Major Towns in New Hampshire in 1638: Only Four Existed

In **1638**, New Hampshire had **no "major towns"** by modern standards — only **four tiny, struggling English settlements** on the Piscataqua River/coast:

1. Dover (1623/1633): **Oldest permanent settlement.** Hilton's Point (Dover Neck). Fishing, lumber, trade. ~50 families by 1640.
2. Portsmouth (1630 — Strawbery Banke): **Best harbor.** Commercial center. Renamed Portsmouth 1653. ~100 families by 1640.
3. Exeter (1638): Founded by **Rev. John Wheelwright** (antinomian exile from MA). Squamscott River falls. Lumber, mills. ~30 families.
4. Hampton (1638): Founded by **Rev. Stephen Bachiler** (exiled from MA). Coastal, salt marsh hay, fishing. ~40 families.

Context

• **Total English population ~500–600.**
• **No incorporated towns** until 1640s (Dover, Portsmouth, Exeter, Hampton first).
• **Government:** Loose association under Massachusetts Bay (1641–1679) then separate Royal Province.
• **Indigenous:** **Pennacook (Abenaki)** occupied interior; **Piscataqua** bands on coast. Relations: trade, tension, disease, land loss.

These four **"Ancient Towns"** formed the core of colonial New Hampshire. Everything else was wilderness.