Matthias Nicoll (1630 – December 22, 1687), a.k.a. Nicolls, was the sixth

mayor of New York City The mayor of New York City, officially mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The Mayoralty in the United States, mayor's office administers all ...

from 1672 to 1673. He is the patriarch of the Nicoll family, which settled and owned much of

Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

. Numerous

place name Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for a proper nam ...

s on the island now bear the Nicoll name.

Early life

Nicoll was born in 1627 and was the son of a minister. He lived in Islip, Northamptonshire, and practiced law there.

Life in America

In 1664, he came to the North America with

Richard Nicolls Richard Nicolls ( – 28 May 1672) was an English military officer and colonial administrator who served as the first governor of the Province of New York from 1664 to 1668. Early life Richard Nicolls was born in in Ampthill, Bedfordshire. He ...

. It is not known if the two were related, although some sources say he was Richard's nephew. Matthias was Richard's secretary and was present to the first surrender of the Dutch New Amsterdam to the English. He was clerk of the court in the new English colony and served various judge roles. He was a member of the Convention at

Hempstead, New York The Town of Hempstead is the largest of the three towns in Nassau County (alongside North Hempstead and Oyster Bay) on Long Island, in New York, United States. The town's combined population was 793,409 at the 2020 census. It occupies the s ...

, in 1664–1665 that established the laws for the new colony. In 1670, he bought land in present

Plandome Manor, New York Plandome Manor is a Village (New York), village in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on the North Shore (Long Island), North Shore of Long Island, in New York (state), New York, United States. The majority of the village is considered part ...

Plandome, New York Plandome is a Village (New York), village in the North Hempstead, New York, Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on the North Shore (Long Island), North Shore of Long Island, in New York (state), New York, United Stat ...

, and he is said to have named it for the Latin 'planus domus' meaning 'plain' or 'peaceful' home.

Political career

In 1672 he was appointed New York City mayor, and served for two years. He was speaker of the General Assembly under

Thomas Dongan Thomas Dongan, 2nd Earl of Limerick (1634 – 14 December 1715) was an Irish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of New York from 1683 to 1688. He called the first representative legislature in the Province o ...

in 1684 which guaranteed religious freedom to Christians.

Personal life

He and his wife were buried in front of the manor home, although the exact spot is not now known because it was vandalized. A plaque on Plandome Road marks the general area. One of his children, William Nicoll, would sell the Plandome Manor in 1718, then over 1000 acres, and move to his own estate of on the

Great South Bay The Great South Bay is a lagoon situated between Long Island and Fire Island, in the State of New York. It is about long and has an average depth of and is at its deepest. It is protected from the Atlantic Ocean by Fire Island, a barrier island ...

in present-day

Islip, New York Islip ( ) is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County, New York (state), New York, United States, on the South Shore (Long Island), South Shore of Long Island. The population was 339,938 at th ...

. The Suffolk estate Islip was named after their ancestral home in England. The manor house itself was torn down in 1998 by its new owner.Endangered: Historic Preservation - New York Times - June 12, 2005
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicoll, Mathias 1630 births 1687 deaths 17th-century mayors of places in New York (state) Mayors of New York City People from colonial New York People from Plandome Manor, New York People from Plandome, New York People from North Northamptonshire Immigrants to the Thirteen Colonies