Early in 1661 Crowne with his son John sailed to England. With the restoration of Charles II the title of Temple and Crowne to Nova Scotia was jeopardized. He later leased the territory to Temple, who after a short time refused to pay the rent or surrender the land. He entered his son John, the future dramatist, at Harvard College and himself proceeded to the Penobscot River where, at Negue, he built a trading- post. The new proprietors came to America in the summer of 1657 and in the fall made a division of their property Crowne became owner of the lesser half of the tract, including the Penobscot River country. Crowne had amassed considerable fortune when he first became interested in land speculation in America in 1656 he supplied the funds by which he and Colonel Thomas Temple acquired title to Nova Scotia from Charles de la Tour. In 1654 he was returned the sole member of Parliament for Bridgnorth. After various services to Parliament he became a lieutenant-colonel of militia for Shropshire and for four years was one of the county commissioners. In 1636, as a servant in the retinue of Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel, he accompanied him on a diplomatic mission to Ferdinand II of Germany.Īfter his return to England Crowne in 1637 published a brief narrative of the journey, A True Relation of All the Remarkable Places and Passages Observed in the Travels of Thomas, Lord Howard.Īt the outbreak of the civil wars he joined the parliamentary cause and became secretary to Basil Fielding, Earl of Denbigh.

William crownca