The history of the British Colonization of USA begins with the founding of Jamestown in 1607, by John Smith. In 1614, John Smith visited the coast of Maine and Massachusetts, and further expansion led to the creation of New England, one of the original 13 colonies of the British. New England comprised Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

New England was the land of the Native American tribe, the Powhatans. Pocahontas, the 12 year old daughter of the chief, befriended John Smith.

FACT 1: From 1623, various British townships developed along the Piscataqua River. The first was at the mouth of the river and was called Little Harbour. It was started by a Scotsman called Thomson. Dover was founded by a fish merchant, Edward Hilton, six miles up the river. In 1629 the land was granted to Captain John Mason who named it after his childhood county, Hampshire. He spent a fortune on developing his property but died in England before he could see it. Exeter was founded in 1638. All these little towns were self- governed and disputes often broke out. They agreed to form a Union and become a part of Massachusetts but to retain independence in the governance of their towns.

FACT 2: King Charles II of England separated the towns from Massachusetts in 1679, but reintegrated them later. Finally in 1691, the Royal Province of New Hampshire was formed. The President and Council were appointed by the Crown, and the Assembly was elected by the people.

FACT 3: The town of Londonderry was founded by Scot-Irish immigrants in 1719. The raised flax and manufactured linen which became famous throughout the region. The town was named after a town in Ireland.

FACT 4: Parts of New Hampshire were claimed by New York. The Crown settled the dispute by handing over the territory to New York. The Green Mountain Boys of the region rebelled and created the province of Vermont.

FACT 5: New Hampshire became the 9^th State to join the Union on June 21, 1788. It is a tiny little state, ranking 46^th of 50 in area. In population it ranks 42 out of 50, with a population of 9.72 million.

FACT 6: New Hampshire has many nicknames. It is known as the Granite State because of the large number of granite quarries in the state. It is also called the Mother of Rivers, as many of the interstate rivers of the region originate in the New Hampshire mountain ranges.

FACT 7: The highest point in New Hampshire is Mountain Washington, in the White Mountain Range. This White Mountains create a Swiss effect and the state is also called the Switzerland of America.

FACT 8: The capital of New Hampshire is Concorde. The State bird is the Purple Finch and flower is the Purple Lilac. The State tree is the Paper Birch.

FACT 9: The founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, was born in Bow, New Hampshire. Other famous ‘Granite Men’ -as men from New Hampshire are called- include Alan Shepard, the first American in space, John Irving, Academy Award winning screen writer, and Franklin Pierce, 14^th president of the US.

FACT 10: John Irving immortalised the state with his best- selling novel, ‘Hotel New Hampshire’ This family drama is set in the fictional town of Dairy in New Hampshire.