Richard Saltonstall

Sir Richard Saltonstall (baptised, 4 April 1586 – October 1661) led a group of English settlers up the Charles River to settle in what is now Watertown, Massachusetts in 1630.

He was a nephew of the Lord Mayor of London Richard Saltonstall (1517–1600), and was admitted pensioner at Clare College, Cambridge, in 1603. Before leaving England for North America, he served as a Justice of the Peace for the West Riding of Yorkshire and was Lord of the Manor of Ledsham, which he got from the Harebreds and later sold to the Earl of Strafford.

Family

Sir Richard Saltonstall was the eldest of the eleven children of Samuel Saltonstall and Anne, born Ramsden. and was Lord of the Manor at Ledsham.

Massachusetts Bay Colony Sir Richard became involved with the Massachusetts Bay Company in 1629, signing the original charter of Massachusetts, and was named to the emigrant committee and appointed first assistant to Governor John Winthrop. off of the southern coast of England, with the Winthrop company and arrived in Salem, Massachusetts on 12 June 1630.

Saltonstall Plantation Shortly after his arrival in New England, Sir Richard led a small party of planters, including Rev. George Phillips, up the Charles River on the Arbella. They brought several servants and cattle on the trip to establish the Saltonstall Plantation at present day Watertown. He was soon appointed magistrate and justice of the peace. a party of over 20 men, led by Francis Stiles, to prepare a settlement in Connecticut for the arrival of the patentees. This claim was heavily disputed and resulted in severe financial losses for Saltonstall. In 1649, he, among others, was commissioned by parliament for the trial of the Duke of Hamilton, Lord Capel, and the Earl of Holland, for high treason.

There is a small granite monument commemorating their settlement close to the Mt. Auburn Bridge in Cambridge, Massachusetts.