THE DORSET COLONY IN MASSACHUSETTS. 109 



settlement, having been abandoned by Weston's people, was again 

 peopled in 1623 by Captain Robert, son of Sir Ferdinand Georges. 



Among the records of Weymouth, England, is a letter bearing 

 date October 22nd, 1621, which is thus summarised in Mr. Moule's 

 excellent Calendar : " The Mayor is to write to ' Mr. Mayor of 

 Exceter ' to ask what ' they of Exceter intend to doe touching Sr. 

 ffardinando Gorges proiect about the plantacion and ffyshinge att 

 New England.' " The family of Gorges were landowners in Dorset 

 and Somerset. Sir Ferdinand was a son of E. Gorges, Esq., of 

 Bradpole, and the Robert here referred to was in 1623 appointed 

 Governor of New England. But he soon became disgusted with 

 Wessagussett and left the place, taking with him the greater part 

 of his following. The Rev. William Morrell, a Church of England 

 clergyman, remained some little time longer, and then, failing to 

 see any hope of establishing his church in the colony, repaired to 

 Plymouth, and thence took passage for England. In the course of 

 1624 there came in other settlers from Weymouth, England, 

 accompanied, and probably led, by a Nonconformist minister 

 named Barnard. Nothing more is known of the personel of this 

 party. In 1633 it was still spoken of as a small village, though in 

 the previous year it had been taxed for general purpose to the 

 extent of <5, Boston contributing <8 and Salem ,4 10s., showing 

 the relative importance of the towns at that time. 



Probably the most important addition to the settlement at any 

 one time in the history of the town was made in 1635, when the 

 Rev. Joseph Hull obtained permission from the General Court to 

 settle at Wessagussett, with 21 families, consisting of about 100 

 persons, hailing from the port of Weymouth, and natives of the 

 district and of the neighbouring county of Somerset. On Septem- 

 ber 2nd the town was erected into a plantation, equivalent, 

 probably, to an Act of Incorporation, and the name Wessagusset, 

 or, as some have it, Wessaguscus, was changed to that of WEY- 

 MOUTH. A complete list of the followers of Hull has been 

 retained, and on being analysed it has been ascertained that out of 

 the 21 families not more than six were found to be resident in the 



