Medford Historical Society Papers, Volume 9.

Cradock, in a letter to Winthrop, September 13, 1636, says, ‘I am harteley glad to heare of the good approbacion of our newe Gouvernour there Mr Vane.’

In Wood's works there is no mention of a house on Cradock's plantation; there surely was none of brick, like the present pretentious structure.

‘All the ground, as well upland as meadowe, lyeing & being betwixte the lands of Mr Nowell & Mr Wilson, on the east & the ptcion betwixte Misticke bounds, on the west, bounded with Misticke Ryver on the southe & the rocks on the north, is granted to Mr Mathewe Cradocke, mercht, to enjoy to him & his heires for ever.’

This confirmatory grant is dated March 4, 1634-5. March 3, 1635-6, in running Charlestown bounds, a reservation was made of the proprietary of the farms of Winthrop, Nowell, Cradock, and Wilson, with free egress and ingress to them, with a common for their cattle on the backside of Mr. Cradock's farm.

Under date of September 13, 1636, Cradock writes to Governor Winthrop, mainly in regard to his agent (since 1634), Thomas Mayhew, with whose doings he was not quite satisfied. In the postscript, Cradock writes of his purpose to apply himself to ‘tylledge & increasing my stock of cattell, and having had recourse to a plase caled Shaw Shynn where I heare none comes but myselffe,’ and he asks for two thousand acres there. He adds, ‘when I shall putt up a tenement & a dame as I have herewith given order there about.’

This reference to an erection of a building at Shawsheen (Billerica) would show that Cradock was in the habit of providing a housing for his people, of whom there were many working for his interests, as we have shown. This is strengthened by the following affidavit in the Middlesex Court Files.

The testimony of Richard Beers, Ben amin Crispe, and Garret Church in 1662 was that Mr. Thomas Mayhew