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Richard Nicolls ( – 28 May 1672) was an English military officer and colonial administrator who served as the first
governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
of the
Province of New York The Province of New York was a British proprietary colony and later a royal colony on the northeast coast of North America from 1664 to 1783. It extended from Long Island on the Atlantic, up the Hudson River and Mohawk River valleys to ...
from 1664 to 1668.


Early life

Richard Nicolls was born in in
Ampthill Ampthill () is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. It lies between Bedford, Bedfordshire, Bedford and Luton. At the 2021 census it had a population of 8,825. Histor ...
,
Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...
. He was the son of Francis Nicolls, a
barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...
and politician, and his wife Margaret. Francis and Margaret were married at Abbots Langley in 1609; she was the daughter of Sir George Bruce, a Scottish merchant who built
Culross Palace Culross Palace is a late 16th to early 17th century merchant's house in Culross, Fife, Scotland. The palace, or "Great Lodging", was constructed between 1597 and 1611 by Sir George Bruce of Carnock, George Bruce, the Laird of Carnock. The house ...
, and a niece of Edward Bruce, 1st Lord Kinloss.


Career

He commanded a royalist troop of horse (i.e., cavalry) during the
English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...
, and on the defeat of the king went into exile. Soon after the Restoration he became Groom of the Chamber to the
Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of List of English monarchs, English (later List of British monarchs, British) monarchs ...
.


Province of New York

Through the influence of the Duke of York, in 1664 Nicolls was appointed to a commission with Sir Robert Carr (d. 1667), George Cartwright, and Samuel Maverick, to conquer New Netherlands from the Dutch and to regulate the affairs of the New England colonies and settle disputes among them. The expedition set sail from
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
on 25 May 1664, and arrived for the capture of New Amsterdam on 27 August 1664. New Amsterdam was surrendered to Nicolls on 8 September 1664. Under authority of a commission from the Duke (later King James) Nicolls assumed the position of deputy-governor of New Netherlands (New York). He made 74th Street, beginning at the
East River The East River is a saltwater Estuary, tidal estuary or strait in New York City. The waterway, which is not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island, ...
, the southern border patent line (which was called the "Harlem Line") of the village of Nieuw Haarlem (later, the village of
Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...
); the English also renamed the village "Lancaster". In 1663, one year prior to the English gaining control of the New Netherland colony and appointing Nicolls as governor, the Esopus Wars concluded in present-day
Ulster County, New York Ulster County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is situated along the Hudson River. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 181,851. The county seat is Kingston, ...
. Waged over territorial disputes between the Esopus natives and Dutch settlers, the conflict left lingering tensions that Nicolls sought to pacify to prevent future hostilities. Ultimatley, the Nicolls–Esopus Indian Treaty was ratified in 1665.Among the treaty’s many terms, the Esopus, “in the names of themselves and their heirs forever,” agreed to “give, grant, alienate, and confirme all their right and interest, claime or demand, to a certaine parcell of land,” including the city of Kingston and extending to present-day Kerhonkson. In exchange, the natives received “forty blankets, twenty pounds of powder, twenty knives, six kettles, ndtwelve barrs of lead,” as well as “three laced red coats” presented as gifts to the tribal leaders. Furthermore, the British and Esopus established a system of trade that included a protected trade path for the Esopus to travel unharmed and a safe house where the Esopus could stay when visiting the village. The treaty was respected for generations—as evidenced by records of commemorative annual gatherings attended by Esopus leaders and local residents—and it remains recognized and celebrated today by both the City of Kingston and descendants of the Esopus.


Legal System

His policy was vigorous but tactful, and the transition to the new regime was made smoothly and with due regard to the interests of the conquered people. The formerly Dutch colonists were guaranteed in the possession of their property rights, their laws of inheritance, and the enjoyment of religious freedom. The English system of law and administration was at once introduced into
Long Island 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 ...
,
Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...
and Westchester, where the English element already predominated, but the change was made much more slowly in the Dutch sections. A code of laws, known as the " Duke's Laws", drafted by the governor with the help of his secretary and nephew Matthias Nicolls, was proclaimed at Hempstead,
Long Island 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 ...
, on 1 March 1665 and continued in force until 1683; the code was compiled from the codes of the
New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
colonies, and it provided for trial by jury, for proportional taxation on property, for the issuance of new patents for land and for land tenure only by license from the duke.


Return to England

Nicolls returned to England in the summer of 1668 and continued in the service of the
Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of List of English monarchs, English (later List of British monarchs, British) monarchs ...
. He was replaced by Francis Lovelace as New York governor. He was killed by a cannonball in the naval battle of Southwold Bay on 28 May 1672. His monument at
Ampthill Ampthill () is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. It lies between Bedford, Bedfordshire, Bedford and Luton. At the 2021 census it had a population of 8,825. Histor ...
incorporates the exact cannonball that killed him.


References

;Notes ;Sources * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nicolls, Richard 1624 births 1672 deaths Ampthill Cavaliers Governors of the Province of New York People from Ampthill People who died at sea Royal Navy personnel of the Anglo-Dutch Wars Military personnel from Bedfordshire Deaths by cannonball