Holy Island
Sacred space, sacred ground, sacred place, sacred temple, holy ground, or holy place refers to a location which is deemed to be sacred or hallowed. The sacredness of a natural feature may accrue through tradition or be granted through a bless ...
, and recaptured
Fenham Castle. On the surrender of Berwick he became governor of that place, apparently at first as deputy for
Sir Arthur Haslerig. Fenwick was appointed one of the commissioners for the trial of
the king, but did not act. In 1650 he took part in
Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...
's invasion of Scotland, was made
Governor of Leith and
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age, although the nature of the early settlement is unclear. ...
in December 1650, and took
Hume Castle
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, image = Hume Castle - geograph.org.uk - 812984.jpg
, image_size =
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, map_type = Scotland Scottish Borders
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in February 1651. He was also one of the eight commissioners appointed for the government of Scotland in December 1651, after the
Tender of Union
The Tender of Union was a declaration of the Parliament of England during the Interregnum following the War of the Three Kingdoms stating that Scotland would cease to have an independent parliament and would join England in its emerging Commonwe ...
.
In the two Protectorate parliaments of 1654 and 1656 he represented
Berwick, and was one of the members excluded from the second of those parliaments.
Private life
According to his monument in the parish church of Berwick, Fenwick died on 15 March 1657, and this is confirmed by the fact that a new writ for Berwick was moved on 26 March 1657. His will, signed 8 March 1657. In some accounts Fenwick is confused with Lieutenant-colonel
Roger Fenwick, who was killed in the
Battle of Dunkirk
The Battle of Dunkirk (french: Bataille de Dunkerque, link=no) was fought around the French port of Dunkirk (Dunkerque) during the Second World War, between the Allies and Nazi Germany. As the Allies were losing the Battle of France on t ...
, 4 June 1658.
Fenwick was twice married: first, to
Alice, daughter of Sir Edward Apsley of
Thakeham
Thakeham's History
Thakeham is a village and civil parish located north of the South Downs in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. The village is situated approximately 12 miles south-west of Horsham and 11 miles north of the sea-s ...
, Sussex, and widow of Sir John Boteler of
Teston
Teston /ˈtiːstən/ The Place Names of Kent,Judith Glover,1976,Batsford. or /ˈtiːsən/ BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names — is a village in the Maidstone District of Kent, England. It is located on the A26 road out of Maidston ...
, Kent (he died 2 August 1634). Secondly, to Catherine, eldest daughter of Sir Arthur Haslerig, born in 1635, who married, after the death of Fenwick, Colonel Philip Babington, and died in 1670.
[ cites: Hodgson, Northumberland, ii. i. 346.]
Notes
References
;Attribution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fenwick, George
1600s births
1657 deaths
People from Northumberland
Roundheads
People from the Kingdom of England in the Thirteen Colonies
Settlers of Connecticut
Colonial governors of Connecticut
English MPs 1640–1648
English MPs 1648–1653
English MPs 1654–1655
English MPs 1656–1658
Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge
Parliamentarian military personnel of the English Civil War