Thomas Temple
Encyclopedia
Sir Thomas Temple, 1st Baronet (January 1613/14 at Stowe, Buckinghamshire
, England – 27 March 1674 at Ealing
, Middlesex
) was a British proprietor, governor of Acadia/ Nova Scotia
(1657–70). In 1662, he was appointed a Baronet of Nova Scotia by Charles II.
He was the second son of Sir John Temple of Stanton Bury and his first wife Dorothy, daughter of Edmund Lee, and a grandson of Sir Thomas Temple, 1st Baronet, of Stowe
. According to a pedigree compiled in the 17th century, Sir Thomas was a descendent of the renowned Lady Godiva
of Coventry
, however this descent was debunked by E. A. Freeman in the 19th century. Sir Thomas Temple was the great nephew of Lord Saye and Sele
. Temple's cousins, Nathaniel Fiennes
and John Fiennes were prominent supporter of parliament in the Civil War and members of Cromwell
's Council of State. Both were appointed to Cromwell's House of Lords.
colony mint, Charles II of England
, with much anger questioned Sir Thomas Temple, who was the first agent officially dispatched by the General Court to London. King Charles asked why this American Colony presumed to invade His Majesty's rights by coining money. Then ensued a long discussion between the king and Sir Thomas on the Pine Tree shilling coinage.
The first trading post at present-day Jemseg, New Brunswick
was built near the mouth of the Jemseg river in 1659 by Col. Thomas Temple. This was a fortified post convenient for trade with the Maliseet Indians.
Temple had his headquarters at Penobscot (present day Castine, Maine
), keeping garrisons at Port Royal
and at St. John
. It was during this time that the La Tour fort at the mouth of the St. John River was abandoned in favour of a new fort at Jemseg, fifty miles or so up the river. At Jemseg, occupiers were put out of the way of seagoing pirates. Jemseg was also a better place to trade with the descending river Indians.
With the Treaty of Breda in 1667, in North America
, Acadia
was returned to France, without specifying what territories were actually involved on the ground. Thomas Temple, the proprietor, residing in Boston, had been given a charter by Cromwell
, which was ignored in the treaty, and the actual handing off was delayed at the site until 1670.
Temple had governed Acadia for nine years, from the time he bought his rights from La Tour in 1656, until he was ordered by the British crown to hand over his rights to the French by the Treaty of Breda.
From 1667 to 1670 Temple lived in Boston
and continued to seek recompense from the king for his expenses and losses in Nova Scotia.
He prospered after settling in Boston. He gained property there while still living in Nova Scotia, being very active in commerce, especially real estate. He was prominent among those who attempted to develop some of the Boston Harbor Islands
, and he had leased Deer Island
.
Temple moved to London
before his death. He was buried at Ealing, Middlesex. His will left the bulk of his estate to his nephew, John Nelson
of Boston.
Stowe, Buckinghamshire
Stowe is a civil parish and former village about northwest of Buckingham in the Aylesbury Vale district of Buckinghamshire, England. The parish includes the hamlets of Boycott, Dadford and Lamport....
, England – 27 March 1674 at Ealing
Municipal Borough of Ealing
Ealing was a local government district from 1863 to 1965 around the town of Ealing.A local board of health was formed for the southern part of the parish of Ealing, Middlesex, in 1863. In 1873 the board's area was extended to the rest of the parish....
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
) was a British proprietor, governor of Acadia/ Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
(1657–70). In 1662, he was appointed a Baronet of Nova Scotia by Charles II.
He was the second son of Sir John Temple of Stanton Bury and his first wife Dorothy, daughter of Edmund Lee, and a grandson of Sir Thomas Temple, 1st Baronet, of Stowe
Sir Thomas Temple, 1st Baronet, of Stowe
Sir Thomas Temple, 1st Baronet , was an English landowner and Member of Parliament.-Early life:Temple was born at Burton Dassett in Warwickshire, the eldest son of John Temple and Susan . As a child he moved with his father to Stowe House in Buckinghamshire...
. According to a pedigree compiled in the 17th century, Sir Thomas was a descendent of the renowned Lady Godiva
Lady Godiva
Godiva , often referred to as Lady Godiva , was an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of Coventry in order to gain a remission of the oppressive taxation imposed by her husband on his tenants...
of Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
, however this descent was debunked by E. A. Freeman in the 19th century. Sir Thomas Temple was the great nephew of Lord Saye and Sele
William Fiennes, 1st Viscount Saye and Sele
William Fiennes, 1st Viscount Saye and Sele was born at the family home of Broughton Castle near Banbury, in Oxfordshire. He was the only son of Richard Fiennes, seventh Baron Saye and Sele...
. Temple's cousins, Nathaniel Fiennes
Nathaniel Fiennes
Nathaniel Fiennes was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1640 and 1659...
and John Fiennes were prominent supporter of parliament in the Civil War and members of 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....
's Council of State. Both were appointed to Cromwell's House of Lords.
Sir Thomas Temple in North America
Soon after the starting of the unchartered Massachusetts Bay ColonyMassachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
colony mint, Charles II of England
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
, with much anger questioned Sir Thomas Temple, who was the first agent officially dispatched by the General Court to London. King Charles asked why this American Colony presumed to invade His Majesty's rights by coining money. Then ensued a long discussion between the king and Sir Thomas on the Pine Tree shilling coinage.
The first trading post at present-day Jemseg, New Brunswick
Jemseg, New Brunswick
Jemseg is a Canadian rural community in Queens County, New Brunswick. It is located on the east bank of the Jemseg River along its short run from Grand Lake to the Saint John River...
was built near the mouth of the Jemseg river in 1659 by Col. Thomas Temple. This was a fortified post convenient for trade with the Maliseet Indians.
Temple had his headquarters at Penobscot (present day Castine, Maine
Castine, Maine
Castine is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States and was once the capital of Acadia . The population was 1,343 at the 2000 census. Castine is the home of Maine Maritime Academy, a four-year institution that graduates officers and engineers for the United States Merchant Marine and marine...
), keeping garrisons at Port Royal
Port Royal, Nova Scotia
Port Royal was the capital of Acadia from 1605 to 1710 and is now a town called Annapolis Royal in the western part of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Initially Port Royal was located on the north shore of the Annapolis Basin, Nova Scotia, at the site of the present reconstruction of the...
and at St. John
Saint John, New Brunswick
City of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043...
. It was during this time that the La Tour fort at the mouth of the St. John River was abandoned in favour of a new fort at Jemseg, fifty miles or so up the river. At Jemseg, occupiers were put out of the way of seagoing pirates. Jemseg was also a better place to trade with the descending river Indians.
With the Treaty of Breda in 1667, in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Acadia
Acadia
Acadia was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empire of New France, in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and modern-day Maine. At the end of the 16th century, France claimed territory stretching as far south as...
was returned to France, without specifying what territories were actually involved on the ground. Thomas Temple, the proprietor, residing in Boston, had been given a charter by 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....
, which was ignored in the treaty, and the actual handing off was delayed at the site until 1670.
Temple had governed Acadia for nine years, from the time he bought his rights from La Tour in 1656, until he was ordered by the British crown to hand over his rights to the French by the Treaty of Breda.
From 1667 to 1670 Temple lived in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and continued to seek recompense from the king for his expenses and losses in Nova Scotia.
He prospered after settling in Boston. He gained property there while still living in Nova Scotia, being very active in commerce, especially real estate. He was prominent among those who attempted to develop some of the Boston Harbor Islands
Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
The Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area is a National Recreation Area situated among the islands of Boston Harbor of Boston, Massachusetts. The area is made up of a collection of islands, together with a former island and a peninsula, many of which are open for public recreation and some...
, and he had leased Deer Island
Deer Island (Massachusetts)
Deer Island is a peninsula in Boston Harbor, Massachusetts. Since 1996 it is part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. Although still an island by name, Deer Island has been connected to the mainland since the former Shirley Gut channel, which once separated the island from the...
.
Temple moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
before his death. He was buried at Ealing, Middlesex. His will left the bulk of his estate to his nephew, John Nelson
John Nelson (merchant)
John Nelson was an English colonial merchant, trader, and statesman, active in New England.-Early life:John Nelson was born near London, England in 1654 to Robert and Mary Nelson...
of Boston.
External links
- Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
- "Temple, Thomas, 1614-1674. Correspondence concerning Nova Scotia: Guide". Houghton Library, Harvard College Library. There is much correspondence between Temple and his nephew, prominent Bostonian, John Nelson.