Old Home Day

1638 - Town of Hampton - 1962

222 Winnacunnet Road

It is particularly appropriate that this fine home should be included in the old house tour this year since it was built by a Moulton whose ancestor was a brother to the first William from whom came the the long line of Moulton silversmiths.

John Moulton, his wife, five children and two servants of Ormsby, Norfolk County, England, sailed for New England in April of 1637 on either the ship "John and Dorothy" or the ship "Rose" both of which sailed together. William Moulton's name also appears on the passenger list of these ships. It is not certain when Thomas left Ormsby. All three Moultons appeared in Newbury in 1637, however, and came with Rev. Stephen Bachiler and the original settlers to Winnacunnet in the autumn of 1638.

Both John and Thomas were among the original grantees of land in Hampton, being assigned adjoining lots on what is now Winnacunnet Road northeast of Meeting House Green. Thomas sold his house-lot fifteen years later and moved to York, Maine, but John's sixteen acre lot on the corner of what is now Moulton Road continued to be passed down through his direct line until 1866.

The first John Moulton was recognized as a man of considerable ability, being chosen as Hampton's first representative to the General Court at Boston. In fact, John Moulton's line contributed much to Hampton's history, among the most illustrious being General Jonathan Moulton and Colonel Josiah Moulton.

In 1784 the property was deeded to James Moulton of the fifth generation. According to the town tax records for the year 1812, James was not listed for the payment of any tax on buildings. One can only assume that in that year the house, or a large part of it was consumed by fire. Following this, James must have either built a new house or added to what was not destroyed by fire, since the tax records indicate that in 1813, a tax of $300 was levied on his buildings.

Mr. and Mrs. Edmund Langley, Junior, the present (1962) owners of the house, have furnished it with some early American antiques and with other furniture which they have adapted well to its attractiveness and liveability. An original "keeping room" has been transformed into a pleasant family room. To be noted in the construction and faithful restoration of the house are original summer beams, an unusually large exposed hand-hewn ceiling beam in the dining room, wide plank floors, and old paneling.