When it comes to precipitating causes that led to the
American Revolution, most students of history focus on the taxation of tea.
Rarely does one think of trees.
Pine trees became a particular thorn in the flesh for New
Hampshire farmers in 1772 when a law passed by Parliament made it illegal to
remove from the land “any white pine tree of the growth of twelve inches
diameter.” This meant that any landowner who wanted to remove these trees for
farming or building purposes was forced to leave the trees there. The Royal
Navy declared them to be their own.
So why was the Navy interested in these large pines? The
answer was simple: Ship masts.
The best masts to withstand the fiercest winds at full sail
were “single stick” masts made from one tree. By the early 1700’s the forests
of England were virtually gone, but Colonial America had a seemingly endless
supply of trees. And the white pine was by far the preferred source for ship
masts to supply seaworthy vessels for the growing Royal Navy.
Although the white pines were considered the property of the
King of England for many decades, it was not until 1772 that the stricter law
passed by Parliament became an issue. A Deputy Surveyor of the Woods, appointed
by then-Governor John Wentworth, began actively enforcing the law. The
surveyor, John Sherman, would mark a large arrow on trees of the 12 inch plus
diameter with three strikes of an axe head, forcing farmers to leave them
standing for the crown’s eventual use. Farmers ignored the law and Sherman
suspected as much.
Upon inspection of several mills, large white pines were
discovered and the mill owners were levied fines. They hired a lawyer to
represent their cause. When the mill owners’ lawyer went to persuade the
governor to drop charges, the attorney was instead persuaded to become Surveyor
of the King’s Woods. Suddenly their attorney was instructing the mill owners to
pay a settlement.
Most of the mill owners paid their fines in defeat. But one
town, Weare, refused to pay. The leader of the mill owners, Ebenezer Mudgett,
was arrested and soon released with the agreement that he would provide bail in
the morning.
Instead, an incident that became known as the Pine Tree Riot
occurred. A band of 30-40 men (led by Mudgett) blackened their faces with soot
and assaulted the sheriff and his deputies who were lodging in a nearby inn.
The mob cut off the ears of the men’s horses and shaved the animal’s tails and
manes, before forcing the lawmen out of town through a jeering crowd.
Despite this brutality, the men—who were later arrested—pled
guilty and were given a relatively minor fine for their acts. It is believed
that the judges were sympathetic to the colonists and the excessive taxes
levied in one form or another—even on their very own trees.
This Pine Tree Riot occurred over a year before the tea was
thrown into Boston Harbor in December of 1773. When Revolution was declared in
1775, many New Hampshire colonists readily picked up their muskets to join in
the fight for liberty from England.
For an interesting video series about the White Pine Act,
check out the videos from Colony Bay Entertainment called “Courage, New
Hampshire.”
Here is that link: Click here
These BEAUTIFUL photos courtesy of the KINDNESS of MaryLu Tyndall! Thank you, MaryLu!
