John Mason
- For other persons named John Mason, see John Mason (disambiguation).
Captain John Mason (1586 – 1635) was born in Norfolk. He was a sailor, explorer, cartographer and colonizer and appointed the second Proprietary Governor of Newfoundland's Cuper's Cove colony in 1615, succeeding John Guy. Mason arrived on the island in 1616 and explored much of the territory, mapping the island for the first time and writing a book on his findings.
Mason drew up the first known English map of the island of Newfoundland. Published in William Vaughan's Cambrensium Caroleia in 1625, the map included previously established placenames as well as new ones such as Bristol's Hope and Butter Pots, near Renews. His book entitled A Briefe Discourse of the New-Found-Land with the situation, temperature, and commodities thereof, inciting our nation to go forward in the hopefull plantation begunne was published in 1620 by Mason while in England.
He returned to New England after becoming tired of mediating disputes between and among settlers and migratory fishermen. Mason ceased to be Cuper's Cove governor in 1621 and was not replaced. The colony was ultimately abandoned by its settlers, possibly as late as the early 18th century.
In 1621 Mason moved to New England and consulted with Sir William Alexander about possibly colonizing Nova Scotia. In 1622, Mason and Sir Ferdinando Gorges received a patent from the Council for New England for all the territory lying between the Merrimack and Kennebec rivers. In 1629 they divided the grant along the Piscataqua River, with Mason receiving the southern portion. The colony was recharted as the Province of New Hampshire. It included most of the southeastern part of the current state of New Hampshire, as well as portions of present-day Massachusetts north of the Merrimack.
Mason was appointed first vice-admiral of New England in 1635 but died in December of the same year as he was about to return to his plantations there.
| Preceded by: John Guy | Governor of Newfoundland 1615-1621 | Followed by: Admiral Robert Hayman |
External links
- Government House The Governorship of Newfoundland and Labrador
- Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
Categories
1586 births | 1635 deaths | History of New Hampshire | Newfoundland colonial leaders