Holderness was named in 1751 for Robert Darcy, Fourth Earl of Holderness, Ambassador to Venice and Minister at the Hague under King George III. He opposed the King’s policy towards the colonies and became a close friend of Governor Wentworth, in efforts to promote friendly trade relations abroad. In 1761, the land was regranted to a group of New England families, including Samuel Livermore, who wanted to creat a pretentious estate similar to that of the English Countryside.

The Town of Holderness is in central New Hampshire, nestled between the foothills of the White Mountains and the shores of the Squam Lakes.  From early times, Native Americans and then European settlers used the Lakes as a trade route. Goods from the North Country floated across Squam Lake, down the Squam River to the Pemigewasset, and then to the Merrimack and the seacoast.

Holderness – Squam Lake
(also known as the place where the movie “On Golden Pond” was filmed.)