Pine Tree Riot facts for kids

The Pine Tree Riot was a protest by American colonists against British rules. It happened in Weare, New Hampshire on April 14, 1772. This event was one of many disagreements between the British government and the colonists that eventually led to the American Revolution.

By the late 1600s, Britain needed many ships for its navy and trade. But there weren't enough tall, strong trees left in Britain to make large ship parts like masts and booms. Luckily, the Eastern white pine trees in colonial New England were perfect for these huge ship parts. To keep Britain strong at sea, laws were made in North America to protect these special white pines for British shipbuilding. Britain's success in wars like the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) was largely because its navy, the Royal Navy, controlled the seas.

Why the King Needed Trees

To make sure the Royal Navy always had enough wood, the New Hampshire General Court passed a law on May 10, 1708. This law said that all trees in New Hampshire that were good for ship masts belonged to the British King. It was similar to an older law from England in 1691. Any pine tree wider than 24 inches was now the King's property. If someone cut down one of these trees illegally, they had to pay a large fine of 50 pounds. In 1722, a new law made the protected tree size even smaller, down to 12 inches wide. Special officers called "Surveyors of the King's Woods" were sent by the King to find these "mast pines." They would mark them with a special symbol called the broad arrow.

These laws made many colonists very unhappy. There were several protests and riots throughout the 1700s because of them. The 1722 law wasn't strictly enforced until John Wentworth became the governor of New Hampshire in 1766. Even though Governor Wentworth often understood the colonists' feelings, he was firm about protecting the King's trees.

The Pine Tree Riot Begins

In 1771 and 1772, John Sherman, who was a Deputy Surveyor in New Hampshire, ordered his men to search sawmills. They were looking for white pine logs that had been marked for the King. His men found six sawmills in Goffstown and Weare that had large white pines. These logs were marked with the broad arrow, meaning they belonged to the King. The names of the mill owners who broke the law were printed in The New Hampshire Gazette newspaper on February 7, 1772.

The mill owners hired a lawyer named Samuel Blodgett to help them. Blodgett met with Governor Wentworth. But instead of helping his clients, Blodgett accepted a job offer from the governor to become the Surveyor of the King's Woods! He then told his clients to pay the fines. The mill owners from Goffstown paid their fines right away and got their logs back. But the mill owners from Weare refused to pay.

The Confrontation

On April 13, 1772, Benjamin Whiting, the Sheriff of Hillsborough County, and his Deputy John Quigley went to South Weare. They had a warrant to arrest Ebenezer Mudgett, who was a leader of the Weare mill owners. Mudgett was arrested but then let go, promising to get bail money the next morning. The sheriff and his deputy stayed the night at Aaron Quimby's inn, called the Pine Tree Tavern. That night, many townsmen gathered at Mudgett's house. Some offered to help pay his bail, but most wanted to force the sheriff and deputy out of town.

At dawn the next day, Mudgett led about 20 to 40 men to the tavern. Sheriff Whiting was still in bed when Mudgett burst into his room. More than 20 townsmen, with their faces blackened with soot to hide who they were, rushed into Whiting's room. They started hitting him with tree branches, giving him one lash for every tree they were fighting over. The sheriff tried to grab his pistols, but he was completely outnumbered. The rioters grabbed him by his arms and legs and lifted him up, face down. Deputy Quigley was also pulled from his room and received the same treatment from another group of townsmen.

The rioters then brought the sheriff and deputy's horses to the inn door. They shaved the horses' manes and tails. After that, Whiting and Quigley were forced to ride out of town. They rode through a line of angry townspeople who cheered and slapped them as they went down the road towards Goffstown.

Sheriff Whiting then asked Colonel Moore of Bedford and Edward Goldstone Lutwyche of Merrimack for help. They gathered a group of soldiers to arrest the people who caused the riot. But the rioters ran and hid in the woods before the soldiers arrived. One of the men suspected of attacking Whiting was found and arrested. He then told the names of the others involved. Eight men were told to pay bail and appear in court. They faced charges of rioting, disturbing the peace, and attacking Benjamin Whiting.

Four judges, Theodore Atkinson, Meshech Weare, Leverett Hubbard, and William Parker, heard the case in the Superior Court in Amherst in September 1772. The rioters admitted they were guilty. The judges fined them 20 shillings each and told them to pay the court costs.

What Happened Next

The Pine Tree Riot was a test of British royal authority. The light fines given to the rioters showed that the British government wasn't as strong as it seemed. Some people believe this event helped inspire the Boston Tea Party. As Connie Evans wrote in her 2017 book, the riot showed that British rule could be challenged.

The first Pine Tree Flag flown by colonists against the British during the riot was red. It had a white square in the upper left corner with a pine tree inside it.

Of the men charged in the riot, Timothy Worthley, Jonathan Worthley, and William Dustin later fought against the British in the Revolutionary War. Even Samuel Blodgett, the lawyer who switched sides, fought for the colonists. Benjamin Whiting, the sheriff who was beaten, fought for the British. His land was taken away because he was a Tory supporter. Meshech Weare, one of the judges in the case, helped write the New Hampshire constitution adopted in 1776. New Hampshire became the first colony to declare its independence. Weare became the first President of New Hampshire.

Samuel Blodgett later built the first canal around the Amoskeag Falls on the Merrimack River in Derryfield. He finished it shortly before he died in 1807. In 1810, the town of Derryfield changed its name to Manchester. This honored Blodgett's idea that the Amoskeag Falls could power a manufacturing center like Manchester, England. Blodget Street in Manchester is named after him.

In Popular Culture

The Pine Tree Riot is still remembered today. In 2015, the book "An Appeal to Heaven" by Dutch Sheets was published. Dutch Sheets noted that the Pine Tree flag used during the riots has become very popular recently. It is now seen in many homes, prayer rooms, and even government buildings.

Since 2019, a disc golf tournament called "The Pine Tree Riot" has been held at Salmon Falls disc golf course in Rochester, New Hampshire.

250th Anniversary

On April 9, 2022, the Weare Historical Society held a special event. It was a commemoration and celebration for the 250th Anniversary of the Pine Tree Riot.