Dukes County, Massachusetts
| Dukes County, Massachusetts | ||
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 Location in the U.S. state of Massachusetts |
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 Massachusetts's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1695 | |
| Seat | Edgartown | |
| Largest town | Edgartown | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 491 sq mi (1,272 km2) | |
| • Land | 103 sq mi (267 km2) | |
| • Water | 388 sq mi (1,005 km2), 79% | |
| Population (est.) | ||
| • (2015) | 17,356 | |
| • Density | 160/sq mi (62/km²) | |
| Congressional district | 9th | |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 | |
| Website | www |
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Dukes County is a county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2010 census, the population was 16,535, making it the second-least populous county in Massachusetts. Its county seat is Edgartown.
Dukes County comprises the Vineyard Haven, MA Micropolitan Statistical Area. The county consists of the island of Martha's Vineyard (including Chappaquiddick Island), the Elizabeth Islands (including Cuttyhunk), the island of Nomans Land, and other associated islets.
The original inhabitants of the islands were Wampanoag, who had several villages. Political jurisdiction over the lands were granted by the English monarchy in overlapping claims to two different British nobles, from which Massachusetts Bay Company settler Thomas Mayhew purchased them in 1641. Mayhew established a colony in his new domain, carefully purchasing land ownership rights from the native inhabitants, and maintaining native governments to continue unimpeded. In 1665, Mayhew's lands were included in a grant to the Duke of York. In 1671, a settlement was arranged, allowing Mayhew to continue to rule while placing his territory under the jurisdiction of the Province of New York.
Dukes County was thus established as Dukes County, New York, on November 1, 1683, and included all of Mayhew's lands – Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and the Elizabeth Islands. The county was transferred to Massachusetts on October 7, 1691, and at the same time Nantucket Island was split into the separate Nantucket County, Massachusetts. The 1695 incorporation statute created a county "by the name of Dukes County," as opposed to the standard form "the county of Dukes" which is the reason for the redundancy in the formal name, "County of Dukes County".
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