USA > New Hampshire > Strafford County > Dover > Landmarks in ancient Dover, New Hampshire > Part 15
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John Knight was a Huguenot refu- gee, who changed his French name of Chevalier for its English equivalent of Knight. "John Chevalier and man " are on the Portsmouth rate-list of 1681. " John Knight of Ports- mouth, alias Chevalier," Oct. 18, 1702, bought the Carter farm at Pine Point, adjacent to the mill-stream below Bloody Point. (See Pine Point.) 1
The Knight place at Bloody Point, whence the ferry ran to Hilton's Point and Kittery, was acquired by Miss Nancy N. Drew July 16, 1831. (See Nancy Drew's Point. It now belongs to Mr. Charles Damne.
There was another Knight's ferry between Fox Point and the Durham shore. (See Fox Point.)
LAIGHTON'S COVE. This cove, originally called Harwood's, Harrod's, Herod's, Herd's, etc., is on the New- ington shore of Great Bay, between Fabyan's Pt. and Long Pt. Its present name was derived from Thomas Layton of Dover, who, the 15th, 4 mo., 1646, had a grant of ten acres of marsh in the Great Bay, upon the other side of ye creek west
of ye land of Wm. Pomfrett. (Pom- frett's land was sold to Anthony Nutter in 1651.) Thirty acres of upland were laid out to Thomas Layton in 1656, adjoining his marsh in the Great Bay, towards Long point. Elder Nutter's land was on one side. This tract is specified as part of the 400 acres granted to Dover on Great Bay, which proves, beyond all dispute, that Hogsty cove was further down the shore, and not Laighton's cove itself, as some have supposed. (See Hogsty Cove and Long Point.) Thomas Laighton, descendant of the above Thomas, Jan. 26, 1741, conveyed all his lands, marsh, and flats, in Newington, to Thomas Laighton, Jr., who, about thirty years later, sold them to Nich- olas Pickering.
LAIGIITON'S HILL. This hill, so called in the Madbury records, is in the southwestern part of the Back River district, on the borders of Dover and Madbury. It is crossed by the road to Dover from the old Pascataqua bridge, and is now gen- erally called Atkinson's Hill. Its old name was derived from Thomas Layton, who, the 6th, 10 mo., 1656, had a grant of 100 acres on the west side of Back river, which was laid out at the head of a 20 acre lot he bought of Ambrose Gibbons, run- ning along the northern branch of Royall's cove and up the freshet. (See Royall's Cove.) This land was still owned by his descendants Ap. 1, 1762, when Thomas Laighton con- veyed to Thomas Wallingford of
1 The marriage of Elizabeth, daughter of John Knight and Bridget his wife, to John Janvrin, is thus recorded by the Rev. John Pike : " Mr. John Jambrin of Jersey (belonging to England) was legally married to Elizabeth Knight, alias Sheavallier, of the town of Dover in New Eng- land, upon the 12 of September, 1706." The Knights and Janvrins are connected with the pres- ent writer through her paternal grandmother.
Corn July 8, 1687,
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Landmarks in Ancient Dover.
Somersworth 100 acres of land in Dover, on the west side of Back river, extending from Royall's cove about 40 rods westward to the land of Joseph Meader, and running along his land and that of Ephraim Davis to Paul Nute's. Isaac Lord gave a quit claim deed to Wm. King Atkin- son, Feb. 3, 1798, of 100 acres of land in Dover, Durham, and Mad- bury, that belonged to his grand- father Thomas Wallingford. Other heirs quit claim that same year. Atkinson also bought 30 acres of Ephraim Davis's land adjoining, July 17, 1799, bounded west by the road to Pascataqua bridge. (See Atkinson's Hill.)
LAIGIITON'S POINT. This name is sometimes given to the point at the lower side of Laighton's cove, in Newington, generally called Long Point.
LAMOS BRIDGE. This bridge is at the foot of Guppy's hill in Dover, across a large culvert on the turn- pike-road to Portland, so called from a workman named Lamos, who was killed in the course of its construction.
LAMPREY RIVER. The Indians called this river the Pascassick, a name now confined to the lowest western tributary, and generally writ- ten Piscassick. In the Exeter rec- ords of 1639 it is called Lamprill and Lamprel river, and elsewhere Lamper- eel, Lampreel, etc. It is called “ Lam- prey River" March 20, 1641, in the inventory of the estate of John Phil- lipps. (County Records, Exeter. Vol. 1, p. 16.) And again in 1652, when "Lamprey ricer" was declared to be the lawful boundary between Dover and Exeter.
This river rises in Northwood,
west of Saddleback mountain, and, after a circuitous course through Deerfield, Candia, Raymond, and Epping, it enters Lee above Wad- leigh's falls, and after a deep bend, called the Hook, it enters Durham below Hook Island falls. It crosses the Durham line into Newmarket near the month of the Pascassick river, and finally empties into the Great Bay.
The name of " Lamprey River" was generally given to the village of Newmarket till 1849, to distinguish it from another village in the same township called "Newfields," now South Newmarket, which was not incorporated as a separate township till June 27, 1849.
LAMPREY RIVER FALLS. There are several falls in this river within the limits of ancient Dover where mill- dams have been erected. The upper- most are Wadleigh's falls, often called the " upper falls " in early times, and previously known as Island falls, from the number of islets adjacent. The latter name is mentioned as late as Dec. 30, 1736, when Robert Wad- leigh of Exeter conveyed to Ebenezer Smith of Durham one half of a cer- tain grant of 120 acres, with ye Falls and privilege of timber, at a place (formerly) calld ye Island falls, but now by ye name of Wadly's Falls, which land, falls, and timber were granted by the town of Dover to his father Robert Wadley, deceased. Below are Dame's falls, formerly Mathes's, called Hill's falls on the state map of 1803. On the easterly side of the Hook are Hook-Island falls, so called from the islet that divided the dam. Below are Long falls, and another fall apparently
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Landmarks in Ancient Dover.
unnamed. Then come Wiswall's falls, where stood the paper-mill of Mr. Thomas H. Wiswall, formerly called Wiggin's falls. Just below the Packer's falls bridge, on the road to Newmarket, are the falls to which the name of " Packer's" is now con- fined, and a little below are Sullivan's falls. There are no others in the river till you come to Newmarket falls at the head of tide water.
The lowest falls, generally called " Lamprey River falls," by way of superiority, are in Newmarket vil- lage, and now belong to the New- market Manufacturing Company. In early times the water privilege here, on the easterly side, belonged to the town of Dover, and the 19th, 10 mo., 1647, was granted to Elder Nutter and Elder Starbuck, who were author- ized to build a sawmill at the upper or lower falls in Lamprell river. And the 7th, 5 mo., 1652, Mr. Valen- tine Hill of Dover had a grant of the whole accommodations of Lamprell river for the erecting and setting up of a sawmill or mills, with all the timber on the south side of the river within the Dover line, a mile in breadth, not infringing on the Piscas- sick grant, and all the timber on the north side a mile in breadth, and all the land in length, at the rent of twenty pounds a year.
Peter Coffin afterwards acquired this water privilege. The mill at Lamprey river lower falls, " built by Capt. Coffin, but carried away by a freshet," is mentioned in a deed from Dyer to Hilton, Apr. 11, 1715.
LAMPREY RIVER NECK. This neck is mentioned April 26, 1675, when all the town right of Dover " in Lam- per-Eel River Neck, both land and
timber " was conveyed to Peter Coffin, " from the head of John Goddar's Creek so far as the tide flows upon a strait line to the Cove at high-water mark below Lamper Eel fall, where Mr. Hill's works stood." (N. H. Prov. Pap., 17 : 604, 605.) " Hill's works " were the mills of Valentine Hill, who had a grant of the privi- lege at Lamprey river falls in 1652. The neck " between Lamper-Eel river and Goddard's creek " was con- veyed by Peter Coffin to Capt. Rich- ard Waldron, June 25, 1675. (Ibid, 17 : 605.) Richard Waldron, March 22, 1709, conveyed to Sampson Doe of Lubberland all that neck of land between Lamperell river and God- dard's creek in the township of Do- ver, formerly granted by said town to Peter Coffin of Exeter.
The bounds of this Neck were de- fined May 15, 1711, when Jnº Tuttle, Sen', Jnº Bickford, and Tristram Heard, " lott layers of Dover," at the request of Sampson Doe, drew " the neck line from the head of goddard's Creek to Lampreele Riuer as followeth, beginning at the head of goddard's Creek at the flowing of the tide there, at about Eight Rods southward from Abraham benick's mill, and from thence to run nor west and be west 2 westerle cours to Stony brook, a little below Lamprele Riuer first falls. Lamprill Riner bounds this Neck on the westward side, the great bay upon the southward side, and Goddard's Creek on the eastward side up to the place where we begun." (See Doe's Neck.)
LANGLEY'S HEATH. This heath is on the borders of Wheelwright's pond in Lee, just below the outlet, or source of Oyster river. It is now
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Landmarks in Ancient Dover.
owned by Mr. Cummings. It is com- | monly called " the Hathe."
LANGLEY'S POINT. Mentioned March 8, 1770, when Benjamin Mathes and wife Ann conveyed to the "Hon. Jonathan Warner, Esq.," 50 acres of land in Durham, begin- ning at Oyster river, near the point called Langley's Point, thence run- ning southerly on the east side of a highway between said land and the lands of Abraham Stevenson and others, leading from the river to the country road from Durham Falls to Bickford's Ferry or point ; thence by said country way to said Mathes's land, formerly Caleb Wakeham's, and by this land to Oyster river to the head of the creek there, and down through the channel of said creek to the place where we began.
Langley's Point, otherwise called Drew's point, and sometimes Warner's point, was so named from James Langley, who was appointed deacon of the Oyster River church June 17, 1724. The Rev. Hugh Adams, in his parish records, May 12, 1728, speaks of "Deacon Langley and Mary his Godly wife." Mary was the daughter of Job Runnells or Rey- nolds of that part of Oyster River parish now the township of Lee. Drew's Point was acquired by James Langley Nov. 5, 1714, when Stephen Jenkins and wife Elizabeth conveyed to him " all the lands, tenements, and messuages," which said Jenkins bought of John Drew, and he of Richard Elliot, and was " the estate of William and Thomas Drew on the south side of Oyster river, and not elsewhere," reserving to said John Drew the whole length of his marsh two rods wide. James Langley pe-
titioned July 25, 1715, for " a high- way out to the country road that goeth from Willey's creek to Oyster river falls," as he was " penned up by Bartholomew Stevenson to eight foot or thereabout." This road was laid out two rods wide May 28, 1716, " beginning at Will Drew's old pos- session, joining to the bond highway," and running W. S. W. and by W. to a little hill, leaving the spring seven rods on the N. W. side, and so to Willey's way. This " bond highway " is referred to Ang. 22, 1719, when Thomas Stevenson and wife Sarah, out of love and tender affection to his brother Joseph, quitclaimed to him the land whereon their father Bar- tholomew Stevenson did both live and die, except said Thomas' part of the marsh and flats. This land was on the westerly side of Oyster river, on the upper side of " ye covenant high- way maintained between Thomas Drew and his successors."
The above mentioned spring is still to be seen, full to the brim, a few rods westerly of the road branching off the highway towards the residence of Mr. Nathaniel Stevens, the pres- ent owner of Langley's or Drew's Point and of part of the Stevenson land. This road extends to Oyster river, where the Durham packet to Portsmouth formerly stopped for passengers, announcing its arrival here by the blowing of a conch (shell).
LANGSTAFFE ROCKS. These rocks are in the Pascataqua river, off the Newington shore below Bloody Pt. They are hidden beneath the current, and are carefully avoided by boat- men, for more than one schooner has been driven thereon and wrecked.
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Landmarks in Ancient Dovcr.
The name is derived from Henry Langstaffe or Langstar, who acquired land on the neighboring shore as early as 1652.
LAOMI'S POND, otherwise LONY's. This is a little pond at the easterly side of the road from Fox Point to Portsmouth, on Mr. Charles Lam- prey's land. Its name was derived from a woman named Laomi or Lomy (perhaps Salome), who, supposed to have strayed from the path in a cold, dark night, was drowned in this pond.
. LASKEY'S BRIDGE. This bridge is mentioned in the Durham records March 21, 1798, as one of the bounds between Durham and Lee. It is across Oyster river, on the Mast road, near the old Laskey farm, now Mr. Charles W. Bartlett's. It is called " Mast bridge," in a deed of neighboring land from Moses Davis to David Kincaid Nov. 18, 1713. It was voted at the Durham town-meet- ing, March 27, 1786, "to build a causeway at the head of the town near the bridge by Mr. Wm. Las- key's."
LAYN'S MILL. See Newtown Mill.
LEATHIERS CITY. This name is given to the once noted Leathers settlement in Barrington, above Bodge's pond. It is divided into Upper City and Lower City, which are not far apart. In this region are to be found Hop- ping Pat's Lane, so called from one of the most notorious of the Leath- ers tribe ; Pig Lane, where the swine once lad free range ; and other places with equally significant names. Dr. Quint supposes this tribe to have sprung from the Leathers family of Durham. This is doubtful, however, though some members of that family
may have drifted into the Barrington tribe.
LEDGE WHARF. This wharf is on the upper side of Oyster river, below the mouth of Beard's creek. Its name was derived from the " Cleft Ledge Granite Co.," that once owned a quarry in Durham, and shipped their blocks of granite from this wharf, to which led a wheel-path from the turnpike road. This path and wharf now belong to the heirs of the late John T. Emerson, to whom they were conveyed March 21, 1842, by Thomas A. Adams of Portsmouth, by virtue of an execution in his favor against said company in 1840.
LEE. The upper part of Durham was set off as a separate parish, with town privileges, under the name of Lee, by an act of the N. H. legisla- ture, passed Jan. 10, 1766, and approved Jan. 15, following. (N. H. Prov. Pap., 7 : 97.)
LEE GARRISONS. Only three garri- sons are mentioned within the limits of the present town of Lee.
I. The DOE GARRISON, generally called the Fox or FRENCH GARRISON. This garrison stood in the south- western part of Lee, " District No. 7." It was no doubt built by Joseph Doe, who, June 23, 1737, bought land here of John Bickford, which had been assigned the latter as his share of the common lands in Dur- ham in 1734. After the death of Joseph Doe and his wife, this place fell to their daughter Elizabeth, wife of Elijah Fox, from whom the garri- son became known as the Fox garri- son. Ann, the granddaughter of Elijah and Elizabeth Fox, and wife of Daniel Cartland, inherited this dwelling-house, but after her death it
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Landmarks in Ancient Dovcr.
was sold to Samuel French, from whom it was often called the French garrison. It was taken down a few years ago by Mr. Kenerson, the pres- ent owner of the Doe land.
II. A Jones garrison in Newtown is said to have stood on the land now owned by Mr. Nehemiah Snell. An old road from Madbury to Snell's mill, now disused, passed by this garrison.
TI. RANDALL'S GARRISON. This garri- son, taken down towards the middle of this century, stood between Dur- ham and Lee Hill, on the south side of the Mast road, two or three rods east of Mr. A. D. Wiggin's house. It was built of logs, with loop-holes in the thick walls for the discharge of guns, and naturally became the centre of a neighborhood. It was erected by Capt. Nathaniel Randall, son of Richard Randall and of Eliza- beth Tozer, his wife. Capt. Randall's grandfather Richard Tozer was, May 5, 1657, married to Judith Smith in Boston, by Gov. Richard Bellingham. He afterwards settled near Salmon Falls, on the Berwick side, where he was killed by the Indians, Oct. 16, 1675. Nathaniel Randall married Mary Hodgdon of Dover, and settled in Lee, where he had several grants of land, and acquired a large estate. He died March 9, 1748-9, in his 54th year. His grave may be seen in the Lee cemetery, near his lands, with that of " Mary, his consort," who died Jan. 3, 1775, in her 76th year. They
were the maternal ancestors of the writer, through their daughter Eliza- beth, who married Capt. Samuel Demerit of Durham.1
The Randall garrison was inherited by his son, Miles Randall, a man of energy and ability, who was made a county magistrate by the Exeter au- thorities in 1775. At the Revolution he obtained a large quantity of nitre beneath his garrison, which he sent to the Committee of Supplies for the manufacture of gunpowder.
LEE HILL. This elevation, or ta- ble-land, is in the central part of Lee, where five or six roads meet, coming from Durham, Epping, Newmarket, Nottingham, etc. Here is a hamlet, rather than a village, with a meeting- house, town-house, post-office. vari- ety store, and a grave-yard. And in the days of stage-coaches there was a tavern. In the time of the Federalist and Republican parties this height was often called " Federal hill," from the number of Federal- ists in the vicinity. No name is given to this hill on the State map of 1803, but it is called " Lee Hill" on Chace's County map of 1856.
LEE HOOK. This is a remarkable bend or bow in Lamprey river, in the southern part of Lee, below Lee Hill. A saw-mill was built here at an early day. The inventory of Geo. Chesley's estate, of Durham, Aug. 27, 1724, mentions part of the mill " at ye hook of Lampreel river." It is called " the Hook mill " in a deed of 1728. Ephraim Foulsham, Dec.
1 Capt. Samuel Demerit was appointed quarter-master in Col. John Downing's regiment of troopers, by Gov. Benning Wentworth, Sept. 29, 1755, and was efficient in raising and equipp- ing men for the Seven Years war, as shown by documents still extant. In view of his services, he received from Gov. Benning Wentworth Ap. 5, 1765, the commission of Captain in Col. Clement March's regiment of " Gentlemen Troopers." Both of the above commissions are in the writer's possession.
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Landmarks in Ancient Dover.
4, 1742, conveyed to his son John sixty acres of land in Durham, bought of Maj. Peter Gilman Dec. 8, 1739, lying next ye highway below ye Hook mill, beginning 20 rods above ye second brook from ye house for- merly Capt. John Gilman's, towards ye Hook mill. Peter, John, Sam1, and Nath1 Gilman, May 2, 1749, conveyed to Joseph Smith 190 acres at a place commonly called the Hook, beginning by the side of Lampereel river, in the turn below the falls where the Hook mill stood.
John Thompson of Durham, " one of the proprietors of the Hook land, and ye proper owner of one whole share," conveyed this share, Aug. 30, 1748, to Abner Clough of Salis- bury, Mass.
The Durham grants of land at the Hook conflicting with the Gilman claims, Samuel Smith and Capt. Jonathan Thompson were appointed agents of the land proprietors in Durham Nov. 28, 1748, to agree with Col. Peter Gilman and others about " the parcel of land in Durham, on the south side of Lampreel river, commonly called and known by the name of the Hook land." In a deed of Aug. 30, 1748, this district is called " Durham Hook," Lee being at that time a part of Durham. The Rev. John Adams of Durham records, June 10, 1750, the baptism of " Nicholas, son of Nat Frost, in ye Hook."
The " Hook road to Northwood " is mentioned on the State map of 1803. It runs from Newmarket through the Hook, and crosses Lamprey river at Hill's bridge, near the falls where now stands Dame's mill.
LIBBEY'S BRIDGE and MILL. The
bridge across Bellamy river, near Ex-Governor Sawyer's residence, is frequently called Libbey's bridge in the Dover and Madbury records. " The road from Libbey's bridge to Durham as far as Pinkham's hill " is mentioned in 1812. It afterwards acquired the name of Dunn's bridge from its proximity to Dunn's tavern- previously the Titcomb place, where Col. Benjamin Titcomb, a Revolu- tionary officer who was wounded in three different battles, ended his days. Sawyer's village and the château-like mansion, built by the late Jonathan Sawyer, stand on the Titcomb land. Libbey's bridge is now called Sawyer's bridge. The former name was derived from Ben- jamin Libbey and his son Enoch, who lived just below, on the Back river road, and successively owned the privilege at Sawyer's upper mill. (See Bellamy Falls.) Benjamin Lib- bey first acquired land here Sept. 26, 1752, when Timothy Gerrish con- veyed to him three quarters of an acre of land in a triangular form, on the southerly side of Bellamin's Bank river, a little below ye bridge made over sd river in ye Road yt leads from Cochecho to Durham, beginning at a certain rock by sd river four rods below to ye southerly side of sd bridge, thence running southerly by the road 18 rods, leaving out ye spring and ye brook to ye river. This land was probably sold Libbey that he might operate the grist-mill here, which he afterwards acquired. " Lib- bey's grist-mill" is mentioned in 1820. The Dover Sun of 1824 gives notice of clothing business carried on "near the village of Dover, at the place formerly known as Libbey's
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Landmarks in Ancient Dover.
mills," but then owned by the Great Falls Manufacturing Company.
LIMMY'S LEDGE. This is a rocky islet on the upper shore of Great Bay, at the south side of Adams Point, Durham. It is said to have derived its name from Lemuel Furber, who was left on this ledge and forced to swim ashore at the risk of his life. On Smith's map of Durham it is called Nutter's Island.
LINE HILL. This name is some- times given to a hill on the line be- tween Dover and Rochester, west of the river Cochecho. It is crossed by the highway from Tolend, below Blind Will's Neck.
LITTLE BAY. So called as early as Sept. 14, 1642. (Sce Royall's Cove.) It is the basin between Newington and the Durham Point district, into which the waters of the Great Bay pour, on their way to join the main body of the Pascataqua. At the up- per extremity of Little Bay is the strait between Adams Point and Furber's Point, generally called the Narrows. At the lower end is the headland from the Newington shore, called Fox Point.
LITTLE FALLS. These falls are in the Salmon Falls river, and are some- times called Mast Point falls from their vicinity to Mast Point. They are mentioned in the Dover rec- ords of 1753 (see Mast Point) and much earlier in the Kittery records. They probably acquired the name of Little falls because they are not far below the mouth of Little river on the Maine side, or in contradistinction from Great Falls in the Salmon Falls river below.
LITTLE JOHN'S CREEK. This is an inlet from Back river, on the eastern
shore of Dover Neck, where Joseph Austin had the grant of a saw-mill privilege the 5th, 10 mo., 1652. In 1656 he had a grant of 30 acres of land, bounded southeasterly by this creek and Little John's Marsh, south- westerly by the river, and on the other sides by the common.
Richard York sold Joseph Austin, Aug. 7, 1661, 50 acres of land at Little John's Creek which he bought of Wm. Hilton. Austin's Mill stood near the month of this creek, and a road led thither from the main thor- oughfare along Dover Neck. Thomas Austin conveyed to his son Nathaniel, Dec. 23, 1720, the land where said Nathaniel then lived, bounded north- easterly by the road yt leads down to Dover Neck, northwesterly by Little John's creek, and southerly by Thomas Robert's land, with all the meadow on ye eastern side of said creek, from said road down to ye lower side of ye cove yt is next sd creek's mouth, except 12 acre on the easterly side of the creek, adjoining the road. Thomas Austin conveyed to his son Joseph, Jan. 2, 1720-21, his home estate, together with ye mill creek, mill, etc. The mouth of this creek has been greatly disfigured by the Portsmouth and Dover railway. It is entirely filled up with an embankment, leav- ing only a small archway for the cur- rent, that looks like the opening of a sewer. The old banks are still to be traced, however, showing the original width of this creek at the mouth. The main road to Dover Point crosses Little John's creek about two miles below Central Square in Dover city. The head of tide-water is still further above, where it is met by a fresh water brook, formed by the union of
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Landmarks in Ancient Dover.
Canney's and Varney's brooks. Lit- tle John's creek is called " Varney's Creek" on Whitehouse's map of Dover. (See Varney's Creek.)
" Little John " is supposed to have been an Indian, so named from the celebrated English outlaw of the greenwood, who was the boon com- panion of Robin Hood. And, as the father of Hope Hood, the ferocious Indian warrior, was named Robin Hood, it is not unreasonable to sup- pose there may have been another son of the forest named " Little John." The "Little John " of En- glish lore was so-called by way of anti-climax, on account of his stal- wart frame. He is said to have been seven feet tall, and according to an old ballad his original name of John Little was transposed by Robin Hood when received into his band.
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