Talk:York County, Maine
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[edit] History of the name
Some sources say that the county of York derives its name from the 'shire' called York: Yorkshire. These sources include "History of York County, Maine" by George J. Varney.[1] In any case, the name appears to predate the Duke of York alusion referred to in the current wikipedia entry. Some of these same sources say that the reference to Yorkshire, and York, are in fact tied to Capt. Christopher Levett, who was the first patentee of the soil of Portland, Maine, and to whom the King gave his blessing to name the proposed settlement after the place of Levett's birth: York, Yorkshire, England.MarmadukePercy (talk) 19:03, 21 April 2008 (UTC) Also, the reference to Yorkshire is interesting in that Gorges and Mason were from the West Country of England. The only Yorkshireman in that part of Maine back then that I'm aware of was Levett.MarmadukePercy (talk) 19:15, 21 April 2008 (UTC) In James Phinney Baxter's work on "Sir Ferdinando Gorges and his Province of Maine," the eminent Maine historian mentions the "King's proclamation for a contribution to be taken in the churches of York to enable Christopher Levett, who was one of the Councillors of Robert Gorges in 1623, to return to New England and establish himself in Casco Bay."[2] MarmadukePercy (talk) 20:10, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
