Walter Barefoote
Encyclopedia
Walter Barefoote was colonist and deputy governor of the Province of New Hampshire
. From 1685 to 1686 he served as acting governor of the province.
Little is known of his origin, although genealogists believe he may be descended from Ezekiel Culverwell, a prominent English Puritan
of the late 16th century. He came to the New World
in the 1650s, purchasing a house in Kittery, Maine
in 1658. He did not stay long in Kittery, selling the house there in 1661 and establishing a medical practice in nearby Dover, New Hampshire
in 1661. Despite his claimed Puritan family connections he was a confirmed Anglican
, opposing the Puritan rule of the New Hampshire settlements by Massachusetts Bay Colony
, and lending assistance to Quakers Puritans were trying to drive out of the province in 1662.
When the Province of New Hampshire
was chartered in 1680, Barefoote served as a deputy collector of customs during John Cutt
's administration. He was appointed a councilor of the province when Edward Cranfield
was appointed governor in 1682, He was appointed deputy governor in January 1683, and became acting governor when Cranfield left the province in 1685. He served as acting governor until the province was absorbed into the Dominion of New England
, on whose council he also sat.
His will was written in early October 1688, and was formally proven in February 1688/9. His exact date of death is presumed to fall between these dates. Family details are unknown; his will mentions neither a wife nor children.
Province of New Hampshire
The Province of New Hampshire is a name first given in 1629 to the territory between the Merrimack and Piscataqua rivers on the eastern coast of North America. It was formally organized as an English royal colony on October 7, 1691, during the period of English colonization...
. From 1685 to 1686 he served as acting governor of the province.
Little is known of his origin, although genealogists believe he may be descended from Ezekiel Culverwell, a prominent English Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
of the late 16th century. He came to the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
in the 1650s, purchasing a house in 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...
in 1658. He did not stay long in Kittery, selling the house there in 1661 and establishing a medical practice in nearby Dover, New Hampshire
Dover, New Hampshire
Dover is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, in the United States of America. The population was 29,987 at the 2010 census, the largest in the New Hampshire Seacoast region...
in 1661. Despite his claimed Puritan family connections he was a confirmed Anglican
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, opposing the Puritan rule of the New Hampshire settlements by Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts 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...
, and lending assistance to Quakers Puritans were trying to drive out of the province in 1662.
When the Province of New Hampshire
Province of New Hampshire
The Province of New Hampshire is a name first given in 1629 to the territory between the Merrimack and Piscataqua rivers on the eastern coast of North America. It was formally organized as an English royal colony on October 7, 1691, during the period of English colonization...
was chartered in 1680, Barefoote served as a deputy collector of customs during John Cutt
John Cutt
John Cutt was the first President of the Province of New Hampshire. John Cutt was born in Wales, emigrated to the colonies in 1646, and became a successful merchant and mill-owner in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He was married to Hannah Starr, daughter of Dr...
's administration. He was appointed a councilor of the province when Edward Cranfield
Edward Cranfield
Edward Cranfield was an English colonial administrator. He was governor of the Province of New Hampshire from 1682 to 1685, in an administration that was marked by hostility between Cranfield and the colonists. He left New Hampshire in 1685 for Barbados, where he was appointed commissioner of...
was appointed governor in 1682, He was appointed deputy governor in January 1683, and became acting governor when Cranfield left the province in 1685. He served as acting governor until the province was absorbed into the Dominion of New England
Dominion of New England
The Dominion of New England in America was an administrative union of English colonies in the New England region of North America. The dominion was ultimately a failure because the area it encompassed was too large for a single governor to manage...
, on whose council he also sat.
His will was written in early October 1688, and was formally proven in February 1688/9. His exact date of death is presumed to fall between these dates. Family details are unknown; his will mentions neither a wife nor children.