A126 - A Plan of Piscataqua Harbour

Unknown but in the hand of George Sproule

The plan is one of two survey plans (see also A110) of Piscataqua Harbour and Portsmouth in New Hampshire made by Holland's survey team and is of a slightly smaller scale than the previous. It provides a detailed and informative view of the important harbour with the town, settlements, roads and various important buildings, carefully delineated. The actual place where the Latitude (43°, 4', 50") was taken at Kittery Point is Sir William Pepperall's house. On a point of accuracy it is worth noting that, according to modern satellite technology, Pepperall's has latitude of 43°, 4', 59" degrees.

The survey is completed in pen and ink and finished with watercolor. The scale is 10,000 feet and a scale of 2 miles is offered. It is in the same style as other maps credited to George Sproule [1] of the same period.  A Reference Key is included in the bottom left of the plan showing such buildings as; English Church, Provence House, Governor's House, Meeting Houses, Rope Walks, Warfs and Mills, Again in a style reminiscent of other Sproule work. 

The compass rose is finished with a relatively simple Fleur des Lis with a geometric style centre unlike the more decorative flowering lily frequently used by others in the survey team.

The importance of Portsmouth to the British at the time cannot be understated. It was a centre of commerce, mainly through its ship building, lumber trade and fishing, but the British also kept a large store of munitions in the poorly-defended Fort William and Mary on New Castle Island. At a time when the British were trying to stop the import of munitions into the colonies it understandably became a potential target for American sympathisers. Portsmouth was one of the premier Loyalist havens and commercial centres in 18th century America, and had strong links to other areas of the world. At the centre of everything was the Governor John Wentworth (1737-1820). New Hampshire was run from the town by the Wentworth and his father (Benning Wentworth before him) who represented the British Kings, George II and George III, between 1717 and 1775.

At a time When political and military change came to New Hampshire, Portsmouth was at the very heart of the revolution. Finally, in 1775 Governor John Wentworth II, on discovering a mob pointing a cannon at his Pleasant Street home decided to abdicate his post and leave the town, finally ended a century-long period of British control. Most significant, regarding this particular survey,

Portsmouth was Samuel Holland's chosen location to base his survey team from 1770-1774 from where he would dispatch teams out to survey the coastline from Maine down to Cape Cod over the years. The survey ship allocated to Holland, HMS Canceaux, commanded by Lieutenant Henry Mowat was a frequent visitor to the harbour as it supplied all victuals to the team and provided transport when surveys were undertaken. At any one time Hollands survey team consisted of upto 48 men.

*[1]. British Library. K Top 120.19.  Cape Elizabeth to Kennebeck River_Sproule_c1772