Governor & Commander in Chief of the Province aforesaid & to the Honorable his Majestys Council for said Province The Memorial of Moses Little of Newbury in the Province of the Massachusetts Bay and his Associates humbly Sheweth that your Memorrialists having for a valuable consideration purchased a Certain Tract of Land by the Name of Cheswick being in said Province of New Hampshire, and formally Granted to a Number of Persons by the Honorable Benning Wentworth Esq' late Governor of said Province of New Hampshire by Charter under the Great Seal of said Province, which Charter has very lately Expired, And that Your Memorialists have already at a very Great Expence begun a Settlement on said Tract of Land, which they were Determined to Prosecute, but apprehending it necessary for their future security, that said Charter be extended which your Memorialists are willing to Surrender would most humbly pray that said Charter may be extended and that the Bounds of said Cheswick, which in said Charter are not fully Ascertained, may be now made Certain, and may be the Same as are mentioned in the Plan of Survey herewith Exhibited which include a much less Quantity of Land, than was by your Memorialists, at ye Time of their said Purchase, Suppos'd to be Contained within said Township of Cheswick, your Memorialists therefore Relying on the wonted Goodness of your Excellency and Honors most humbly pray that s'd Charter may be Extended the usual Time and that the Bounds as pray'd for may be Established, and as in Duty bound shall ever pray Portsmouth Jany 15th 1770 MOSES LITtle. CHICHESTER. [This town was incorporated 20 May 1727. A Copy of the Charter is the first paper under this head. ED.] CHARTER. GEORG by the Grace of God of Great Britaine France and Ireland Kinge Defender of the faith &c. To all People to whom these Presents shall Come Greetting Know yee that wee of our Speciall Knowledge and meer motion, for the Due Encouragement of Settling a new Plantation By and with the advice and Consent of our Councill have given and granted and by these Presents as far as in us lies do give and Grant in Equall Shares unto Sundry of our beloved Subjects whose names are Enter'd in a Schedule hereunto annexed that Inhabitor shall Inhabit within the said grant within our Provence of Newhampshire all that Tract of land within the following bounds viz: to begin on the South West side of the Town of Barnstead and from thence Running South Westerly on the head of the Town Nottingham untill Eight miles be accomplished and then Northwest Eight miles then North East Eight miles. Then South East by the said Town of Barnstead to the Place where it first begun and that the same be a Town Corporate by the name of CHICHESTER to the Persons affore said for Ever To Have and To hold the s land to the sd Grantees and their heirs and assigns for Ever and to such associates as thay shall admitt upon the following Conditions (1) That the Proprietors within three years Buld or cause to be built Sixty Dwelling houses and settle famillies in the same and Cleane three acres of Ground fitt for Planting or Mowing and that Each Proprietor Pay his Proportion of the Town Charges when and so offten as occasion Shall Require the same (2) that a Meetting house be Built for ye Publick Worship of God within the Tearm of fore years 3d that upon Default of any Particular Proprietor in Complying with the Conditions of this Charter upon his Part Such Delinquent Proprietor shall forfeit his share of the sd land to the other Proprietors which shall be Disposed of according to the major Vote of the sd Proprietors att a Legall Meetting 4. That a Proprietors Share be Reserved for a Parsonage and another for the first Minister of the Gospell that Shall be their Settled and ordained and another Proprietors share for the Benefitt of a Schoole in the sd Town Provided nevertheless that the Peace with the Indians continue for the Space of three years but if itt Should happen that a Warr with the Indians should Commence before the Expiration of the affores Tearm of three years that then the sd Term of three years shall be allowed the Proprietors affter the Expiration of the warr for the Performance of the affores Conditions Rendering and Paying therefore to us our heirs and Successors or such officer or officers as shall be appointed to Receve the same the Annuall Quit Rentt or acknowleigement of one Pound of Hemp in the sd Town on the Last Wednesday in march yearly for Ever if Demanded Reserving also unto us our heirs and successors all Mast Trees growing on sd Tract of land according to acts of Parlyment in that Case made and Provided and for the better order Rull and government of the sd Town Wee do by these Presents for our selves our heirs and successors Grant unto the sd Men and Inhabitants or those that shall Inhabit sd. Town that yearly and Every yeare upon the Second Wednesday in March for Ever shall meett to Elect and Chuse by the major Part of the Proprietors then Present Constables Select men and other Town officers according to the laws and usages of our affors'd Provence with Power Preveleidges and authority as other Town officers within our afforesaid Provence have and Injoy and for the Notifiing and calling of the first Town meetting wee do hereby appoint Petter Weare Esqr. John Sanborn and Jacob Freese to be the first Select men and thay to Continue in sd Respective office as Select men untill the second Wednesday in the month of march which will be in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and twenty Eight and untill other Select men shall be Chosen and appointed in their stead in such manner as in these Presents Expressed. In Testimony whereof we have cased the Seale of our said Provence to be hereunto afixed Witness John Wentworth Esq' our Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chiefe in and over our said Provence att our Town of Portsmouth in said Provence of New hampshire the Twentyeth Day of May in the thirteenth yeare of our Reigne Anno Domine 1727. JOHN WENTWORTH. By order of his Hon' L' Gov' with advice of yo Counsell Richard Waldron Clark of the Counsell A True Coppy of Chichester Chartter Examined by me Will Staniford Clark of Chichester Chichester Petition. To His Excellency Jonathan Belcher Esq' Commander in chief in and over his Majesties Province of New Hampshire and to ye Honourable the Councell of the s Province The Peticion of the Proprietors of the township of Chichester in the Province afores Humbly Sheweth That your Peticioners In y year 1727 had a track of Land Granted to them; Now called by yo name of Chichester; in order to erect a township and make a settlement thereon, upon such Conditions and Limitations as are mensioned in ye Charter of said township; But your Peticioners meeting with more truble & Dificulty in Runing ye Bounds and Clearing A Road up to the said town than was Expected have Not as yet Been able fully to Comply with the Conditions afores. Your Peticioners therefore Humbly Pray that your Excellency and the Honourable Board Would Be pleased to Grant them a further term of time in order to their being Enabled fully to Compleat ye settlement of said township and your Peticioners shall ever pray &c May ye 6th 1731. In Coun May 6th 1731 Read Voted that the Petitioners have one year more added to the term allow'd for performance of the Con ditions of the Charter Nath' Weare Ebenezer Stevens Tho' Peirce for ym selves & In behalf of the rest Petition of the Town of Chichester, 28 Feb., 1733, for confirmation of charter. To His Excellency Jonathan Belcher Esq' Governor and Commander in Chief in and over his Majesty's Province of New Hampshire in New England and Vice-admiral of the same And to the Honourable His Majesty's Council of said Province of New Hampshir The Petition of the Proprietors of the Township of Chiches ter in the Province of New Hampshire afores Most Humbly Sheweth That in the year of our Lord 1727 there was granted a Charter of a Certain Tract of land in New Hampshire afores'd by the name of Chichester unto a Number of Persons whose Names are in the Schedule unto said Charter annexed and that the Proprietors of s Township not having complyed with the Conditions mentioned in said Charter some time since Petitioned to your Excellency and the Honourable the Council for a longer time than mentioned in said Charter, to perform what was therein required of them to do, which your Excellency and the Honourable Council were pleased to Grant, and that by reason of the distance of said Township, and the Difficultys that attend Settling and Cultivating Wilderness land your Petitioners have not as yet in all things complyed with the Conditions of said Charter tho' they have done considerable towards it and been at a great Charge for what they have done and are daily endeavoring to comply with the whole and that the Meeting house in said Town of Chichester together with sundry dwelling houses were the Summer past accidentally consumed by fire Now your Petitioners most humbly beg that your Excellency and the Honourable His Majestys Council for the reasons above mentioned would in your great Wisdom and Goodness be pleased to confirm the afores" Charter unto your Petitioners and also to grant him further time for the fullfilling the Conditions thereof and your Petitioners as in Duty bound shall ever Pray &c Petition for liberty to assess taxes. To His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq' Governor and Commander in chief in & over his Majesty's Province of New Hampshire the Honble his Majesty's Counsel & House of Representatives in General Assembly Convened the 27th Day of March Anno Dom. 1760 The Humble Petition of Thomas Westbrook Waldron and Francis Jenness as a Committee of the Proprietors of Chichester in said Province Shews That for want of a Proper General Law for Enabling Proprietors of unsettled Townships to transact their affairs Relating to making said Settlemts (the said Proprietors not having obtained a Particular Act in their favour) the Business of said Settlement is very backward many of said Proprietors not having Drawn their Lots others in arrears for past Taxes and Some Resting on their Oars leave the burthen of settling said Township to those who are Voluntary in doing the duty Knowing that their Estates there will be Raised in Value by the Settlement tho' they Contribute nothing towards it. That such a Situation of affairs is not only a Prejudice to Particular Proprieties & Townships but to the Province in General by Retarding many Settlements which long since would have been made and much more Land Cultivated than there is at Present in this Province had there been a General Law by which such backward Selfish Proprietors who would Gladly Raise Estates at other Peoples Expence might have been Compelled to have done their duty towards making the Settlemts in a Summary way as the affairs of Towns are Transacted Especially Respecting the Payment of Taxes Wherefore your Petitioners Humbly Pray that they may have Liberty to bring in a Bill Enforcing the Payment of Taxes in arrearage duly assessed as also such as shall hereafter be so made obliging also such as neglect to Draw their Lots to do it & in Default of that or neglecting any other matters which shall be Granted & agreed upon at any Legal Meeting of said Proprietors the Lands or part sufficient for this Purpose of such Delinquent Proprietors be subjected to sale and also that there be a Tax of three Pounds on Each Right for three years if needed to carry on and make the said Settlement without any further Delay but what is unavoidable by the War and your Petitioners as in Duty Bound shall Ever Pray &c In Council March 27-1760 read & ordered to be sent down to the Honble Assembly THOS WK WALDRON Theod. Atkinson Secy NOTE BY THE EDITOR. On the last page of MS. Vol. I. "Town Papers" is a Paper, labeled "Draught of a charter for Coulerain, Dec. 1726." The bounds given by the Charter, are as follows: "Begin-at Rochester northerly Corner bounds, at or near Salmon-fall river, running along Rochester head line, keeping the course of that line till twelve miles be accomplished, and from each end of the said twelve mile line to run north west half a point northerly ten miles, and then to run a straight line from the end of one ten mile line to the end of the other, which will be parallel to Rochester head line, first mentioned, and that the same be corporate by y name of Coulerain." The editor is not aware that any such town ever existed in New Hampshire. |