New England Council grants a patent for Northern New England in London.

Granted to Ferdinando Gorges and Capt. John Mason, the patent covers the area between the Merrimac and the Kennebec Rivers. The two men divide the region in 1629, with Gorges taking title to the land north and east of the Piscataqua River (in today’s Maine) and Mason taking title to the land south and west of the river (in today’s New Hampshire). Massachusetts subsequently challenges the boundaries of the men’s claim, when it is discovered that the Merrimac River runs north – not west – after its first 40 miles.