Petition from Almsbury district. To His Excellency Bening Wintworth Esq' Cap' General & Governour In Cheif in and over His Majesties Province of New Hampshire, To the Hon Councel In sd Province. May it Pleas your Excellency and Honors, Whereas we the Subscribers Living In Almsbury District on the Southerly side thereof and Nigh the Nor Westerly corner of Newton are Nigh Naibors to Capt Follinby & belong to Haverhill feet company & live much better to Pay our taxes with Haverhill District and attend the Publick Worship at the Revd Mr. Cushings meeting house than we are Like to be By being Set of to Kingston or to Newton: In Removing the Bounds of Newton further west to take us in may serve the Interest of sum But we are Humbly of the opinion that it will Disoblidge more. Our Humble petition to your Excellency & Hon's is that we may by no means be In cluded In that Town we haveing advised with Haverhill District and Considering we are so much Handier to that Place then Else where theay are willing to Receive us. We humbly & Earnestly Beg we may with our Estates be joyned to Haverhill district When ever you shall be pleas to establish them In a toun or Re New their District act and we shall Look on our selves In duty ever bound to pray &c [No date.] NATHAN HALE [Indorsed] The petitioners did belong to Amesbury district, and were not as the bearer says, included in Newtown; so care must be taken not to exclude them, in Cushing's parish. B. W."] NOTTINGHAM. [Incorporated 10 May, 1722. ED.] Original Charter of Nottingham, 10 May, 1722. George by the Grace of God of Great Britain France & Ireland King, Defender of the Faith &c. To all People to whom these presents shall come Greeting, Know ye, That we of our Special Knowledge and meer motion for the Due encouragement of Settling a new Plantation by and with the advice & Consent of our Council 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 Entred in a Schedule hereunto annexed That Inhabit or Shall Inhabit within the Said Grant within our Province of New Hampshire all That Tract of Land within the Following Bounds viz: To begin at Dover Westerly Corner Bounds Running along Exeter Northerly line West and by North two miles then along Exeter Head Line South west half a point more Southerly one mile and Three Quarters and from thence upon a West North West point of the Compas Ten miles into the Countrey, Then to Begin again at the aforesd Dover Westerly Corner Bounds and Run North East half a point more Easterly Four miles and a quarter along Dover Head line Then upon a North West point half a Point more Northerly, Thirteen miles into the Countrey and from that Bounds upon a straight line to the End of the aforesaid Ten Mile line And That the Same be a Town Corporate by the Name of Nottingham, To the persons afores forever, To have and to hold the said Land to the said Grantees and their Heirs & assigns forever and to Such Associates as they shall admit upon the Following Conditions. That every proprietor build a Dwelling House within Three years & Settle a family therein and break up three Acres of Ground and plant & Sow the Same within four years and pay his proportion of the Town Charge when & So often as Occasion Shall Require the Same. 2ly That a Meeting House be built for the Publick worship of God within the Said Term of four years. 3ly 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 to the other proprietors which Shall be Disposed of according to the Major vote of the said Commoney at a Legal meeting. 4ly That a Proprietors Share be Reserved for a Parsonage another for the first Minister of The Gospel, Another for the Benefit of a School Provided nevertheless that the Peace with the Indians Continue during the aforesd Term of Three Years, But if it Should so happen that a warr with the Indians Should Comence before the Expiration of the afores Term of Three years, The said Term of Three years shall be allowed to the Proprietors after the Expiration of the warr for the Performance of the afores Conditions-Rendering & paying therefor to us our heirs & successors or such other officer or Officers as Shall be appointed to Receive the Same the Annual Quit Rent or acknowledgement of one ear of Indian Corn in the Said Town on the Twentieth day of December yearly forever, Resarving also unto our Heirs & Successors all mast Trees growing on the Said Tract of Land (according to the acts of Parliament made & provided) And for the better Order Rule & Government of the said Town we do by these presents for our selves our Heirs & Successors Grant unto the said Men & Inhabitants or those that shall Inhabit the s Town That yearly & Every year upon the Last Tuesday in the month of March forever shall Meet to Elect & chuse by the Major part of them Constables Selectmen and other Town officers according to the Laws & usage of our afores Province for the year ensuing, with Power & Priviledges & authority of other Towns and Town officers within our aforesd Province have & Enjoy. In Testimony whereof we have caused the Seal of our Said Province to be hereunto annexed. Witness Samuel Shute Esqr. our Governour and Command" in Cheeif of our said Province at our Town of Portsmouth the Tenth Day of May in the Eighth Year of our Reign, Annoque Domini 1722 SAM SHUTE By his Excellency's Command wth advice of the Council. Note by John Farmer, Esq. This Charter of Nottingham I found among the Waldron Papers in 1828. It was supposed to be irrecoverably gone, as appears from a Petition of Col. Peter Gilman to the General Assembly 1783 wherein he says "the Record of the original Grant of Nottingham being by the act of God consumed when Secretary Waldron's office was burned (and no attested copy thereof extant" &c. Now this is the original having the autograph of Gov. Shute. Whereas M Shem Drown of boston one of the proprietors of Nottingham haveing obtained a grant of s Propriatie of a priveledge for building a mill and of the Previledge of the whole falls on the South branch of North River near Bow Street and also a grant of fifty Acres of Land adjoining to s falls, which fifty acres of Land is Laid out according To grants, begining at the foot of the falls on the East Side of sd falls at a hemlock Tree marked S. D. from thence Runing East and be South thirty rods To a hemlock Tree marked with S. D. from thence running South & be East one hundred rods To a beach Tree marked S. D. from thence runing west to the River to a Maple Tree marked S. D. Then begining again at the foot of the falls on the west side at a hemlock Tree mark'd S. D. from thence running west and be north fifty rods To a pine Tree Mark'd S. D. from thence running South west and be South one hundred rods to a beach tree Mark'd S. D. from thence runing East & be South to the river Laid out this fourteenth Day of May one thousand Seven hundred & thirty by us JOSEPH HALL EDWARD HALL Lott layers A true Coppy Taken from Nottingham Record Attes Peter Gilman Prop' Cler. Indorsed, "Nottingham Papers March 24 1732-3." We the Subscribers being interested in the Land thro' which it is supposed the High way petitioned for, from Nottingham to New-Market will pass do hereby Signify our Desire to have ye s High Way laid out & confirmed as a Publick High way & our willingness to give land Sufficient for sd High way wherever it may be laid out thro' our Lotts. Joseph Hall Christopher Robinson Sam Sinkler Sm1 Stevens Benjamin Sanborn Robert Pike Samuel Mighell Jam Gilman Nath Talyer Petition of Capt. Peirce and Dr. Rogers. To His Excellency Jonathan Belcher Esq' Gov' & Comander in cheif in & over his Majesties Province of New Hamps And to the Honbie the Councill & the Representatives of said Province. The Petition of the Proprietors of ye Town of Nottingham Humbly Sheweth That the Proprietors & Inhabitants of s" Town, are under very great Difficulties & Disadvantages for want of a Suitable Road to a convenient landing Place For the High way already laid out is not only much longer than is necessary, but, notwithstanding a very considerable expence, the ProprietTM have been at in clearing & Bridging the same it yet remains impassable for loaded Carts unless when the Rivers are very low, and for as much as there is already a pretty good cart way (Comonly called Hall's way) four or five miles from the landing place at New Market towards Notingham which if continued thro' that part of Exeter which is between Notingham and ye Parish of New Market, would be above three miles nearer, & on every other acc't more convenient. They humbly therefore pray that there may be a Highway allowed & laid out thro' y above s part of Exeter & New Market, which would be of great advantage not only to Notingham, but to some of y° New Towns Settling above it, and your Petitioners shall ever pray &c Portsm" Sept. 23, 1731 In Council Sept 23d, 1731 THO PEIRCE NATH ROGERS Comtee The within Petition Read, and Voted that a hearing be had thereon the third day of the next session of the Genral Assembly & that the Petitioners serve The Town of Exeter wth a copy thereof and of this order a month before the day of the hearing by leaving the same wth one of the Select men of the Said Town that so the said Toun may appear & Shew cause if any they have why the prayer of the s1 Petition Should not be granted Eodm Die. R. Waldron Secy In the house of Representatives. the above vote Read and Concurred and likewise the Petitioners serve those persons thro whose Land Said high way may goe with a Copy hereof to appeare at the Day & Time above James Jeffry Cle' AssTM The same day Assented to J. BELCHER Nottingham Petition and Votes thereon. In Counc1 March 6th 1732-3 Upon the Petition of Nottingham Proprietors for a High Way &c. Voted that the Prayer of the Petition be granted, and that the Town of Exeter lay out the said Highway forthwith, as Commodiously as may be for the Town of Nottingham & make a return thereof To the Town Clerk of Exeter, to be recorded as usual in such Cases. Provided Nevertheless that the Said Town of Exeter be at no Charge in building or repairing the Bridge in said High way over Lamprey river, for ten years next following, and Provided also that the Said Town of Exeter be at no charge for purchasing any land for accommodating the said Way below Lamprey River and that Nottingham be at no charge in purchasing any land for the same above said river. R. Waldron Secy Meb 6th In house of Representatives read and Concurred George Walton Clr pro tem Same day Consented to J. BELCHER To his Excellency Jonathan Belcher Esquire Captain General and Commander in Chief in and over his Majesties Province of New Hampshire and the Honourable his Majesties Council and House of Representatives for said Province The Petition of the Inhabitants and Resident Proprietors of the Town of Notingham Humbly Sheweth That whereas your said Petitioners have for Sundry years Past Resided in said Town and have for a Great Part of the Time been Destitute of a Preacher of the Gospel among us the cause whereof being chiefly our Inability to afford a suitable Maintainance for a Minister we being but a small Number although the Proprietors were obliged to Settle a family upon Each Right which if it had been Done would have been a Number Sufficient to have Supported a Minister for the Benefit of the Town, but since far the Greatest Part are non Resident and many of them Live out of this Province it cannot but be Highly Reasonable that as they have a Share in the advance of the Common Interest of the Town and it being Consistant with their Votes at Sundry Meetings and also the Most Likely Method to advance the worth of their Lands that they should bear som Suitable Proportion of the charge of a Minister till such time as the Inhabitants shall be able to Bear the Burden alone, we make bold therefore Humbly to Petition your Excellency and Honours to Pass an act to make the lands of such non Resident Proprietors as neglect to Pay such Proportion as to your wisdom shall seem meet to Lay upon them Lyable to be taken by Destraint in Case they do not Pay such assessments and seeing it may be for the Glory of God |