of Land as we have Discrebd in a plan Which will gratly Releve us from our present Difficulties and help us to a Comfortable Injoyment of gosple prevelidges Wee your Humble Petitioners therefore pray that your Excellency and Hon's would Releive us as in your great Wisdom Shall Seem Meet and your Petitioners as in Duty Bound Shall Nehemiah Woods In Council December 16, 1756 read & ordered to be sent down to the Honble Assembly Province of Theodore Atkinson Secry New Hamp In the house of Representatives Dec 16h 1756 This Petition being read Ordered That the petitioners be heard thereon, the third Day of the Sitting of the General Assembly next after the 15th day of Jan's next Ensuing & that the Petitioners at their own Cost & charge Cause the Select men of Dunstable to be Served with a Copy of sd Petition & this order of Court thereon to appear & Shew Cause if any they have why the prayer thereof should not be Granted In Council December 17th 1756. read & Concurred Theodore Atkinson. Andrew Clarkson Clerk Province of In the house of Representatives Jan 21st 1757 New Hamp This being the day appointed to hear the within Petition and the Select men of Dunstable by their Petition to the General Assembly of the 14th Instant desireing that the hearing thereof might be put of to a further Day for the Reasons in sd Petition mentioned & the petitioners making no objection Resolved that the hearing thereof be put off till the 2a Day of the Sitting of the General Assembly next after the first Day of April next & all persons Concerned are hereby Required to Govern themselves accordingly Andrew Clarkson Clerk Province of Sitting of the General Assembly Next after the 20th day of June next & that the petitioners Serve the Selectmen of Dunstable with a Copy of this order of Court In Council Eodem Die read & concurred Theo. Atkinson Secy. Andrew Clarkson Clerk Province of Petition relating to another hearing. To His Exy B. Wentworth Esq' Gov' &c. The Hone his Majs Councill & House of Representatives in Gen' Assembly Conveined at Ports" &c. The Remonstrance of the Select" of Dunstable in Answer To The Petition of Sundry Inhabitants of Dunstable and the Select" of Holles for setting of Certain Lands with. the Pet's that Belong to Dunstable to the Town of Holles Humbly Sheweth That Tho the Order of Court pass'd in Council 17th of Dec' Last Directing That the Select" of Dunstable Shou'd be Served with a Copy of the Pet" & Order of Court thereon Nottwithstanding the Pet" have delayed to lett ye Responds know any thing of Such Pet" and Order untill the Eleventh day of this Instant Jan" and the hearing to be the third day after the 15th Instant, if the Court Shou'd be then Sitting (the contrary of which we cou'd not know) The time being so short the Select Could not by Lawfull Warning Assemble the town to know their minds before the time of Hearing which we Humbly Conceive they ought by no means to be abridged off. Wherefore we Humbly pray (that unless Their peti" be withdrawn or Dismissed without day that there may be a further day for Hearing thereon, and Inasmuch as 'tis probable if the town Resolve to appear and make answer there will be Occasion of Sundry Surveys and Measures to be taken, the clerer to descover the Truth of the facts alledged in their pet" which cannot with convenience be done till the Spring & besides the Hardship it would be for Such a Scattered town to Assemble Soner than march meeting Since that is so near, & in the mean time y Petrs can Suffer no great Ill convenience) That the Hearing may be assigned Some time after the first of may next Which is Humbly Submitted by y' Excy & Hon's most Obedat Servts Dunstable Jan 14th 1757. J. BLANCHARD Select of Dunstable Petition against annexation to Hollis. To His Excellency B. Wentworth Esq' Capt. Gen' Gov' of the Province of New Hamp' &c & the Hone His Majestys Council. Whereas Sundry Inhabitants of Dunstable & the town of Holles Joyning with them have Petitioned yr Excellency & Hon's Praying the sd Inhabitants that are Petitioners may be with Their Lands Sett to Holles, and afterwards in the same Petition pray that they may be annexed to Holles with about 2500 acres of Land (as they say they Have described in a plan) and further pray for Relief as to you shall seem meet And shew as the Grounds of their Compl' their Distance from our meeting house that it was not sett to accommodate them & that seemingly they are Only Regarded to get their money Off which the Selectmen of Dunstable had notice by Order of His Majestys Councill & the Hone The Assembly to shew cause if any they had Why the prayer Thereof Shou'd not be granted. Therefore the Subscribers Agents of the Town of Dunstable Begg Leave to answer & Shew That by the Charter of Incorporation a Reservation is made to his majesty his Heirs & Successors, of the Power of Dividing the same when it shall appear necessary and Convenient for the Benefit of the Inhabitants-accordingly their application was to y' Exey & Hon"-How that Petition came to drop down to the Lower house, or they order in a Thing they had no Lawful cognizance of Wee cannot tell-that in the present case nothing can lye before them to Determine and in this answer Shall address our Selves to yr Ex & Hon's only Waving our not being Notefied by Prop' authority if yr Excy & Hon's think meet to sustain their Petition Beg Liberty to State the facts & yr Indulgence to hear them thro'. That the town of Dunstable abt 1736 was by act of the Massts Divided into two Parishes Reserving for the first Or Standing part (being then ab' to build a meeting house) Such parcell Only as wou'd Continue & not probable to be sub-divided afterwards The Remainder of what Was then old Dunstable (now Holles monson and part of Merrymac & part of Dunstable,) was made the Second Parish-which then Consisted of ab 70000, acres had an annuall tax of two pence an acre for four years On all the Non-residents Lands to Enable them to Build a meeting house ann settle a minister with an after Tax of near the Same Sum Greatly Exceeding the necessary use for which the Grant was Intended, however they disposed or divided the money That the first Parish 1738 Built & finished a Meeting house at a Large expence. That 1741 the Province line was Run & left of the first parish about two thirds of the Inhabitants & Estates on the Massts side. That 1746 y Excy with advice of his Majestys Council appointed a Comittee to Enquire into the Situation & Circumstances of this Western Acquisition in Order for its Incorporation into towns That the Settled part of the Second Parish (since Holles) was present before that Comittee and the dividing line between that town & Dunstable was then fixed, after a full hearing of all partys. Tho Dunstable by that line was a quantity Sufficient for a town, yet the Habitable part so small (not more than five thousand acres, Scarce worth Improving) and that so scattered, viewing their past Burdens & Misfortunes with Great Reluctance took out their Charter-On the South the Province line On the East the Great River On the north the Poverty of the land wou'd make no advantage, by an addition Exclusive of the present Pete's & they Cheifly on the westerly Side Thus Shut up Tho Holles would admit five times the Settlers & Better Land as Their first Entry was at the Easterly end. Dunstable for their accommodation only Submitted to the line as it now stands when they Ought to have advanced a mile further West at the least. On examination we find that Holles on True measure is abt eight miles in length East & west And about four miles & half north & South promiscuously Settled at Each end. Sometime after their Incorporation Holles set up a meeting house with part of the money we & others had paid for that use & sett it about a mile an half from their East line Regardless of the Compts of the Inhabitants & prop's on the westerly part so that many of them now are eight miles as they must travil from their meeting much further than any of Dunstable are from Our meeting house. Had measures in Equity been taken as was in Dunstable to place their meeting house the present Pet's wou'd be many miles nearer to ours (& doubtless will soon be the case) Wee are Sencible that this vexatious Petition is Stirred & encouraged by Holles purely to prevent Justice to their Western Inhabitants which they foresee will Obtain unless they can Cloack it by Ruining Dunstable. The Reasons as to Distance & accommodation might much Stronger be urged-Exclusive of the province tax, in favor of the South part of the town. That the familys in Dunstable able to Support themselves & bear any part of Our charge does not Exceed Forty, the Petitioners Included & shou'd they be Indulged it must end in their disappointment & be fatal to us. As to their treatment in the town Setling the meeting house Useing the money &c we wou'd not trouble you With the Arguments Just in Our favour-Only Refer to the votes we here Ďemonstrations of their good usage. annex. Had not the Depth of Snow and bad weather prevented we had shown their fallacious pretences to their distance from each meeting house all the aforegoing facts are Ready to veryfie What Genius had Given them front to mutter out this Mottley Petition is Difficult to Guess. The pretentions both of Holles & the Pet's are totally Groundless. Wherefore we pray that their Petition may be Dismissed JOSEPH BLANCHARD ZACHEUS Lovewell. JOSEPH FRENCH. Agts for Dunstable [Here follows a plan of the land petitioned to be annexed to Hollis, about 2500 acres-which is omitted. ED.] Province of To John Searles One of the Constables of Dunstable New Hamp In said Province Greeting. Seal In his Majestys Name you are hereby Required forthwith To Notify & Warn all the freeholders & Other Inhabitants In said Dunstable Qualified to Vote in the following Town affairs that they Assemble & Meet at the meeting house in Said Dunstable on Monday the 21st Day of March next at one of the clock afternoon. 1st To Chuse all Town Officers for the Ensuing Year Required by Law. 24 To hear the Town accounts & Do anything Relating the Same as Shall then be agreed on. 3dly To See if the Town Will Do any thing to Shew Cause why the Petition of William Cumings & Others should not be Granted who have Petitioned the General Court to be annexed to Holles & Do any thing Relating the Same as shall then be agreed on 4thly To see if the Town Will Do any thing to Prevent the Common Being Over Stocked & act as shall then be agreed on & see that you make Due Return hereof & fail not at your Peril. Dated at Dunstable February 28th 2757 JOSEPH BLANCHARD Selectmen Province of New Hamp Pursuant To the Within Warrant I have Notifyed & Warned all the freeholders & Other Inhabitants Qualified to Vote In the within Town affairs to meet at the Time & Place & for the Occasions as are Within mentioned. |