Misplaced Pages

#846153

110-495: The Manor was built between 1734 and 1737 by Joshua Blanchard for the wealthy merchant Thomas Hancock (1703–1764). It was the first house to be erected on the top of Beacon Hill west of the summit and stood alone with no westward neighbor until around 1768, when the portrait painter John Singleton Copley built a house farther down the slope. Thomas willed the property to his wife Lydia Henchman (1714–1776). She died childless, leaving it to her favorite nephew John . In its heyday it

220-561: A Lexington mansion he owned to clergyman Jonas Clarke for 476 Massachusetts pounds , having inherited it in his father's last will and testament . Thomas Hancock also sold the surrounding farmland to Clarke, which became the clergyman's main form of income. The Clarke family was related to the Hancock family by marriage, and John Hancock later took refuge in the house during the battles of Lexington and Concord . Throughout his later years, Thomas Hancock started to suffer from gout and

330-640: A brigadier general for the 1758 campaign, received in 1759 a full promotion to the position, largely through the political manoeuvring of his brother, Lord Gage . The new brigadier general was placed in command of the Albany post, serving under Major General Jeffery Amherst . In 1759, shortly after capturing Ticonderoga without a fight , General Amherst learned of the death of General John Prideaux whose expedition had captured Fort Niagara . Amherst then ordered Gage to take Prideaux's place, and to take Fort de La Présentation (also known as Fort La Galette) at

440-620: A nervous disorder , which led him to turn over control over the majority of his business affairs to his nephew, who had effectively been adopted. His mercantile interests had led Thomas Hancock to acquire a wealth of over roughly 70,000 pounds , one of the largest fortunes in the New England Colonies ; they had also made him one of the richest and best-known residents in Boston. In 1764, the Parliament of Great Britain passed

550-479: A planned expedition against Louisbourg turned back when confronted by a larger French fleet. In December 1757, Gage proposed to Loudoun the creation of a regiment of light infantry that would be better suited to woodland warfare. Loudoun approved the plan before he was recalled that month, also recommending Gage to the king for promotion to full colonel . Gage spent the winter in New Jersey, recruiting for

660-668: A stroke while entering the council chamber and died on the same day. His last will and testament deeded all properties owned by the House of Hancock to John Hancock, while Hancock Manor and his slaves went to Lydia. Included with these inheritances were thousands of acres of real estate in Eastern Massachusetts , rapidly transforming John Hancock into one of the wealthiest men in the Thirteen Colonies. After Thomas Hancock died, John gradually took less interest in

770-693: A commission as ensign . His early duties consisted of recruiting in Yorkshire. In January 1741 he purchased a lieutenant 's commission in the 1st Northampton Regiment , where he stayed until May 1742, when he transferred to Battereau's Regiment with the rank of captain-lieutenant . Gage received promotion to captain in 1743, and saw action in the War of the Austrian Succession with British forces in Flanders , where he served as aide-de-camp to

880-553: A company of French and First Nations people who were trying to set up an ambush . This skirmish began the Battle of the Monongahela , in which Braddock was mortally wounded, and George Washington distinguished himself for his courage under fire and his leadership in organising the retreat. The commander of the 44th, Colonel Sir Peter Halkett , was one of many officers killed in the battle and Gage, who temporarily took command of

990-557: A formal entrance into Massachusetts politics, taking a seat in the Governor's Council , though he "was not among its more active members." When Apthorp died in 1758, Thomas Hancock assumed total control over his deceased partner's assets, increasing his extensive wealth which was further bolstered when Daniel died in 1761 and the Henchman family properties also passed into Thomas Hancock's control as well. In 1760, Thomas Hancock sold

1100-485: A formal treaty with Johnson in July 1766. When General Amherst left North America in 1763, it was on a leave of absence from his position as commander-in-chief. In 1764, Amherst announced that he had no intention of returning to North America, at which point Gage's appointment to that post was made permanent. (Amherst retained posts as governor of Virginia and colonel of the 60th Foot, positions he only gave up in 1768 when he

1210-587: A great variety of fruit, among which were several immense mulberry -trees, dotted the garden. British soldiers pillaged the house about the time of the Battle of Lexington in April 1775; they also broke down and mutilated the fences for firewood, until a complaint by the selectmen caused General Gage to send Percy to occupy it. He remained there for some time during the Siege of Boston . That March, British officers had allegedly set an example to their men by hacking

SECTION 10

#1732776080847

1320-408: A large ornamental window. The balcony door was adorned with a cap that ended in baroque volutes . The corners and window openings were ornamented with Braintree stone, and the tiled gambrel deck roof featured a carved railing. Three dormer windows jutted out from the roof, which offered a beautiful, extensive view. The grounds were protected from the street by a low stone wall, on which was placed

1430-409: A light wooden fence with gateposts of the same material. A paved walk and a dozen granite steps with sandstone trim led to the mansion, situated at a little distance back from the street on ground elevated above it. The approach was then through a neat garden bordered with small trees and shrubbery. Before the broad front door (garnished with pillars and an ornamental door head) was a wide stone slab at

1540-606: A long-established relationship to Daniel prior to marrying Lydia, as the two worked as business partners in the paper production and Thomas had previously worked as a clerk in Daniel's bookstore; a year prior, Hancock had joined forces with Henchman and other Boston businessmen in constructing a paper mill in Milton . During this period, Thomas Hancock also ordered the construction of large mansion on Beacon Hill . After his marriage to Lydia, Thomas Hancock subsequently entered into

1650-575: A partnership with Boston merchant and slave trader Charles Apthorp . Thomas Hancock soon expanded his business interests beyond bookselling and publishing and, according to historian William Pencak, into "a general trade that soon involved the entire British empire ." He became the proprietor of a firm known as the House of Hancock, which exported rum , whale oil and fish to Europe and the West Indies, engaged in building ships and imported European books and luxury goods to Massachusetts. During

1760-434: A seat on the Governor's Council . On August 1, 1764, Thomas Hancock suffered a stroke while entering the council chamber and died. After Hancock's death, his last will and testament deeded all properties owned by the House of Hancock to his nephew John Hancock and his personal mansion to Lydia. Thomas Hancock was born on July 17, 1703, in the town of Lexington, Massachusetts . His father, The Rev. John Hancock Sr. ,

1870-616: A stately double brownstone house for their occupancy. Messrs. Ginn and Company publishers became established at No. 29 in 1901. For fifteen years their business offices fully occupied the spacious interior of the former Brewer residence which stood on the site of the Hancock Manor. In 1916 the marble extension of the Bulfinch Front of the State House to the west, and the taking of the surrounding grounds, necessitated

1980-512: A temporary place of residence in 1775. However, the mansion was left largely intact by the British (Clinton having ensured that it was scrupulously cared for) and John Hancock subsequently moved back in after they departed, using it to entertain numerous socially prominent guests. Hancock Manor continued to serve as a place of residence for John Hancock, including when he served as the governor of Massachusetts , until he died in 1793, after which

2090-714: Is too prevalent in America". He believed that town meetings should be abolished and recommended that colonisation should be limited to the coastal areas where British rule could be enforced. Gage returned to Britain in June 1773 with his family and thus missed the Boston Tea Party in December of that year. The British Parliament reacted to the Tea Party with a series of punitive measures against Massachusetts known in

2200-556: The Boston municipal government purchased most of his estate (including Hancock Manor) for 4,000 pounds. The mansion continued to stand until 1863, when two Boston businessmen demolished the house as part of a redevelopment project. This, as noted by writer Edwin M. Bacon , led to a public outcry and spurred a historic preservation movement to preserve remaining colonial-era buildings in Boston. Thomas Gage General Thomas Gage (10 March 1718/19 – 2 April 1787)

2310-515: The British Crown . In 1744, after Thomas Hancock's brother John died, his nephew (also named John) was sent to live in the Hancock household, which included several domestic servants and slaves . Since Thomas and Lydia had no children of their own, they focused their attentions on John Hancock and soon became the dominant influence in his life. After graduating from Harvard College in 1754, John Hancock started working for his uncle in

SECTION 20

#1732776080847

2420-573: The Dutch Republic and molasses from the West Indies into New England . In British America , smuggling was largely perceived by the general public as being a victimless crime , and smugglers frequently enjoyed considerable community support from government crackdowns. Hancock's smuggling businesses were continued by John, a venture which played a role in fomenting the American Revolution. In 1752, Thomas Hancock finally made

2530-672: The Earl of Albemarle in the Battle of Fontenoy . He saw further service in the Second Jacobite Uprising , which culminated in the 1746 Battle of Culloden . From 1747 to 1748, Gage saw action under Albemarle in the Low Countries . In 1748 he purchased a major 's commission and transferred to the 55th Foot Regiment (which was later renumbered to the 44th ). The regiment was stationed in Ireland from 1748 to 1755; Gage

2640-524: The French and Indian War . In 1755 Gage's regiment was sent to North America as part of General Edward Braddock 's expeditionary force , whose objective was the expulsion of French forces from the Ohio Country , territory disputed between French and British colonies where there had been military clashes in 1754. On this expedition Gage's regiment was in the vanguard of the troops when they came upon

2750-685: The French and Indian Wars , including the War of Jenkins' Ear , King George's War , and the French and Indian War , Thomas Hancock made a fortune supplying British Army and Royal Navy personnel stationed in the West Indies and North America . Despite his wealth and prominence in Bostonian society, Thomas Hancock did not seek political office during this period, though he remained in close contact with prominent politicians in North America and England, such as colonial agent Christopher Kilby, who facilitated his lucrative military contracts with

2860-749: The Mississippi River , the Gages clearly relished life in New York, actively participating in the social scene. One way he did this was by joining the American Philosophical Society in 1768 through his election. Although his position gave him the opportunity to make financial arrangements that might have lined the pockets of high-ranking officers at the expense of the military purse, there is little evidence that he engaged in any significant improper transactions. In addition to

2970-584: The North End of Boston , eventually expanding into the fledgling colonial publishing sector as well; during this period, Boston was the centre of publishing in the Thirteen Colonies , bolstered by a freedom of the press which was almost non-existent in Europe. In 1730, Thomas Hancock married Lydia Henchman, the daughter of publisher and bookseller Daniel Henchman . Thomas Hancock already held

3080-485: The Quartering Act of 1765, permitting British troops to be quartered in vacant houses, barns, and outbuildings, but not private residences. Gage's thoughts on the reasons for colonial unrest played an important role in furthering the unrest. He at first believed that the popular unrest after the 1765 Stamp Act was primarily due to a small number of colonial elites, led by those in Boston. In 1768 he recommended

3190-565: The Sugar Act to raise taxes from its American colonies . Thomas Hancock was infuriated about the act, believing it was oppressive to American businessmen; he complained to a business colleague in England that "we are worth Saving in this part of the world." In the same year, he commissioned a portrait of himself by painter John Singleton Copley , 34 years after commissioning one from John Smibert . On August 1, 1764, Thomas Hancock suffered

3300-598: The Treaty of Fort Niagara in the summer of 1764 with some of the disaffected tribes, and Colonel Bouquet negotiated a cease-fire of sorts in October 1764, which resulted in another peace treaty finalised by Johnson in 1765. In 1765, the 42nd Regiment of Foot finally got through to Fort Cavendish , the last fort still in French hands. The conflict was not fully resolved until Pontiac himself travelled to Fort Ontario and signed

3410-424: The 1755 Battle of the Monongahela . After the successful Montreal campaign in 1760, he was named military governor of the region. During this time Gage did not distinguish himself militarily, but proved himself to be a competent administrator. From 1763 to 1775, he served as commander-in-chief of British forces in North America, overseeing Britain's response to the outbreak of Pontiac's War in 1763. In 1774, Gage

Hancock Manor - Misplaced Pages Continue

3520-494: The 1763 Treaty of Paris , Gage began lobbying for another posting, as he was "very much [tired] of this cursed Climate, and I must be bribed very high to stay here any longer". In October 1763 the good news arrived that he would act as commander-in-chief of North America while Amherst was on leave in Britain. He immediately left Montreal, and took over Amherst's command in New York on 17 November 1763. When he did so, he inherited

3630-494: The British left Concord following their search (which was largely unsuccessful, as the colonists, with advance warning of the action, had removed most of the supplies), arriving colonial militia engaged the British column in a running battle back to Charlestown . The Battles of Lexington and Concord resulted in 273 total casualties for the British and 93 for the American rebels. The British expedition to Lexington and Concord

3740-542: The British to eventually take the colonial headquarters at Cambridge. The colonists were warned of these plans, and seized the initiative. On the night of 16–17 June, they fortified Breed's Hill, threatening the British position in Boston. On 17 June 1775, British forces under General Howe seized the Charlestown Peninsula at the Battle of Bunker Hill . It was a Pyrrhic victory ; Britain won but suffered more than 1,000 casualties without significantly altering

3850-653: The Canadian Forces base CFB Gagetown consequently reflects his name. In 1792, the Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada , John Graves Simcoe , renamed the archipelago of islands in the mouth of the St. Lawrence River for the victorious generals of the Conquest of Canada : Wolfe Island , Amherst Island , Howe Island , Carleton Island , and Gage Island. The last is now known as Simcoe Island . In

3960-799: The Governor's Council, though it retained the elected General Court. Gage dissolved the assembly in June 1774 after he discovered the Massachusetts representatives were sending delegates to the extralegal Continental Congress . He called for new elections to be held as per the Massachusetts Government Act, but his authority was undermined by the representatives who refused to meet with the new, appointed Governor's Council. He attempted to buy off political leaders in Massachusetts, notably Benjamin Church and Samuel Adams . With

4070-525: The Hancock Manor was sold at public auction and was purchased for $ 230. The terms of the sale were cash down and the purchaser, Willard Dalrymple, had ten days to have everything removed. The building was torn down despite public outcry and souvenirs of it were actively sought as it fell. The knocker on the front door was given to Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. , a friend of the Hancock family, who placed it on his home in Cambridge , where it remained until it too

4180-451: The House of Hancock, learning much about his uncle's businesses during this period; he was also trained for an eventual partnership in the firm. In 1755, 17 sloops jointly owned by Thomas Hancock and Apthorp were involved in transporting Acadians from Nova Scotia to French Louisiana during their forced removal by the British; other ships owned by the pair were employed as privateers during times of conflict. The conditions onboard

4290-464: The Manor for many years, described the interior and garden as follows: As you entered the governor's mansion, to the right was the drawing or reception room, with furniture of bird's-eye maple covered with rich damask . Out of this opened the dining-hall [...] in which Hancock gave the famous breakfast to Admiral D'Estaing and his officers. Opposite this was a smaller apartment, the usual dining-hall of

4400-468: The Manor while Governor ; indeed it was called the "seat of his Excellency the Governor" at the time. When d'Estaing visited, he was under a cloud for having deserted Colonial forces in Rhode Island , but the generous Hancock nevertheless entertained him hospitably. Some forty French officers dined daily at his table, and on one occasion the unusually high number of guests forced the servants to milk

4510-605: The Patriots. Given intelligence that the militia had been stockpiling weapons at Concord, Massachusetts , he ordered detachments of regulars from the Boston garrison to march there on the night of 18 April to confiscate them. A brief skirmish in Lexington scattered colonial militia forces gathered there, but in a later standoff in Concord, a portion of the British force was routed by a stronger colonial militia contingent. When

Hancock Manor - Misplaced Pages Continue

4620-622: The Powder Alarm, "If force is to be used at length, it must be a considerable one, and foreign troops must be hired, for to begin with small numbers will encourage resistance, and not terrify; and will in the end cost more blood and treasure." Edmund Burke described Gage's conflicted relationship by saying in Parliament, "An Englishman is the unfittest person on Earth to argue another Englishman into slavery." On 14 April 1775 Gage received orders from London to take decisive action against

4730-478: The age of 14. After the contract expired in 1724, Thomas Hancock eventually opened his own bookstore before expanding into the fledgling colonial publishing sector as well. In 1730, Thomas Hancock married Lydia Henchman, daughter of a business partner, the publisher and bookseller Daniel Henchman . After his marriage to Lydia, Thomas Hancock entered into a partnership with prominent Boston merchant and slave trader Charles Apthorp , eventually rising to become one of

4840-463: The assistance of his brother, was placed in command of the 22nd Regiment , which assured a command even in peacetime. By all accounts, Gage appeared to be a fair administrator, respecting people's lives and property, although he had a healthy distrust of the landowning seigneurs and of the Roman Catholic clergy, who he viewed as intriguers for the French. When peace was announced following

4950-533: The business interests of the House of Hancock, leaving the day-to-day administration of its affairs to Ezekiel Price, the secretary of the Boston branch of the Sons of Liberty . In 1771, John Hancock and Lydia were so wealthy to the point where they had 21,000 pounds combined in Massachusetts pounds (approximately 15,000 British pounds ) on loan at interest. When Lydia died in 1771, she willed Hancock Manor and

5060-426: The business up. A small body acting in one spot will not avail, you must have large armies making diversions on different sides, to divide their force. The loss we have sustained is greater than we can bear. Small armies cannot afford such losses, especially when the advantage gained tends to do little more than the gaining of a post. On 25 June 1775, Gage wrote a dispatch to Great Britain, notifying Lord Dartmouth of

5170-501: The city to secure objects found inside the building. The heirs offered the mansion, with the pictures and some other objects of historical interest, as a free gift, with the intent of preserving it as a memento of Colonial and Revolutionary history. A scheme for its removal and re-erection elsewhere failed; the Legislature did not want to invest $ 12,000 to have the house transferred to another location. On June 16, 1863, at one o'clock,

5280-527: The colonies as the Intolerable Acts . Some of the terms of those acts, for example the option to remove political trials to England, originated with Gage, and measures such as curbing the activities of town meetings and withholding representative government from the Ohio Country also show his influence. With his military experience and relative youth (Massachusetts governor Thomas Hutchinson

5390-483: The confiscation of war-making materials. In September 1774, he ordered a mission to remove provincial gunpowder from a magazine in what is now Somerville , Massachusetts. This action, although successful, caused a huge popular reaction known as the Powder Alarm , resulting in the mobilization of thousands of provincial militiamen who marched towards Cambridge, Massachusetts . Although the militia soon dispersed,

5500-435: The cows on Boston Common (although these belonged to other owners). Brissot was astonished that Hancock was friends with Nathaniel Balch, a humorous hatter. It appears that the dying governor called Balch to his bedside and dictated to him the minutes of his will, in which he gave the Manor to the Massachusetts government. However, he died before his will could be properly drawn up. In 1795, two years after John Hancock's death,

5610-525: The deployment of two regiments to occupy Boston, a move that further inflamed the city. Among the troops quartered in the city was the 29th Regiment of Foot , which had previously clashed with colonists in Quebec and New York, and had a reputation for poor discipline. This occupation eventually led to the Boston Massacre in 1770. Later that year he wrote that "America is a mere bully, from one end to

SECTION 50

#1732776080847

5720-409: The efforts of Loyalists to recover losses incurred when they were forced to leave the colonies, notably confirming the activities of Benjamin Church to further his widow's claims for compensation. He received visitors at Portland Place and at Firle, including Frederick Haldimand and Thomas Hutchinson. His health began to decline early in the 1780s. Gage died at Portland Place on 2 April 1787, and

5830-631: The elimination of Hancock Avenue (a footway connecting Beacon and Mt. Vernon streets) and the removal of several of the houses, including 29 and 30 Beacon St. The Hancock Manor's demolition spurred a historic preservation movement that would help save buildings like the Old South Meeting House , the Old State House and the Hancock-Clarke House within the next few decades. An 18" x 21" bronze plaque, located on

5940-496: The entrance hall, in which Hancock's body had lain in state for eight days, continued to open upon the broad staircase. It contained many of the furnishings and decorations of his time, with the family portraits by Copley and Smybert . State action failing, the land which it occupied was sold for $ 125,000 on February 18, 1863, during the Civil War . For some months it served as a museum of historical relics and efforts were made by

6050-631: The family eventually settled into a house on Portland Place in London. Although he was presumably given a friendly reception in his interview with a sympathetic King George, the public and private writings about him and his fall from power were at times vicious. One correspondent wrote that Gage had "run his race of glory ... let him alone to the hell of his own conscience and the infamy which must inevitably attend him!" Others were kinder; New Hampshire Governor Benning Wentworth characterised him as "a good and wise man ... surrounded by difficulties." Gage

6160-631: The family's long history of Catholicism , Viscount Gage had adopted the Anglican Church in 1715. During his school years Thomas the younger became firmly attached to the latter church; he eventually developed a dislike for the Roman Catholic Church that became evident in later years. After he left Westminster School in 1736, there are no records of Gage's activities until he joined the British Army , eventually receiving

6270-530: The family; next adjoining were the china -room and offices, with coach-house and barn behind. At the left of the entrance was a second saloon, or family drawing-room, the walls covered with crimson paper. The upper and lower halls were hung with pictures of game, hunting-scenes, and other subjects. Passing through this hall, another flight of steps led through the garden to a small summer-house close to Mt. Vernon Street. The grounds were laid out in ornamental flower-beds bordered with box ; box-trees of large size, with

6380-481: The fences with their swords, breaking windows, etc. A few days later Hancock was again disturbed by the redcoats, who refused to leave the premises at his request and mockingly told him his possessions would soon be theirs. The Hancock Manor became the headquarters of General Henry Clinton while he remained in Boston; he took command at Charlestown in September 1775. Both house and stables were in part occupied by

6490-463: The fleet that continued to control the harbour. On 25 May, 4,500 reinforcements arrived in the city, along with three more generals: Major General William Howe and Brigadiers John Burgoyne and Henry Clinton . On 14 June, Gage issued a proclamation, believed to have been written by Burgoyne but distributed in Gage's name, granting a general pardon to all who would demonstrate loyalty to the crown—with

6600-484: The forces in Boston, while General Guy Carleton was given command of the forces in Quebec. Although King George wanted to reward his "mild general" for his service, Gage's sole reward after Lord George Germain (who succeeded Dartmouth as the Secretary of State for North America) formally gave his command to Howe in April 1776 was that he retained the governorship of Massachusetts. On the Gages' return to England,

6710-482: The former he was successful—Church secretly supplied him with intelligence on the activities of rebel leaders—but Adams and other rebel leaders were not moved. In September 1774 Gage withdrew his garrisons from New York City, New Jersey, Philadelphia , Halifax and Newfoundland and brought all under his wing in Boston together with a large British naval presence under the control of Admiral Samuel Graves . He also sought to strictly enforce army directives calling for

SECTION 60

#1732776080847

6820-617: The formerly French Pays d'en Haut to rise against the British. In May 1763, under the leadership of the Odawa leader Pontiac , they launched a series of attacks on lightly garrisoned British frontier forts, successfully driving the British from some, threatening others, and also terrorising British settlers in those areas. Hoping to end the conflict diplomatically, Gage ordered Colonel John Bradstreet and Colonel Henry Bouquet out on military expeditions and also ordered Sir William Johnson to engage in peace negotiations. Johnson negotiated

6930-472: The government, Amherst was incensed at the failure, and Gage's troops were in the rear of Amherst's army in the 1760 expedition that resulted in Montreal's surrender. After the French surrender, Amherst named Gage the military Governor of Montreal , a task Gage found somewhat thankless, because it involved the minute details of municipal governance along with the administration of the military occupation. He

7040-563: The handsome sum of £10 per day as commander-in-chief, he received a variety of other stipends, including his colonel's salary, given for leading his regiment. These funds made it possible to send all of the Gage children (at least six of whom survived to adulthood) to school in England. If Gage did not dip his hand unnecessarily in the public till, he did engage in the relatively common practices of nepotism and political favouritism. In addition to securing advantageous positions for several people named Gage or Kemble, he also apparently assisted in

7150-457: The head of a flight of stone steps. A wooden hall, designed for festive occasions, sixty feet in length, was joined to the northern wing; this was moved to Allen Street in 1818. The east wing contained a great ballroom; the west was used for the kitchen and other domestic offices; beyond this lay the coach house and adjoining stable. The interior comprised a nobly paneled hall, having a broad staircase with carved and twisted balusters, which divided

7260-412: The house in the middle and extended through on both stories from front to rear. On the landing, partway up the staircase, was the circular-headed window that looked out upon the garden and the city, with a broad and capacious window seat. On the entrance floor, at the right of the hall, was the great dining room, 17' × 25', also elaborately paneled from floor to ceiling. Miss Eliza G. Gardner, who lived in

7370-520: The household slaves she had inherited from her husband to John Hancock, as she died childless. During this period, John Hancock become one of the leading figures of colonial resistance to British policies; as historian William Pencak noted, "ironically, he spent much of his inherited fortune funding resistance to British authority, thereby undermining the imperial connection that had been its source." The household slaves continued to be owned by John Hancock, though they were eventually emancipated through

7480-690: The iron wall below the State House's marble west wing, indicates the mansion's former location. It reads: "Here stood the residence of John Hancock, a prominent and patriotic Merchant of Boston, the first Signer of the Declaration of American Independence, and First Governor of Massachusetts, under the State Constitution". A replica of the building, known as the Hancock House , was constructed in Ticonderoga, New York in 1926 from

7590-406: The job of dealing with the outbreak of Pontiac's War . Following the conquest of New France, Amherst, who had little respect for the First Nations , instituted policies that severely hampered Anglo-Indian relations, principally forbidding the sale of ammunition to them. Combined with widespread concern about British expansion into their territories, this prompted the tribes of the Ohio Country and

7700-420: The leading merchants in the city. Thomas Hancock soon expanded his business interests into a broad variety of mercantile sectors, becoming the proprietor of the House of Hancock, which exported rum , whale oil and fish, built ships , and imported books and luxury goods . In 1752, Thomas Hancock formally became involved Massachusetts politics after abstaining from political affairs for most of his life, taking

7810-429: The mouth of the Oswegatchie River on Lake Ontario. When Amherst learned that the French had also abandoned Fort St. Frédéric , he sent a messenger after Gage with more explicit instructions to capture La Galette and then, if at all possible, to advance on Montreal. When Gage arrived at Oswego, which had been captured in July by troops under Frederick Haldimand 's command, he surveyed the situation, and decided that it

7920-716: The newly raised 80th Regiment of Light-Armed Foot , the "first definitely light-armed regiment in the British army." While it is uncertain exactly when he met the Kembles, his choice of the Brunswick area may well have been motivated by his interest in Margaret Kemble , a well-known beauty of the area, a descendant of the Schuyler family , and the granddaughter of New York Mayor Stephanus Van Cortlandt . Recruiting and courtship were both successful. By February 1758 Gage

8030-507: The notable exceptions of John Hancock and Samuel Adams. Gage also worked with the newly arrived generals on a plan to break the grip of the besieging forces. They would use an amphibious assault to take control of the unoccupied Dorchester Heights , which would be followed up by an attack on the rebel camp at Roxbury . They would then seize the heights on the Charlestown peninsula, including Breed's Hill and Bunker Hill. This would allow

8140-486: The original plans, for use as a museum; it is still in use, presently as the home of the Ticonderoga Historical Society. 42°21′27″N 71°3′51″W  /  42.35750°N 71.06417°W  / 42.35750; -71.06417 Thomas Hancock (merchant) Thomas Hancock (July 17, 1703 – August 1, 1764) was an American merchant and politician best known for being

8250-441: The other person was his wife, Margaret Kemble Gage , who was an American, and that she may have passed on this information to Warren. Following Lexington and Concord, thousands of colonial militia surrounded the city, beginning the Siege of Boston . At first, the rebels (led mainly by Massachusetts General Artemas Ward ) faced some 4,000 British regulars, who were bottled up in the city. British Admiral Samuel Graves commanded

8360-468: The other, and the Bostonians by far the greatest bullies." Gage later came to change his opinion about the source of the unrest, believing that democracy was a significant threat. He saw the movement of colonists into the interior, beyond effective Crown control, and the development of the town meeting as a means of local governance as major elements of the threat, and wrote in 1772 that "democracy

8470-440: The placement of some of his friends and political supporters, or their children. During Gage's administration, political tensions rose throughout the American colonies. As a result, Gage began withdrawing troops from the frontier to fortify urban centres like New York City and Boston. As the number of soldiers stationed in cities grew, the need to provide adequate food and housing for these troops became urgent. Parliament passed

8580-425: The qualities of your heart." Gage also made some important political connections, forming relationships with important figures like Lord Barrington , the future Secretary at War , and Jeffery Amherst , a man roughly his age who rose to great heights in the French and Indian War . In 1750, Gage became engaged to a "lady of rank and fortune, whom he persuaded to yield her hand in an honourable way". The engagement

8690-516: The regiment, was slightly wounded. The regiment was decimated, and Captain Robert Orme (General Braddock's aide-de-camp) levelled charges that poor field tactics on the part of Gage had led to the defeat; as a result of his accusations Gage was denied permanent command of the 44th Regiment. Gage and Washington maintained a somewhat friendly relationship for several years after the expedition, but distance and lack of frequent contact likely cooled

8800-467: The relationship. By 1770, Washington was publicly condemning Gage's actions in asserting British authority in Massachusetts . In the summer of 1756 Gage served as second-in-command of a failed expedition to resupply Fort Oswego , which fell to the French while the expedition was en route. The following year, he was assigned to Captain-General John Campbell Loudoun in Halifax , Nova Scotia , where

8910-589: The results of the battle on 17 June. Three days after his report arrived in England, Dartmouth issued the order recalling Gage and replacing him with William Howe. The rapidity of this action is likely attributable to the fact that people within the government were already arguing for Gage's removal, and the battle was just the final straw. Gage received the order in Boston on 26 September, and set sail for England on 11 October. The nature of Dartmouth's recall order did not actually strip Gage of his offices immediately. William Howe temporarily replaced him as commander of

9020-448: The rural districts and was defeated. A suggestion was also offered to make it a museum for the collection of Revolutionary relics. Though it had fallen into neglect, the house was excellently preserved: the interior woodwork was sound, the chamber of Lafayette remained as when he slept in it, the apartment in which Hancock died was intact; the audience hall was the same in which Washington, d'Estaing, Brissot, Percy, and many more had stood;

9130-440: The show of force on the part of the provincials had a lasting effect on Gage, and he subsequently grew more cautious in his actions. The rapid response of the provincials was in large part due to Paul Revere and the Sons of Liberty . The Sons of Liberty kept careful watch over Gage's activities and successfully warned others of future actions before Gage could mobilise his British regulars to execute them. A Committee of Safety

9240-510: The sloops transporting Acadians were abysmal; American historian Mark Peterson describes them as being "fitted out in the manner of slave ships for the large number of expected deportees, to carry Acadians wherever the British authorities might choose to send them." Despite their close contacts with the British Crown, Thomas Hancock also supplemented his regular businesses by smuggling goods such as tea , paper , and sailcloth from

9350-407: The south to near Derne Street on the north. The family farm went up the side of the then existing peak of Beacon Hill where the State House annex now stands. Slaves lived on the property. The Manor's brown stone walls were massive (the front was 56' in length), made of Quincy granite obtained from the surface, squared and well hammered. A balcony projected over the entrance door, upon which opened

9460-450: The state of the siege. Henry Clinton called it "[a] dear bought victory, another such would have ruined us", while other officers noted that nothing had been gained in the victory. Gage himself wrote the Secretary at War: These people show a spirit and conduct against us they never showed against the French.... They are now spirited up by a rage and enthusiasm as great as ever people were possessed of and you must proceed in earnest or give

9570-535: The terms of Thomas Hancock's last will and testament; Cato and his wife, the last who remained enslaved, were emancipated by John Hancock in the 1770s. When the American Revolutionary War broke out, the mansion that Thomas Hancock had built for himself was pillaged by British Army soldiers during the battles of Lexington and Concord. It was subsequently occupied by British general Sir Henry Clinton and his field staff, for whom it served as

9680-563: The town of Boston purchased most of the estate for £ 4,000 and designated the pasture land as the site of the state's future capitol. In 1859, Governor Nathaniel Banks proposed that the Commonwealth should purchase it for a governor's mansion, and the heirs offered it at a low valuation of $ 100,000. An influential joint committee of the Legislature reported favorably upon the measure, but it met with strong opposition from

9790-471: The uncle of Founding Father and statesman John Hancock . The son of an Anglican preacher, Thomas Hancock rose from obscurity to become one of the wealthiest businessmen in colonial Massachusetts , accumulating a 70,000 pound fortune over the course of his lifetime and becoming the proprietor of his own mercantile firm. Born in Lexington, Massachusetts , Thomas Hancock became apprenticed to Boston bookseller Samuel Gerrish as an indentured servant at

9900-500: The war. The arrest was based on flimsy evidence that Rogers might have been engaging in a treasonous relationship with the French; he was acquitted in a 1768 court martial. Gage spent most of his time as commander-in-chief, the most powerful office in British America , in and around New York City. Although Gage was burdened by the administrative demands of managing a territory that spanned the entirety of North America east of

10010-446: The wounded from Bunker Hill . The house, however, remained relatively intact during the occupation, the furniture showing little signs of damage and the paintings none. It was in this center of Colonial society that Hancock entertained d'Estaing in 1778, Lafayette in 1781, George Washington in 1789, Jacques Pierre Brissot , and later Lords Stanley and Wortley, and Labouchière and Bougainville . Hancock himself continued to live in

10120-535: Was a British Army officer and colonial administrator best known for his many years of service in North America, including serving as Commander-in-Chief, North America during the early days of the American Revolution . Being born into an aristocratic family in England, he entered the Army and saw action in the French and Indian War , where Gage served alongside his future opponent George Washington in

10230-448: Was a noted nobleman given titles in Ireland. Thomas Gage (the elder) had three children, of whom Thomas was the second. The first son, William Hall Gage, 2nd Viscount Gage , was born 6 January 1717/18 and christened 29 January 1717/18, also at Westminster St James. In 1728 Gage began attending the prestigious Westminster School where he met such figures as John Burgoyne , Richard Howe , Francis Bernard , and George Germain . Despite

10340-551: Was also appointed the military governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay , with instructions to implement the Intolerable Acts , punishing Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party . His attempts to seize the military stores of Patriot militias in April 1775 sparked the battles of Lexington and Concord , beginning the American War of Independence . After Britain's pyrrhic victory in the Battle of Bunker Hill in June, he

10450-544: Was also forced to deal with civil litigation, and manage trade with the First Nations in the Great Lakes region, where traders disputed territorial claims, and quarrelled with the First Nations . Margaret came to stay with him in Montreal and that is where his first two children, Harry, the future 3rd Viscount Gage , and Maria Theresa, were born. In 1761, he was promoted to major general, and in 1762, again with

10560-454: Was also tasked with sounding the alarm for local militias if Gage were spotted sending significant numbers of British troops outside of Boston. Gage was criticised for allowing groups like the Sons of Liberty to exist. One of his officers, Lord Percy , remarked, "The general's great lenity and moderation serve only to make them [the colonists] more daring and insolent." Gage himself wrote after

10670-677: Was an Anglican clergyman who after a one-year stint of preaching in Medford was invited in 1697 to serve as the town preacher of Lexington; Hancock Sr. served as preacher there for 55 years until his death in 1752. Thomas Hancock's mother, Elizabeth Clarke, died two years after her husband in 1760. In 1717, when Thomas Hancock was 14 years old, he was apprenticed to Boston bookseller Samuel Gerrish as an indentured servant , with his contract stipulating that he remain working under Gerrish until 1724. After his indenture contract with Gerrish expired, Thomas Hancock soon opened his own bookstore in

10780-405: Was briefly reactivated to duty in April 1781, when Amherst appointed him to mobilise troops for a possible French invasion. The next year, Gage assumed command of the 17th Light Dragoons . He was promoted to full general on 20 November 1782, and later transferred to command the 11th Dragoons . As the war machinery was reduced in the mid-1780s, Gage's military activities declined. He supported

10890-470: Was buried in the family plot at Firle . His wife survived him by almost 37 years. His son Henry inherited the family title upon the death of Gage's brother William, and became one of the wealthiest men in England. His youngest son, William Hall Gage , became an admiral in the Royal Navy , and all three daughters married into well-known families. Gagetown, New Brunswick was named in his honour;

11000-431: Was considered the finest house in the entire Province of Massachusetts Bay and belonged to Boston's richest family. A three-story granite mansion, it overlooked the pastureland of Boston Common . It was surrounded by a family estate that included various outbuildings, gardens, orchards, fruit-tree nurseries, and pastures, and extended from today's Joy Street on the west to Park Street on the east and from Beacon Street on

11110-462: Was demolished. The flight of stone steps which led up to the entrance was purchased at the public auction and relocated to the outside of Pinebank Mansion in Jamaica Plain. The mansion was demolished in 2007, but the steps were kept and refurbished the following year. The purchasers of the land, James Madison Beebe (No. 30) and Gardner Brewer (No. 29), two leading Boston merchants, erected

11220-410: Was eventually broken, leaving Gage broken-hearted. In 1753, both Gage and his father stood for seats in Parliament. Both lost in the April 1754 election, even though his father had been a Member of Parliament for some years prior. They both contested the results, but his father died soon after, and Gage withdrew his protest in early 1755, as his regiment was being sent to America following the outbreak of

11330-512: Was in Albany , preparing for that year's campaign, and he and Margaret were married on 8 December of that year. The campaign for which Gage went to Albany culminated in the disastrous Battle of Carillon , in which 16,000 British forces were defeated by barely 4,000 French forces. Gage, whose regiment was in the British vanguard, was again wounded in that battle, in which the British suffered more than 2,000 casualties. Gage, who had been brevetted

11440-556: Was met with little pomp and circumstance, but was generally well received at first as Bostonians were happy to see Hutchinson go. Local attitudes toward him rapidly deteriorated as he began implementing the various acts, including the Boston Port Act , which put many people out of work, and the Massachusetts Government Act , which formally rescinded the provincial assembly's right to nominate members of

11550-446: Was not prudent to move against La Galette. Expected reinforcements from Fort Duquesne had not arrived, the French military strength at La Galette was unknown, and its strength near Montreal was believed to be relatively high. Gage, believing an attack on La Galette would not gain any significant advantage, decided against action, and sent Amherst a message outlining his reasons. Although there was no immediate censure from either Amherst or

11660-526: Was promoted to lieutenant colonel in March 1751. During his early service years, he spent leisure time at White's Club , where he was a member, and occasionally travelled, going at least as far as Paris. He was a popular figure in the army and at the club, even though he neither liked alcohol nor gambled very much. His friendships spanned class and ability. Charles Lee once wrote to Gage, "I respected your understanding, lik'd your manners and perfectly ador'd

11770-451: Was replaced by General William Howe in October 1775, and returned to England where he died in 1787. Thomas Gage was born on 10 March 1718/19 at Firle and christened 31 March 1719 at Westminster St James, Middlesex, England, son of Thomas Gage, 1st Viscount Gage , and Benedicta Maria Teresa Hall. Firle Place , Firle , Sussex , is where the Gage family had been seated since the 15th century. His father, Thomas Gage, 1st Viscount Gage ,

11880-421: Was required to actually go to Virginia or give up the post.) Intrigues of other high-ranking officers, especially Robert Monckton and his supporters, for his offices, continued throughout his tenure as commander-in-chief. Gage was promoted to lieutenant general in 1771. In 1767 Gage ordered the arrest of Major Robert Rogers , the former leader of Rogers' Rangers who Gage had come to dislike and distrust during

11990-418: Was supposed to have been a "profound secret," but nevertheless Sons of Liberty leader Joseph Warren found out about it. He then dispatched Paul Revere and William Dawes to warn the colonists, which resulted in the Battle of Lexington and Concord , and starting the American War of Independence . Gage had told his plans to only his second-in-command and "one other person." There is evidence to suggest that

12100-774: Was then 62 years old and unpopular, and the equally unpopular lieutenant governor Andrew Oliver was 67 in 1773 and died in March 1774), Gage, a popular figure on both sides of the Atlantic, was deemed the best man to handle the brewing crisis and enforce the Parliamentary acts. In early 1774, he was appointed military governor of Massachusetts, replacing Hutchinson. He arrived from Britain in early May, first stopping at Castle William on Castle Island in Boston Harbour. He then arrived in Boston on 13 May 1774, having been carried there by HMS  Lively . His arrival

#846153