Francis Nicholson
Mary II | |
---|---|
Personal details | |
Born | 12 November 1655 St George's Hanover Square Church |
Profession | Military officer, official |
Signature | |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Great Britain |
Branch/service | British Army |
Years of service | 1680-1727/28 |
Rank | Lieutenant-General |
Battles/wars | Monmouth Rebellion |
Lieutenant-General Francis Nicholson (12 November 1655 – 16 March 1728 [O.S. 5 March 1727])[1] was a British Army general and colonial official who served as the governor of South Carolina from 1721 to 1725. He previously was the Governor of Nova Scotia from 1712 to 1715, the Governor of Virginia from 1698 to 1705, the Governor of Maryland from 1694 to 1698, the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia from 1690 to 1692, and the Lieutenant Governor of the Dominion of New England from 1688 to 1689.
Nicholson's military service included time in
Nicholson next served as lieutenant governor or governor of the colonial Provinces of
Nicholson supported public education in the colonies, and was a member of both the
Early life and military service
Nicholson was born in the village of
His military career began in January 1678 when Paulet purchased for him an ensign's commission in the
Nicholson was probably with the regiment when it put down
Dominion lieutenant governor
In 1688 the Lords of Trade extended the dominion to include New York and East and West Jersey. Nicholson was commissioned the dominion's lieutenant governor, and traveled with Andros to New York to take control of those colonies.[8] Nicholson's rule, in which he was assisted by a local council but no legislative assembly, was seen by many New Yorkers as the next in a line of royal governors who "had in a most arbitrary way subverted our ancient privileges".[11] Nicholson justified his rule by stating that the colonists were "a conquered people, and therefore ... could not could not so much [as] claim rights and priviledges as Englishmen".[11]
Nicholson was at first seen as an improvement over the Catholic Thomas Dongan, the outgoing governor. However, the province's old guard was unhappy that Andros removed all of the provincial records to Boston, and then Nicholson alarmed the sometimes hardline Protestant population by preserving the trappings of the chapel in Fort James that Dongan and the handful of New York's Catholics had used for worship.[12] In response to a rumored Dutch invasion of England (a rumor that turned out to be true), Nicholson in January 1689 ordered the provincial militias to be on alert to protect the province for the king. Unknown to Nicholson, events in England had already changed things.[13]
Rebellion in Boston
After James was deposed by
Because New York's defenses were in poor condition, Nicholson's council voted to impose import duties to improve them. This move was met with immediate resistance, with a number of merchants refusing to pay the duty. One in particular was Jacob Leisler, a well-born German Calvinist immigrant merchant and militia captain. Leisler was a vocal opponent of the dominion regime, which he saw as an attempt to impose "popery" on the province, and may have played a role in subverting Nicholson's regulars.[19] On 22 May Nicholson's council was petitioned by the militia, who, in addition to seeking more rapid improvement to the city's defenses, also wanted access to the powder magazine in the fort. This latter request was denied, heightening concerns that the city had inadequate powder supplies. This concern was further exacerbated when city leaders began hunting through the city for additional supplies.[20]
Rebellion in New York
A minor incident on 30 May 1689 in which Nicholson made an intemperate remark to a militia officer then flared into open rebellion. Nicholson, who was well known for his temper, told the officer "I rather would see the Towne on fire than to be commanded by you".[21] Rumors flew around the town that Nicholson was in fact prepared to burn it down. The next day Nicholson summoned the officer, and demanded he surrender his commission. Abraham de Peyster, the officer's commander and one of the wealthiest men in the city, then engaged in a heated argument with Nicholson, after which de Peyster and his brother Johannis, also a militia captain, stormed out of the council chamber.[21]
The militia was called out, and descended en masse to Fort James, which they occupied.[19][22] An officer was sent to the council to demand the keys to the powder magazine, which Nicholson eventually surrendered, to "hinder and prevent bloodshed and further mischiefe".[23] The following day, a council of militia officers called on Jacob Leisler to take command of the city militia. He did so, and the rebels issued a declaration that they would hold the fort on behalf of the new monarchs until they sent a properly accredited governor.[24]
At this point the militia controlled the fort, which gave them control over the harbor. When ships arrived in the harbor, they brought passengers and captains directly to the fort, cutting off outside communications to Nicholson and his council. On 6 June, Nicholson decided to leave for England, and began gathering depositions for use in proceedings there. He left the city on 10 June for the Jersey shore, where he hoped to join Thomas Dongan, who was expected to sail for England soon thereafter.[25] However, it was not until 24 June that he actually managed to sail; he was denied passage on a number of ships, and eventually purchased a share of Dongan's brigantine in order to get away.[26] In the meantime, Leisler proclaimed the rule of William and Mary on 22 June, and on the 28th a provincial committee of safety, acting in the absence of legitimate authority, chose Leisler to be the province's commander-in-chief.[27]
Upon Nicholson's arrival in London in August, he outlined the situation in New York to the king and the Lords of Trade, urging the appointment of a new governor of New York, preferably himself.
Virginia and Maryland
Nicholson was lieutenant governor of Virginia until 1692,
Lord Effingham resigned the Virginia governorship in February 1692, beginning a contest between Nicholson and Andros for the Virginia governorship. Andros, who was in London and was a more senior figure, was awarded the post, much to Nicholson's annoyance.[32] The episode deepened a growing dislike between the two men. One contemporary chronicler wrote that Nicholson "especially [resented] Sir Edmund Andros, against whom he has a particular pique on account of some earlier dealings", and Nicholson, placated with the lieutenant governorship of Maryland, worked from then on to unseat Andros.[33] When Andros arrived in September 1692, Nicholson graciously received him before sailing for London.[34]
Nicholson was still in England in 1693 when Maryland Governor, Sir Lionel Copley died. Under provisions of his commission, and at the request of the Maryland governor's council, Andros went to Maryland in September 1693 to organize affairs, and again in May 1694 to preside over the provincial court. For these services he was paid £500.[35] When Nicholson, now appointed governor of Maryland, arrived in July, he found the provincial treasury empty, and testily demanded that Andros return the payment.[36] Andros refused, and Nicholson appealed to the Lords of Trade. They ruled in October 1696 that Andros had to return £300.[37] By this time, Nicholson was living in the house of Edward Dorsey.[38]
Nicholson, a committed
Nicholson was a supporter of public education, promoting laws to support it, and funded the construction of "King William's School"
Nicholson's feud with Andros persisted, and Nicholson acquired a powerful ally in
Nicholson was exposed to French activities on the
Following a political crisis in England and the accession of
Queen Anne's War
During
In the course of the ten-year conflict in North America now known as Queen Anne's War,[58] Samuel Vetch, a Scottish businessman with interests in New York and New England, came to London during the winter of 1708–9 and proposed to the Queen and the Board of Trade a major assault on New France.[59] He recruited Nicholson to join the effort, which was to include a sea-based attack on Quebec with Royal Navy support, and a land-based expedition to ascend the Hudson River, descend Lake Champlain, and attack Montreal.[60] Nicholson was given command of the land-based effort while Vetch was to command the provincial militia of New England that were to accompany the fleet.[59] Arriving in Boston in April 1709 Nicholson and Vetch immediately began raising the forces and supplies needed for these operations. Nicholson was able to draw on his earlier connections to New York's aristocracy to recruit the needed forces from there, with additional units coming from New Jersey and Connecticut.[61] He raised a force of about 1,500 regulars and provincial militia and 600 Iroquois, and in June began the construction of three major encampments between Stillwater, just north of Albany, and the southern end of Lake Champlain, while awaiting word of the fleet's arrival in Boston.[59] The expedition turned out to be a disaster. Many men became sick and died from the poor conditions in the camps as the summer dragged on without any news of the fleet. Supplies ran short the men became mutinous and began deserting. Finally, in October Nicholson learned that, due to circumstances in Europe, the fleet's participation had been canceled in July. By this time the men were deserting by whole units and destroyed all of the fortifications and stores.[62]
In the aftermath of the debacle Nicholson returned to London, taking four Indian chiefs with him, and petitioned Queen Anne for permission to lead a more limited expedition against Port Royal, the capital of French
Nova Scotia and South Carolina
Nicholson returned to London after the failed expedition, and began working to acquire for himself the governorship of Nova Scotia. After the 1710 victory, Samuel Vetch had become its governor, but his rule over the colony (where he only really controlled Port Royal itself) was somewhat ineffective.[67] Vetch and the Tory ministry then in power disagreed on how to handle affairs, especially with respect to the resident French Catholic population,[68] and Nicholson capitalized on these complaints. In a dispute marked by bitterness and sometimes extreme accusations (Vetch, for example, accused Nicholson of Jacobite sympathies),[69] Nicholson was awarded the post in October 1712. His commission also included the governorship of Placentia, and authority as auditor of all colonial accounts. He only spent a few weeks in Port Royal in 1714, leaving most of the governance to lieutenant governor Thomas Caulfeild.[2] These few weeks were marked by discord with the Acadians, who sought to capitalize on the change of governor to gain concessions Nicholson was not prepared to give. Nicholson also issued order restricting the interaction between the troops and the town, resulting in the further reduction of already-poor morale in the Port Royal garrison.[70] He also cracked down on open trade between British colonial merchants and the French, requiring the licensing of any British merchant wanting to trade at French ports.[71]
Nicholson spent most of his time as Nova Scotia governor in Boston, where he devoted a significant amount of time investigating Vetch's finances.[2] Vetch interpreted Nicholson's hostile and intrusive examination of his affairs as a largely partisan attempt to smear him. He called Nicholson a "malicious madman" who would do anything that "fury, malice, and madness could inspire."[72] Nicholson attempted to prevent Vetch from sailing for England where he might better defend himself, forcing Vetch to flee beyond Nicholson's reach to New London, Connecticut, in order to get a ship for England.[73] With the accession of George I to the throne and the change to a Whig ministry, Vetch succeeded in clearing his name and recovered his post from Nicholson, who was accused by Vetch and others of neglecting the province.[2][74]
Nicholson next served as the first royal governor of South Carolina from 1721 to 1725. The colonists had rebelled against the rule of the proprietors, and Nicholson was appointed in response to their request for crown governance.[75] The rebellion had been prompted by inadequate response by the proprietors to Indian threats, so Nicholson brought with him some British troops.[76] He established a council composed primarily of supporters of the rebellion, and gave it significant latitude to control colonial affairs.[77] As he had in some of his other posts, he used enforcement of the Navigation Acts as a means to crack down on political opposition. He established local governments modeled on those he set up in Maryland and Virginia, including the 1722 incorporation of Charleston.[76][78] He expended both public money and his own to further both education and the Church of England,[79] and introduced ground-breaking judicial administration into the colony.[78] He negotiated agreements and territorial boundaries with the Cherokee,[80] and promoted trade, pursuing policies similar to those he had advocated while in Maryland and Virginia.[81] He introduced a commissioner of Indian affairs into the colonial government, a post that survived until the crown assumed the duties of managing Indian affairs in the 1750s.[82]
Like other colonies, South Carolina suffered from chronic shortages of currency, and issued bills of credit to compensate. During Nicholson's administration this was done several times, but the inflationary consequences did not reach crisis proportions until after he left the colony.[83] It did, however, anger merchant interests enough to raise complaints against him with the Board of Trade. Combined with long-running but false accusations by William Rhett and other supporters of the proprietors that Nicholson was improperly engaged in smuggling, he felt the need to return to England to defend himself against these charges. He returned to London in 1725,[84] carrying with him Cherokee baskets that became part of the earliest collections in the British Museum.[85]
Personal and later life
Nicholson courted the teenage
In England, Nicholson was promoted to lieutenant-general. He never married, and died in London on 5/16 March 1728/9. He was buried in the parish of St George Hanover Square.[2] A claim cited in some 19th-century biographies that he was knighted turned out to be false when his will was discovered early in the 20th century.[89]
Personality
Nicholson was notorious for his temper. He was, according to historian George Waller, "subject to fits of passion". In one story, an Indian said of Nicholson, "The general is drunk." When informed that Nicholson did not partake of strong drink, the Indian replied, "I do not mean that he is drunk with rum, he was born drunk."[72] Waller also points out that his "hasty and overmastering temper led him into great excesses".[90]
Legacy
Nicholson Hall of the
Notes
- ^ Nicholson's death was recorded in the Julian calendar as 5 March 1727; in the Gregorian calendar now in use, the date would be 16 March 1728.
- ^ a b c d e f g h McCully, Bruce (1979) [1969]. "Nicholson, Francis". In Hayne, David (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. II (1701–1740) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
- ^ Dunn, p. 61
- ^ a b Webb (1966), p. 515
- ^ a b c Dunn, p. 62
- ^ a b Dunn, p. 63
- ^ Webb (1966), p. 516
- ^ a b Dunn, p. 64
- ^ Waller, p. 53
- ^ Webb (1966), p. 520
- ^ a b Webb (1966), p. 522
- ^ Sommerville, p. 202
- ^ Sommerville, p. 203
- ^ a b Dunn, p. 65
- ^ a b Webb (1966), p. 523
- ^ Lovejoy, p. 252
- ^ Lovejoy, p. 253
- ^ Webb (1966), p. 524
- ^ a b Webb (1998), p. 202
- ^ McCormick, pp. 175–176
- ^ a b McCormick, p. 179
- ^ Lovejoy, p. 255
- ^ McCormick, p. 181
- ^ Webb (1998), p. 203
- ^ McCormick, p. 210
- ^ Sommerville, p. 217
- ^ McCormick, p. 221
- ^ Sommerville, p. 218
- ^ a b Sommerville, p. 219
- ^ Dunn, pp. 66–67
- ^ Webb (1966), p. 527
- ^ Lustig, p. 226
- ^ a b Lustig, p. 242
- ^ Lustig, p. 228
- ^ Lustig, pp. 243–244
- ^ Lustig, p. 245
- ^ Lustig, p. 246
- ISBN 9781623760199.
- ^ Childs, pp. 30–31
- ^ Riley, Elihu S. (1887). The Ancient City, A History of Annapolis in Maryland, Annapolis Record Printing Office.
- ^ Dunn, p. 69
- ^ Webb (1966), p. 534
- ^ Erickson, Mark St. John. "A daring governor shows his mettle in a bloody April 29, 1700 pirate battle". dailypress.com. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
- ^ Lustig, pp. 256–265
- ^ a b Steele, pp. 71–72
- ^ Fiske, p. 115
- ^ Steele, p. 74
- ^ Crane, p. 60
- ^ a b Crane, p. 61
- ^ Crane, pp. 62–63
- ^ Dunn, pp. 73–74
- ^ Webb (1966), p. 542
- ^ Howlson, p. 408
- ^ Howlson, pp. 409–410
- ^ Howlson, p. 411
- ^ Howlson, p. 413
- ^ Fiske, p. 130
- ^ the European theatre of which is known as the War of the Spanish Succession
- ^ a b c McCully, p. 442
- ^ Carr, p. 98
- ^ Carr, pp. 99–100
- ^ McCully, p. 443
- ^ Drake, pp. 254–255
- ^ Drake, pp. 259–261
- ^ Nicholson
- ^ Parkman, pp. 170–171
- ^ Plank, pp. 57–58
- ^ Plank, pp. 58–60
- ^ Plank, pp. 59–61
- ^ Plank, pp. 61–62
- ^ Waller, p. 255
- ^ a b Waller, p. 257
- ^ Waller, p. 258
- ^ Waller, G. M. (1979) [1969]. "Vetch, Samuel". In Hayne, David (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. II (1701–1740) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ^ Weir, pp. 101–104
- ^ a b Webb (1966), p. 547
- ^ Sirmans, p. 382
- ^ a b Weir, p. 107
- ^ Weir, p. 106
- ^ Power, p. 62
- ^ Crane, p. 112
- ^ Crane, p. 200
- ^ Weir, pp. 108–109
- ^ Weir, pp. 107,109
- ^ Hill, p. 58
- ^ ISBN 978-0-307-53867-3.
- ^ Brown, Kathleen M. "Burwell, Lucy (1683–1716)". Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ISBN 978-1-137-44230-7.
- ^ Dalton, p. 399
- ^ Waller, p. 276
- ^ "William & Mary-Botetourt Complex". wm.edu. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
References
- Carr, James Revell (2008). Seeds of Discontent: the Deep Roots of the American Revolution, 1650–1750. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing. OCLC 192082387.
- Childs, Mark (2006). Squares: A Public Place Design Guide for Urbanists. Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico Press. OCLC 150372640.
- Crane, Verner W (1956) [1929]. The Southern Frontier, 1670–1732. Ann Arbor books,4. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press. OCLC 631544711.
- Dalton, Charles (1904). English Army Lists and Commission Register, 1661–1714, Volume 6.
- Drake, Samuel Adams (1910) [1897]. The Border Wars of New England. New York: C. Scribner's Sons. OCLC 2358736.
drake border wars.
- Dunn, Randy (2007). Steele, Ian K; Rhoden, Nancy L (eds.). "Patronage and Governance in Francis Nicholson's Empire". English Atlantics Revisited. Montreal: McGill-Queen's Press: 59–80. OCLC 429487739.
- Fiske, John (1897). Old Virginia and her Neighbors. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin. OCLC 7570924.
- Hill, Sarah (1997). Weaving New Worlds: Southeastern Cherokee Women and their Basketry. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press. OCLC 35865477.
- Howlson, Robert (1846). A History of Virginia. Philadelphia: Carey and Hart. OCLC 5096254.
- Lustig, Mary Lou (2002). The Imperial Executive in America: Sir Edmund Andros, 1637–1714. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. OCLC 470360764.
- McCormick, Charles H (1989). Leisler's Rebellion. Outstanding Studies in Early American History. New York: Garland. ISBN 0-8240-6190-X.
- McCully, Bruce (July 1954). "Catastrophe in the Wilderness: New Light on the Canada Expedition of 1709". The William and Mary Quarterly. 11 (Third Series, Volume 11, No. 3): 441–456. JSTOR 1943316.
- Nicholson, Francis (1711). Journal of an Expedition Performed by the Forces of Our Soveraign Lady Anne, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Queen, Defender of the Faith, &c: Under the Command of the Honourable Francis Nicholson, General and Commander in Chief, in the year 1710 for the Reduction of Port-Royal in Nova Scotia, or any Other Place in Those Parts in America, then in Possession of the French. London: self-published. OCLC 54649836.
- Parkman, Francis (1892). A Half-Century of Conflict. Boston: Little, Brown. OCLC 767873.
- Plank, Geoffrey (2001). An Unsettled Conquest. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. OCLC 424128960.
- Power, Susan (2007). Art of the Cherokee: Prehistory to the Present. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press. OCLC 255771134.
- Sommerville, Charles (September 1909). "The Early Career of Francis Nicholson". Maryland Historical Magazine. 4 (3). OCLC 1756756.
- Sirmans, M. Eugene (July 1961). "The South Carolina Royal Council, 1720–1763". The William and Mary Quarterly. 18 (Third Series, Volume 18, No. 3): 373–392. JSTOR 1921171.
- Steele, Ian (2007). English Atlantics Revisited: Essays Honouring Professor Ian K. Steele. Montreal: McGill-Queen's Press. OCLC 86004324.
- Waller, George (1960). Samuel Vetch, Colonial Enterpriser. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press. OCLC 480181.
- Webb, Steven Saunders (October 1966). "The Strange Career of Francis Nicholson". The William and Mary Quarterly. 23 (Third Series, Volume 23, No. 4): 513–548. JSTOR 1919124.
- Webb, Stephen Saunders (1998). Lord Churchill's Coup: The Anglo-American Empire and the Glorious Revolution Reconsidered. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press. OCLC 39756272.
- Weir, Robert (1997). Colonial South Carolina: A History. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press. OCLC 36200868.
Further reading
- McCully, Bruce (October 1962). "From the North Riding to Morocco: The Early Years of Governor Francis Nicholson, 1655–1686". The William and Mary Quarterly. 19 (Third Series, Volume 19, No. 4): 534–556. JSTOR 1920162. Includes a detailed discussion of his potential ancestry and his Moroccan service.
External links
- "Archival material relating to Francis Nicholson". UK National Archives.
- Biography of Francis Nicholson at Chronicles of America (chroniclesofamerica.com)
- Francis Nicholson at blupete.com
- Francis Nicholson at carolana.com
- Francis Nicholson at Encyclopedia Virginia (encyclopediavirginia.org)
- Francis Nicholson at The Historical Marker Database (HMdb.org)
- Works by or about Francis Nicholson at Internet Archive