Before the town of Newington was created, the land it now resides on was claimed by both the Swampscot land grant (Dover) and the Piscataqua land grant (Portsmouth).
When representatives of the two grants met up in 1631 to settle the dispute over the area, the negotiations did not go well. Both sides drew their swords but luckily there was no blood shed. This incident lead to the land being known as Bloody Point. Early Bloody Point residents eventually grew tired of the border disputes and the constant need for rowing to reach Dover or Portsmouth to attend church services and decided to establish their own parish separate from Dover. To become a parish they would need to elect town officers and construct a village meetinghouse and church with a settled minister. Construction began on the Newington Meetinghouse in 1712 which would also serve as a church. On August 6, 1713, a meeting has held in order to elect officers for the parish, thereby creating the Town of Newington. The name Newington came from a village in England that had provided a bell for the meetinghouse of Newington.
All information from "Newington New Hampshire" by John Frink Rowe and based upon the writings of Frederick M. Pickering
