Petition about running the lines.

To the Honourable the Lieu1 Governour and Council of New Hampshire.

The humble petition of James MacKeen and James Greg in the name of the people of Nutfield, Humbly Sheweth.

That your Petitioners are deeply sensible of the divine goodness in disposing the Honourable Lieu Governour and Čouncil of this Province from time to time to father and support our settlement.

That our Plantation is very numerous for the time, that our first divisions are filled with Inhabitants, and that we are ready to lay out and fill up Second divisions.

That we find ourselves too much confined in respect of room by the lines of Dunstable and Haverill and having no other way to enlarge ourselves but to the Northward, we did on the eighteenth day of April last run a line from the most northerly Angle or corner of Haverill a mile and half Westward, and then turned Northward; That the people of Cheshire have lately run a divisional line too close upon us and have cut off diverse of our homestedd divisions; which was the more surprising to us in regard it was done without our Knowledge. Tho' the people of Cheshire were ordered by the honourable Lieut Governour Wentworth, before they did run the additional line, which themselves had consented to run west North west from the Peke of Haverill, to give us advertisement.

May it therefore please your honours to give orders for the running of a West north west Line from the said Corner of Haverill as a mean between our Line and that of Cheshire, and that our second divisions which we are now ready to lay out and fitt up along the said line may not be disturbed in their settlement, And y' Petitioners as in duty bound shall ever Pray &.

Petition relating to common lands.

Province of New Hampshire

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To the Honble John Wentworth Esq. Lieut Gov & Comander in Chief in & over his Majeys Province of New Hampshire & to the Honble ye councill & house of Representatives in Gen" Court assembled.

The petition of us y subscribers, Inhabt & prop' of Londonderry within his Maj's Province Most Humbly Sheweth.

That in ye year 1722, By the special Grace & bounty of this Governt, yo Pete & Sundry others of his Majestys Most Duty full Protestant subjects were embodied into a Township & favoured with a Charter for ye Town by y name of London

derry and were thereby entitled to all y Priviledges, Right &c Imunitys yt other Towns in ye sd Province usually hold & enjoy, y' in May 1723 the sd town voted y' three men should Lay out ye wants of homesteads and amendments & to yt David Cargill, Wm Aiken & Jn MacMurphy were appointed ye three men, on yo 20 of Jany 1723-4 it was also voted y committee before appointed to lay out wants of homestead & amendm shall lay out ye same quantity, quality Distence & Conveniency considered, yt on ye 6th of March 1726-7, Andrew Todd, Wm Aiken & Jn Mc Murphy were Chosen a comittee for laying out ye wants of Homesteads, Highway Land & Amendm's tho y Petit humbly observe there were some yt put in their disent agat ye same, yt ye sd committee with' taking any previous oath to ye true & faithfull Discharge of ye trust reposed in them as affores proceeded in their work, but with what equality & justice will appear to yor hon from very many Instances to long to be enumerated in y body of this petition; but by a paper here to annexed with reference thereunto being had more fully will appear y after ye sd Comittee had thus with' any regard to proportion & Justice; but in so doing served not only y interest of ymselves but of such others who were so happy as to gain their fav' at ye Expence of Many of y old prop Interest & Just Right & Title in such comon & undevided lands as they thus unequally laid out yt ye sa Lott layers with' even acquainting yes town with these their s proceedings for approbation, or according to Law equity & Good Conscience they ought to Do, gave to such persons as they laid out to Coppy of thair respective Lotts, who Imedately recorded ye same in ye Province & Toun Records, y' most of ye substantial & well thinking prop" of ye sd Town being Justly alarmed at these extraordinary & unprecentall proceedings at a town meeting Sometime in August last, Voted ye Actings & Doings of ye sd Comittee to be null & void as by s Vote more fully will appear to y's hon' whereupon It was to be hoped yt ye same would put an end to yo unhappy distractions & Divisions of s Town. But so it is: and so a prop' y' this Day had a part Interest thro out ye whole town, tomorrow has not half y Interest & ye next Day regains his sd Right & Interest & ye day following is stript of ye same & all this done with any act of his own but by a maj' Vote Pretended and thus Right & property is evidently rendered uncertain & fluctuating & misera est Servilus ubi Jus est vacuum & by ye same doctrine& Rule ye Maj' vote may give or lay out all ye right and property of yo minority from them

That yor petit endeavoured to Conciliate these differences by having ye same determined by Indifferent who should examine ye Justice & equality of ye sd comittee in their several

layings out as affore but ye same were rejected & all other overtures tho ever so reasonable that thus y Harmony peace & prosperity of s' Toun Inevitably will be lost with the interposition of ve Hon" & this great & Gen" Court, for y differences are of y' Gen" & publick nature yt ye ordinary proceedings in y Common Law courts will be so farr from cureing y they will only put ye town into a greater flame by y multiplicity of suits ytherein naturally must arise & weh will also Tend to y great Impoverishm' of ye s prop" wherefore it has been y great wisdom grace & fervour of this great & Gen" Court & yg & Gen" Court of y" neighbouring province always to interpose in cases of so publick & complicated a nature where ye prosperity of a comunity is so nearly engaged & either upon Publick hearings Imediately to enact & order therein as to their Known Wisdom, & experienced Justice seems most meet or either to appoint a committee to examine & Inspect s Grievances & make a Report thereof for y" Legislature to pass thereupon, wherefore y distressed & Grieved Petit are encouraged to approach yr hon to whose goodness they owe their present Right & possession & from whence they expect ye same will be preserved unto them, & as it is their bounden duty will ever pray &c.

(N. B. If I am mistaken as to facts, correct the same.)

Jan 26 1727. In the house of Representatives.

The above Petition being Read, ordered that the Petitioners serve the opposite parties concerned, with a copy of the petition and that they appeare each partie the second day of the sitting of the Gen" Ass" In y Spring session & to be heard in the premises.

James Jeffrey Clr Ass

In Cons' Eod Die.

Read and Concurred.

R. Waldron, Clr. Con.

i

Oaths to be taken.

Do sincerely promise and swear that I will be faithfull and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King George the second.

I Do swear that I do from my heart abhor detest and abjure as impious and heretical that damnable doctrine & position that princes Excomunicated or deprived by the Pope or any Authority of the see of Rome may be deposed or muther'd by their Subjects or any other whatsoever. And I do declare that no foreign Prince Person prelate State or Potentate hath or ought to have any Jurisdiction power authority preeminence or authority ecclesiastical or spiritual within the realm of Great Brittain.

I

So help me God.

do truly and sincerely acknowledge profess Testify & declare in my conscience before God and the world. That our Sovereign Lord King George the second is lawful & rightfull King of the realm of Great Britain and all other His Majes Dominions and Countrys thereunto belonging, And I do solemnly and sincerely declare that I do believe in my conscience, that the Person pretended to be Prince of Wales during the life of the late King James, and since his decease pretending to be and taking upon himself the Stile & title of King of England by y' names of James the third or of Scotland by ye names of James y eighth or the stile & title of King of Great Britain hath not any right or title whatsoever to the crown of the realm of Great Britain or any other the Dominions thereto belonging. And I do renounce refuse and Abjure any Allegiance or obedience to him. And I do swear that I will bear faith and true allegiance to His Majesty King George the second and him will defend to the utmost of my power against all traitorous conspiracies and attempts whatsoever which shall be made against his Person Crown or Dignity: And I will do my utmost endeavour to disclose and make known to his majesty and his successors all treasons & traitorous conspiracies which I shall know to be agt him or any of them, And I do faithfully promise to the utmost of my power to support maintain and defend the succession of the crown agt him the sd James and all other Persons whatsoever, which succession by an act Entitled an act for y further limitation of the crown and better securing the rights and liberties of y subjects is and stands limited to y Princess Sophia Electress & Dutchess Dowager of Hanover, and the heirs of her body being Protestants, and all these things I do plainly and sincerely acknowledge and swear according to these express words by me spoken and according to y plain & common sense and understanding of the same words without any Equivocations mental evasion or secret reservation whatsoever. And I do make this recognition acknowledgm', abjuration renunciation and promise heartily willing and truly upon ye true faith of a Christian.

So help me God.

Names of persons who took the above Oaths.

David Cargill

James McKeen

James Harvey

John Goffe

Hugh Montgomery

James Morison

John Mitchell

Jesse Criste

James Rodgers

James Leslie
John Goffe, Jr
Solomon Hopkin

James Adams

James Tagart

John Tagart

Samuel Houston

Patrick Douglas

Robert Cochran