Discussions of the age of the Newport Tower in Newport Rhode Island often
refer to what has been called the 'Sir Edmund Plowden Petition', dated
1632, which petitions the King of England to grant a charter for a county
palatine.  The land grant itself, "Commodities of the Island called Manati
or Long Island within the Continent of Virginia" mentions a round stone
tower (but not if it is an existing one or one to be built)  "So that 30
idle men as souldiers or gent be resident in a rownd stone towre and by
tornes to trade with the savages and to keep their ordinance and arms neate
--."

A visit to the Public Records Office in Kew located these two documents
(the petition is in fact labelled "Petition of John Laurence and others")..
 The quotation is accurate.  However, the location for the settlement that
this was meant to protect, is described as at 39 degrees latitude and 150
miles north of James City.  This is clearly not Rhode Island.

A quick look at the web confirms this. Plowden is considered to have
founded New Jersey, and his land grant included Maryland, Delaware and
Pennsylvania. All Dutch controlled, sadly for Plowden, although in 1642
Plowden founded a settlement of 70 persons at Salem City.

October, 2000