RYE. [Rye was formerly called Sandy Beach, and was appurtenant to Portsmouth. After New Castle was constituted, Sandy Beach became a Parish of that place; and was incorporated as such in 1726, and allowed to send a representative to the General Assembly. ED.] Petition for a new District or Precinct, 1721. To his Excellency Samuel Shute Esq Capt. Gen' & Governor in chief in and over his Majties Province of New Hampshire &c. To the Hone the Council & House of Representatives, now conven'd in Gen Assembly in & for s Province: The humble Petition of sundry the Inhabitants living about Sandy Beach, partly in New Castle, Hampton & Portsmouth, humbly sheweth: That your Petitioners, the subscribers hereof, have for these many years past lived under great inconveniencies as to their having the free benefit of the gospell, most of us Living at great Distances from our Respective meeting-houses, especially those belonging to New-Castle ;-for that besides the great Distance wee live from thence, there is the great Inconvenience of a Ferry, by the Reasons of which for neare half the yeare, Wee the Masters of families that are best able cannot but now and then attend upon the publick worship of God (as in Duty wee are bound) and when wee Doe, It is many times late within Night e're wee can reach our habitations: And besides this great inconvenience to ourselves, there is a much greater happens to the greatest part of our families (viz.) our women and children, who can rarely attend at all or not above two or three times in the yeare, and then but those that are groun to years; for our younger children that should imbibe in the precepts of the gospell with their milk, cannot attend untill groun to some years: Wee having four, five & some more than six miles, besides the Ferry; And wee can now count amongst us above two hundred and forty or fifty souls, and not one third capeable to attend as wee are now circumstanced: And we think ourselves capeable to maintain a minister of the Gospel, and to give a Competent Liveing, as our neighbouring Pa'shes & precincts do: Therefore wee, your humble Petitioners prays that we may be set off a p'ticular precinct (from Mr. William Seveys and westward by the sea-side as far towards Hampton as the little Boars head or Little River, and back into the Country about three miles & a halfe or soe far as in your wisdom shall see meet) and that we may be impowered to make and raise all our own Taxes & gather them: So prays your humble Peti tioners. William Marden John Lock William Wallis John Brackett Thomas Rand Joshua Foss Edward Lock Beniamen Sevey William Lock Jacob Libe James Lock John Garland Ebenezer Philbrick William Seavey James Seavey Philip Pain Nemiah Beary Nathanel Beary William Beary James Marden Thos Jennes John Jennes Samuel Rand Samuel Brackett Joseph Seavey Beniamen Seavy, jun Samuel Wallis Willm Sevey jun. Petition to be set off as a new Parish or District, 1724. To the Honble John Wentworth, Esq' Livt Gov' and Commander in Chief in and over his Majtys Province of New Hampshire in New England, and to the Honble the Council for s Province: The humble Petition of the Inhabitants living in that part of New Castle called Little Harbour and Sandy Beach, and the Inhabitants living at the Eastward of the Little River comonly so called, att the Easterly end of Hampton, next Sandy Beach, and sundry others of Portsm° Living near the sd Sandy Beach humbly Sheweth: That there being sixty familys or upward within the Precints above named who having for a long time lived att a great Distance from any meeting house where the publick worship of God has been carried on, and most of us having great familys which very Rare above one or Two of a family can go to the House of God for the greatest part of the time by Reason of the Distance we live from any meeting house, and thereby the greatest part of our familys have been Deprived of the Dispensation of the Gospell, and there has been allmost a famine of the word and worship of God amongst us, theire being near four hundred souls whereof not above the sixth or seventh part can attend s worship which is very Predutiall to the glory of God, and Destructive to our Eternall wellfare, for the greatest part of us thus to be brought up in Ignorance which is a Greater Griefe to us than we can herein Express, and the only cause of addressing y Hon' and the Hone the Council herein. And for preventing the Difficulties and Hardships which wee have for a long time labour'd under, and for the advancement of the glory of God and good of souls, wee the subscribers hereof humbly prays your Hon" and the Honourable the Councill that wee may be sett off a Particular District or Precinct for the maintaining a minister with the Priviledges of carying on the affairs of a Town or Parish according to the Bounds hereafter Exprest or as your Hon in wisdom shall see meet, viz. To Begin att Sampsons Point and Run south west to the Road from Seaveys to y Bank and then on the Southerly side of the Road by Capt. Walker's and Capt. Langdon's to the Road that goes to Breakfast (1) Hill (Exclusive of that part of Capt. Walker's and Capt. Langdon's Land that now lyeth in Portsmouth,) and on the southerly side of the Road from between Capt. Langdon's and Slopers farms to Breakfast Hill to the Road from s Sandy Beach to Greenland, and then on a South west line untill it meet with Little River in Hampton Bounds, and then on the Easterly side Little River to ye Sea, and then round by the Sea Side to ye Place where itt Began, and that all the Land that Elias Tarlten and Jeremiah Jorden and Abraham Libby enjoy may be poled off to s Town or Parish herein mentioned, wee having been at the charge of Building a Meeting house by the consent and att the charge of most of the Inhabitants within the Bounds herein mentioned: hopeing your Hon's will grant so Reasonable a Request for so good End, and your Petitioners shall ever pray &c. (1) So called from the circumstance that a party of Indians, after an attack upon the people on the "Plains" at Portsmouth, 25 June, 1696, encamped and took breakfast on the declivity of a hill near the bounds of Greenland and Rye. The hill retains the name to this day.—Brewster's Ram. Ports. Vol. I. p. 73. ED. Saml Rand Thos Rand, jun. Jos. 'Seavy Elias Tarlton Jeremiah Jorden Elex Simes Benja Seavy, Jun. Nathl Berry Saml Doust Saml Seavy, Jun. Jno Lock, jun. James Marden Hez. Gennins, jun. Richd Rand Thos Edmunds Edwd Lock Jno Moor Benja Seavey, jun James Randall Isaac Liby Jacob Liby Eben Philbrick Ab'm Liby Wm. Scavy, tertius James Shute Wm. Gammon Vote and Remonstrance of Portsmouth against the Petition from Sandy Beach, 1724. Att a Publick Town Meeting held in Portsm' the 20th Ap' 1724, Vot'd That y Prayer of Sandy Beach so far as it Relates to this Town is highly unreasonable & yt Coll. Plaisted & Capt. Phipps Esq' & Mr. Wm. Fellows be a Comittee in behalfe of s Town to appear before ye Gov & Councill upon ye hearing of y sd Petition & Remonstrate against y Same & Implead ye Petition's generally so y' there may be no further curtailing or Dividing of ye sd Town; which is already Reduc'd to very narrow limits, by New Castle, Greenland & Newington, & y y Committe be Impower'd to imply an Attorney in y' Premises if there be occasion. True Copy-Test. 21st Apt 1724. Josh. Peirce, Town Clr. Petition from sundry Inhabitants of Little Harbour, Sandy Beach and Hampton, 1725. To the Honourable John Wentworth Esq Lieut. Governor and Commander-in-chief in & over his Majesties Province of New Hamp; To the Honourable the Council And Representatives in Gen' Assembly conven'd at Portsmouth in the gd Province: The Petition of Sundry Inhabitants of Little Harbour and Sandy Beach in the Town of New Castle, and sundry of the Inhabitants of the East end of the Town of Hampton, and some of Portsm" or Greenland, most humbly sheweth: That the dwelling-places of y' Petitioners with their Families, which consist of the number of more than Four hundred Souls, are very far distant from the setled Meeting-Houses in the respective Towns to which they belong and thereby their attendance on the publick worship of God on the Lord's Days is rendered extremely difficult, and at some times impossible in stormy weather and in the winter season, especially, to their Women and children, so that they cannot pay to God the Honour of Publick worship on his day, which Religion and the good Laws of the government demand of them; and your Petitions with their wives and children are brought up in Ignorance of his word; Which evil cannot be remedied but by the favour of your Honours and the Honourable Assembly in constituting them a separate District or Precinct from their respective Towns, to which they now belong, and enabling them to carry on the Publick worship of God amongst themselves; and therefore yo' Petitioners most humbly pray that your Honour and this Honourable Assembly would please to set off that part of New Castle called Sandy Beach & Little Harbour, with such of Hampton, Portsm" or Greenland as to you in your Wisdom shall seem proper to be a District or Precinct for the carrying on the worship of God and maintaining a School therein according to Law, and your Petitioners shall ever pray, as in duty bound, &c. Samuel Seavy John Lock, jun. Thomas Jeffry ? Jethro Lock Thos Jennes John Jennes, jun. Saml Lock Phillip Pain Richard Jennes Samuel Gove Francis Lock Isiak Lybe Ebenezer Berry his William X Marden William Marden, jun. Samuel Rand Solomon Dowst John Lock Hezekiah Jennes William Wallis Samuel Brackett William Lock John Jenes James Lock Beneamen Lamprey |