Further Information
 
This plaque is not mentioned in the Guide to the Domus Dei published in 1873 which suggests it was erected after that date. We note that one of the sponsors named on the plaque, Charles Wesley Tuttle, died in 1881, hinting therefore that the plaque was erected before that date. Tuttle was the author of a monograph on "Captain John Mason, the Founder of New Hampshire". A later guide to the church mentions 2 gas standard lamps that were donated to the church by residents of New Hampshire in memory of Captain Mason. These may have been presented at the same time as the plaque. An unidentified source suggests the plaque was presented to Portsmouth Town Council in 1874 along with two views of it's American namesake.
 
There is another plaque to Captain John Mason in Portsmouth Cathedral. It was presented to the Cathedral in 1977 by the Piscataqua Pioneers of New Hampshire; the inscription is almost exactly the same as that above.
 
Although Mason left instructions that he wished to be buried in Westminster Abbey, the Church Authorities have no record of any such burial.
 
Biography of Captain John Mason
 
Although the plaque mentioned above records Mason's contribution to the early development of New England he spent a mere 6 years there betweeen 1615 and 1621 when he arrived in Portsmouth where he spent the majority of his life until his death in 1635.
 
Mason was born in 1586 in King's Lynn. Within 5 years he was left fatherless but was bequeathed a significant inheritance which enabled him to engage in trade with Amsterdam by the time he was 24 years of age. It was at this time that he became known to the court of King James I and was appointed sea captain, responsible for a number of expeditions. One of these was to the Hebrides after which Mason claimed that he had met the expenses involved under an agreement that he would be reimbursed but that this never happened. He took his revenge by turning to piracy as a sideline. When this was discovered in 1615 he was obliged to surrender his ship which left him penniless. Through friends gained at court, Mason was offered the Governorship of a plantation in Newfoundland.
 
For 6 years Mason administered the new territories under his jurisdiction and established a good reputation. He surveyed the area in some detail and when he returned to England at the end of his appointment he sought a patent from the Council for New England for a huge tract of land which he subsequently named New Hampshire. In 1623 the Council ceased operations leaving Mason with only a tenuous grip on the colonies and no employment.
 
At this time Mason's connections in the court included his cousin Robert who was secretary to the Duke of Buckingham. This led to his appointment as commisary general to the Duke's oversea force. For three years Mason organised the provisions for Buckingham's disastrous overseas adventures, notably at La Rochelle, often sailing as Captain of his own ship. In 1626 he was offered the post of army paymaster, a role he performed with great diligence. At the same time he purchased a permanent home in Portsmouth. This was the renowned Greyhound at No. 11 High Street, which exists to this day.
 
Despite the best efforts of Captain Mason, there was a near mutinous atmosphere in Portsmouth at the time, caused primarily by the lack of funds to pay the sailors. At one point even the Duke of Buckingham became personally involved being obliged to drive some of the men back to their ships at the point of his sword. These events provoked a young lieutenant by the name of John Felton to conclude that the nation would be best served if the Duke were to die. To this end he travelled to Portsmouth from London and arrived at the Greyhound, where Buckingham was staying, on the morning of 23rd August 1628. There were a great many people in the house that morning, such that Felton's presence would have gone unnoticed. The Duke was in a fine mood and as he was about to leave the house he met Sir Thomas Fryer and as they exchanged bows Felton stabbed Buckingham before melting away into the crowd.
 
Captain Mason remained in Portsmouth for the rest of his life becoming ever more involved with the affairs of the town, but his sights had never wholly left New England. In 1629 he revived his interest in the area he called New Hampshire and although few of his ambitions for the land came to fruition before his death in 1635, he managed to successfully pass ownership of New Hampshire to his heirs, one of whom eventually sold it to local inhabitants in 1746.
 
Grant of Hampshire to Capt. John Mason, 7th of November 1629
See: www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/states/nh01.htm
 
See also the plaque commemorating the assassination of the Duke of Buckingham on the wall of No.11 High St., in the Old Portsmouth section and the memorial to the Duke of Buckingham in Portsmouth Cathedral.