Concernant le toponyme » Little Britain, Orange County, New York, Les États-Unis

Little Britain, New York is an area in Orange County. The name spread to the surrounding region, which at that time was part of Ulster County, New York. It is in the Town of New Windsor. It was settled by Charles Clinton (et al. ) in 1731, who in 1729 resolved to emigrate to British America and having persuaded a number of his friends and relatives to join him, he chartered a ship, for the purpose of conveying his colony to Philadelphia. The name of this 'good vessel or ship', was the 'George and Anne', of Dublin, weighing about ninety tons, and was chartered by Charles Clinton, George Lille, Robert Frazer, William Hamilton, and Thomas Dunlop, for themselves and sixty five others. On the 20th of May, the ship left Ireland. After being at sea for some time it was discovered that the captain had formed a design of starving his passengers to death, either with the view to obtain their property or to deter emigration. Several of the passengers actually died, among whom were a son and daughter of Mr. Clinton, Mary (b. 1728, d. 1729) and James (b. 1726, d. 1729). In this awful situation it was proposed by the passengers to seize the captain and commit the navigation of the vessel to Mr. Clinton, who was an excellent mathematician; but the officers of the ship refusing to co-operate with them, they were deterred from this proceeding from the apprehension of incurring the charge of piracy. " They were finally compelled to commute with the captain for their lives by paying a large sum of money; who, accordingly, landed them at Cape Cod on the 4th of October. Mr. Clinton and his friends continued in that part of the country until the spring of 1731, when they removed to the county of Ulster, in the province of New York, and formed a flourishing settlement called Little Britain. Little Britain was the birthplace of New York Governor DeWitt Clinton, his father General James Clinton and his uncle U.S. Vice President George Clinton. Today it lends its name to Little Britain Elementary School, part of the Washingtonville school district. The Little Britain Grange hall also still stands near the intersection of NY 207 and NY 747.