Richard Martyn was a leading figure in early New Hampshire

New Hampshire

New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...

, in business, church and government.

Martyn was a merchant, and in 1671, he was one of the founders of the first church in Portsmouth

Portsmouth

Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...

. He served as Selectman, as Commissioner for the Trial of Small Causes, and as Deputy to the General Court of New Hampshire. He was a Representative in 1672 and 1679, and chosen as Speaker of the House in 1692. He became Treasurer of the province by royal appointment, and later served as Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Judicature (the name of the New Hampshire Supreme Court

New Hampshire Supreme Court

The New Hampshire Supreme Court is the supreme court of the U. S. state of New Hampshire and sole appellate court of the state. The Supreme Court is seated in the state capital, Concord. The Court is composed of a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices appointed by the Governor and Executive...

at the time).