William Gorges (January 1605 – February 1658) was a soldier and the first colonial governor of the

Province of Maine The Province of Maine refers to any of the various English colonies established in the 17th century along the northeast coast of North America, within portions of the present-day U.S. states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, and the Canadian ...

Biography

Early years

Gorges was born in January 1605, the son of Sir Edward and Dorothy Speke Gorges, and nephew of Sir Edward's younger brother, Sir

Ferdinando Gorges Sir Ferdinando Gorges ( – 24 May 1647) was a naval and military commander and governor of the important port of Plymouth in England. He was involved in Essex's Rebellion against the Queen, but escaped punishment by testifying against the mai ...

. Although he was married twice, no details are known and there are no recorded children.

Career

Gorges first served his uncle Sir Ferdinando as a lieutenant at

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

Fort. He was then appointed as Governor of the Province for New Somersetshire, a grant Sir Ferdinando obtained from the

Plymouth Council for New England The Council for New England was a 17th-century English joint stock company that was granted a royal charter to found colonial settlements along the coast of North America. The Council was established in November of 1620, and was disbanded (althou ...

when its territories were divided up in 1635. William Gorges went to New England in 1636 with other settlers, including "craftsmen for the building of houses and erecting of saw-mills," as well as cattle for a private plantation to be established for his uncle. William Gorges became embroiled in a dispute with

George Cleeve George Cleeve (–after November 1666) was an early settler and founder of today's Portland, Maine. He was Deputy President of the Province of Lygonia from 1643 until the final submission of its Maine towns to Massachusetts authority in 1658. L ...

, a cantankerous early settler, who departed for England, where he voiced his complaints to Sir Ferdinando, who then recalled his nephew in 1637. Sir Ferdinando later regretted this action, saying that Cleeve had deceived him. The result was that this effort to impose formal government and thereby further his private interests failed. Once back in England, William Gorges wrote that he had been "disappointed of my . . . voyage." What he did next is not clear. The death of the proprietor of the province, Sir Ferdinando, occurring in 1647, and nothing being heard from Governor William Gorges, the inhabitants of Kittery, Gorgeana, Wells, and probably the Isle of Shoals, met in convention at Gorgeana, and formed themselves into a confederacy for mutual protection and just administration of the government, and Edward Godfrey, one of Governor Gorges' councilors, was chosen governor.

Later years

Gorges died in February 1658 in

Keynsham Keynsham ( ) is a town and civil parish located between Bristol and Bath in Somerset, England. It has a population of 16,000. It was listed in the Domesday Book as ''Cainesham'' (as it is pronounced), which is believed to mean the home of Sai ...

, England, and the location of his

interment Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

is unknown.

References

External links

Edward Godfrey: His Life, Letters, and Public Services, 1584-1664

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gorges, William 1605 births 1658 deaths Governors of Maine People from Keynsham