HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF MEDFORD, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, FROM ITS FIRST SETTLEMENT, IN 1630, TO THE PRESENT TIME, 1855.
Charles Brooks, Ed.

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“ [172] thereof.” The second was passed April 30, 1779, and was entitled “An act to confiscate the estates of certain notorious conspirators against the government and liberties of the inhabitants of the late Province, now State, of Massachusetts Bay.” The third was passed Sept. 30, 1779, and is entitled “An act for confiscating the estates of certain persons commonly called absentees.”

It is worthy of note, that Colonel Royal's name does not appear in either of the three lists of proscribed persons, although he was for twenty-two years a member of the Governor's Council. It is apparent that he loved his country and his friends; and could he have been assured, at the outset, that the United States would secure their independence, and that he should be the undisturbed possessor of his beautiful country-seat in Medford, he would probably have taken side with his old friend, Dr. Tufts, and his young friend, Dr. Brooks, and given generously for the cause of freedom. But he was timid, and supposed, as such men generally did, that the entire army and navy of Great Britain would soon be here to burn, sink, and kill indiscriminately. His valor counselled him to run. But, be it recorded to the honor of the citizens of Medford, he was the only deserter. To carry on his farm after his departure, was found to be sometimes difficult; for “the honest man's scythe refused to cut Tory grass, and his oxen would not plough Tory ground.”

The town of Medford proceeded gently and wisely in taking possession of the estates of Tories and absentees. The order of Court, under which they acted, was passed April, 1776. We find the following in our records:--

Copy of the return made to the General Court, pursuant to a resolve of the Great and General Court passed last April, the Committee of Safety, &c., of the town of Medford have proceeded to take into their care the estates of sundry persons who are deemed inimical to the liberties of America, of which the following is a true account, viz.:--

Of the estate belonging to Joseph Thompson, late of Medford: one piece pasture land, and one piece marsh, which have been leased to Richard Crees, one year, for £ 7. 4s. A shop, leased to William Gowen for 40s. per annum. Half a dwelling-house, leased to Jonathan Patten, one year, for £ 6. 13s. 4d. Two-seventh parts of the following house and lands, being his share of his mother's thirds, undivided and not leased: a piece of plough-land, half an acre; a piece mowing-land, one acre; a wood-lot, four acres; one-third of half a dwelling-house. 197,650 unburned bricks,