Lygonia facts for kids

Lygonia was an early province (like a special territory or colony) in what is now Maine. It was created in 1630 when the Council for New England gave land to a group of people. This land was already controlled by Sir Ferdinando Gorges. Lygonia got its name from Gorges' mother, Cicely Lygon. It was one of the first territories in Maine and eventually became part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony by 1658.

Where Was Lygonia Located?

Lygonia was a large area, about 1,600 square miles (4,100 km2). It stretched between Cape Porpoise and the Kennebec River in modern-day Maine. This territory was so big that it even included a large part of the land Sir Ferdinando Gorges already owned for his own Province of Maine. Even though it was huge, the grant for Lygonia was never taken back and was upheld in English courts later on.

How Lygonia Was Created

In 1630, the Council for New England officially granted land to create the Province of Lygonia. This land was taken from the territory that Sir Ferdinando Gorges controlled. The new province was named after Gorges' mother, Cicely (Lygon) Gorges.

The original document that set up Lygonia has been lost. However, a summary from 1686 tells us it gave:

• Two islands in the Sagadahock River, about 60 miles (97 km) from the sea.
• A large area of land, 40 miles (64 km) long and 40 miles (64 km) wide, on the south side of the Sagadahock River.
• This included all bays, rivers, ports, and inlets.
• It also gave the right to collect taxes and make laws within Lygonia.

The Plough Company's Role

The people who received the land grant for Lygonia were part of a group called the Plough Company from London. This company was set up by the Council for New England to encourage people to settle in the northeastern part of Gorges' lands. The idea was to help Gorges create lasting settlements where people could farm and produce wood products to trade. This would add to the fishing businesses already in Maine.

The people planning to settle with the Plough Company were mostly farmers. They were part of a small religious group. They chose Stephen Bachiler as their minister. He, along with another person named Richard Dummer, helped pay for the trip. They left England in 1631 on a ship called the Plough. However, for reasons we don't know, they didn't settle in Lygonia. Instead, they continued to the Massachusetts Bay Colony and settled there. Some believed they looked at the Lygonia area and "didn't like the place."

Lygonia's Challenges and End

The Lygonia land grant wasn't used until 1642. That's when George Cleeve, an early settler in the Portland area, found out about it. Cleeve had worked for Gorges, but they had a disagreement. Cleeve went back to England and found Richard Dummer, who held the original Lygonia grant. Cleeve arranged for the grant to be sold to Colonel Alexander Rigby in 1643.

Cleeve returned to New England with a large land grant for himself from Rigby. He also became the Deputy President of the Province of Lygonia. Cleeve then set up a government and courts for Lygonia's towns, which included modern-day Portland, Scarborough, and Saco.

Because Lygonia's area covered a big part of Gorges' Province of Maine, settlers in Gorges' territory strongly protested. Their land deeds and titles were now under new control and could be questioned. Cleeve's first court in 1644 faced threats and arrests, and a fight was almost unavoidable. Both Lygonia and Gorges' Province of Maine asked Massachusetts for help, but Massachusetts refused to take sides.

In 1647, the English Parliament decided that Rigby's claim to Lygonia was valid over Gorges' claim. So, the two Maine provinces existed side-by-side, sometimes working together to solve problems where their lands overlapped.

When Alexander Rigby died in 1650, Lygonia continued to be governed by Cleeve without much direction from England. By 1653, the towns in the Province of Maine had agreed to be part of Massachusetts. Lygonia's towns held out until 1658, but then they also joined Massachusetts.

After the English monarchy was restored in 1660, Ferdinando Gorges (Sir Ferdinando's grandson) won a court case in 1664. This confirmed his family's rights to the original Province of Maine lands. However, a royal commission in 1665 declared that Edward Rigby's (Alexander Rigby's son) authority over Lygonia was no longer valid. By then, Lygonia had already stopped existing because Massachusetts had taken control.