This Court desires and appoints Mr. Mathew Allyn, Captain Talcott Clark, as a Committee to [meet] with the Gentlemen come from the Manhatoes about the matters in controversy between this [colony] and the Dutch at Manhatoes….
Mathew Griswold and William Waller and Thomas Minord are appointed to [determine] the west bounds of New London. …
This Court doth accept of the town of West Chester as a member of the [colony]. … This Court doth declare that all the land between said West Chester and Stamford also doth belong to the Colony of Connecticut.
It is ordered by the Court, that Matthew Griswold, William Waller and Thomas Minor or any two of them, shall settle the bounds between the Town of New London and Uncas, determine what Uncas shall have for those of his lands that fall within the [bounds] that by the Court have been confirmed upon the Town of New London, and issue [a report on the] case fully, a Monday come four weeks, or as soon as may be.
This Court appoints Samuel Boreman and James Steel to lay out the bounds of the Town of Middletown, according to their former grant, and the Town of Middletown is to pay the charge thereof. …
This Court appoints John Hurd and Joseph Judson to lay out the bounds of the Town of Fairfield, between them and Norwalk, according to their grant; and the Towns are to bear the charge.
This Court doth judge that Saybrook hath no right to Hammonasset.
This Court doth declare that the former act about Hammonasset not being a plantation is hereby revoked; and the former order, that it should be a plantation is to stand.
The Court doth appoint S. Willys, Mr. Woollcott, and William Wadsworth as a committee for the ordering of the plantation at Hammonasset.
This Court doth declare that they can do no less for their own indemnity than to manifest our dissatisfaction with the proceedings of the plantations of New Haven, Milford, Branford, etc. in their distinct standing from us in point of governance; it being directly opposite to the tenor of the Charter lately granted to our Colony of Connecticut, in which Charter these plantations are included. We also do expect their submission to our Government, according to our Charter and his Majesty’s pleasure therein expressed, it being a stated conclusion of the Commissioners that Jurisdiction right always goes with Patent. And whereas, the aforesaid people of New Haven etc, pretend they have power of Government distinct from us, and have made several complaints of wrong received from us, we do hereby declare that our Council will be ready to attend them, or a Committee of theirs, and if they can rationally make it appear that they have such power, and that we have wronged them, according to their complaints, we shall be ready to attend them with due satisfaction. (Ye Governor absent when this vote passed.) …
Setting Borders and Border Disputes
These excerpts—all from the October 8, 1663 meeting of the General Court (later called the General Assembly) of the Connecticut Colony—show that a great deal of the colony's business was about settling towns, settling borders, and resolving disputes.
Dispute with the Dutch
A footnote to this section explains that at this time, there was a dispute between the Dutch colony of New Netherlands (now New York) and the Connecticut Colony over claims to parts of Long Island and the area between what is now Stamford, Connecticut, and Westchester, New York. The issue was resolved when the English claimed New York in 1664.
Dispute with Uncas and the Mohegan
New London's borders were in dispute with Uncas and the Mohegan. The Mohegan worked for years and years to protect their land from English settlers taking it. In 1671 the colony set aside 20,000 acres for the Mohegan. See Venture Smith's Colonial Connecticut, p. 76 - 77, about the beginning of Connecticut's reservation system.
Dispute with New Haven
The Charter of 1662 combined the Connecticut Colony with the New Haven Colony. But that merger did not go smoothly as this excerpt documents. See Venture Smith's Colonial Connecticut, p. 77, about the Charter of 1662.
And see this map that shows the ongoing struggles to define the borders of Connecticut.
Note: Spelling has been modernized and where words were completed or filled in in the published version of the records, the completed words are used here for easier reading.