Landscapes of Indenture: How Scottish Prisoners of War Shaped New England

At Counting House Museum

Landscapes of Indenture: How Scottish Prisoners of War Shaped New England

South Berwick- New research conducted by an international team of archaeologists and historians is revealing the fascinating story of some of the earliest European settlers to the New England frontier. The public is invited to learn about their discoveries and help shape the future of this project at a forum on May 18, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. at the Counting House Museum in South Berwick, Maine.

The story of 400 Scottish soldiers taken prisoner at the Battles of Dunbar (1650) and Worcester (1651) and shipped to New England in forced labor is one of the most compelling immigrant stories in early American history. Once freed after serving a five-to-seven-year indenture, the Scots were granted land and became permanent settlers, though their language, customs and Presbyterian faith strained relationships in “Puritan” New England.

A substantial number of the Scots served their indentures in the sawmills of the Berwicks and the Piscataqua region. The Old Berwick Historical Society has long been interested in their story. As lumberjacks and sawyers, these men helped carry out the first forest clear cuts in American history. The last of the Scottish prisoners’ indentures expired 1657–1659. This left New England merchants needing a new source of inexpensive and controllable labor and led to a growing number of enslaved Africans in the region.

Landscapes of Indenture is an international investigation of the lives of the Scots and the environmental impact they and other laborers had on the New England frontier. Old Berwick Historical Society is a partner in the project, along with the University of New Hampshire, Saugus Ironworks National Historic Site, Durham University in England and the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. The team of archaeologists, historians and paleoecologists are currently conducting fieldwork on sites associated with the Scots in southern Maine and Seacoast New Hampshire. Come learn about the project and share any ideas you may have on the future direction of this work.

For more information, contact Emerson Baker at ebaker@salemstate.edu.