John Treworgie
Encyclopedia
John Treworgie was the last Proprietary Governor
of Newfoundland. Treworgie had worked as an agent at a Kittery, Maine
trading post
from 1635 to 1650. In 1651 he was named as one of a party of six sent to Newfoundland to arrest Sir David Kirke
who had been accused of withholding taxes collected on behalf of the crown and otherwise violating the royal charter
which granted him the governorship of Newfoundland. His party was also ordered to administer the fishery and collect taxes on fish and oil from foreign fishermen. He remained after the arrest of Kirke and was named governor by the English
government and given authority over both migratory fisherman and colonists and ordered to fortify the colony. John Treworgie was the son of James Treworgie (or Treworgy), the son-in-law of Alexander Shapleigh, a Devonshire merchant and fisheries owner who founded Kittery, Maine. John Treworgie was the brother-in-law of Hon. John Gilman of Exeter, New Hampshire
.
In 1654 Treworgie and two other commissioners were arrested for illegally taking possession of David Kirke's property and was found guilty. Oliver Cromwell
ordered a second trial which cleared him and Treworgie continued as governor until 1660.
In 1660, he asked for another term as governor but the legal conflict between Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore
and the Kirke family over ownership of Newfoundland complicated matters and it is unlikely Treworgie ever returned to the island.
Proprietary Governor
Proprietary Governors were individuals authorized to govern proprietary colonies. Under the proprietary system, individuals or companies were granted commercial charters by the King of England to establish colonies. These proprietors then selected the governors and other officials in the colony....
of Newfoundland. Treworgie had worked as an agent at a Kittery, Maine
Kittery, Maine
Kittery is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 9,543 at the 2000 census. Home to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on Seavey's Island, Kittery includes Badger's Island, the seaside district of Kittery Point, and part of the Isles of Shoals...
trading post
Trading post
A trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....
from 1635 to 1650. In 1651 he was named as one of a party of six sent to Newfoundland to arrest Sir David Kirke
David Kirke
Sir David Kirke was an adventurer, colonizer and governor for the king of England. Kirke was the son of Gervase Kirke, a wealthy London-based Scottish merchant, who had married a Huguenot woman, Elizabeth Goudon, and was raised in Dieppe, in Normandy.In 1627 Kirke's father and several London...
who had been accused of withholding taxes collected on behalf of the crown and otherwise violating the royal charter
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
which granted him the governorship of Newfoundland. His party was also ordered to administer the fishery and collect taxes on fish and oil from foreign fishermen. He remained after the arrest of Kirke and was named governor by the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
government and given authority over both migratory fisherman and colonists and ordered to fortify the colony. John Treworgie was the son of James Treworgie (or Treworgy), the son-in-law of Alexander Shapleigh, a Devonshire merchant and fisheries owner who founded Kittery, Maine. John Treworgie was the brother-in-law of Hon. John Gilman of Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The town's population was 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood...
.
In 1654 Treworgie and two other commissioners were arrested for illegally taking possession of David Kirke's property and was found guilty. Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
ordered a second trial which cleared him and Treworgie continued as governor until 1660.
In 1660, he asked for another term as governor but the legal conflict between Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore
Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore
Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, 1st Proprietor and 1st Proprietary Governor of Maryland, 9th Proprietary Governor of Newfoundland , was an English peer who was the first proprietor of the Province of Maryland. He received the proprietorship after the death of his father, George Calvert, the...
and the Kirke family over ownership of Newfoundland complicated matters and it is unlikely Treworgie ever returned to the island.