adjournment on the tenth day of September 1760 voted that the Proprietors of land in said Epsom Should pay two Shillings old Tenor per acre for every acre of land which then was laid out in Severalty in Said Town To be paid within one year from the said Tenth day of September afores Partly to pay for the perambulating the Several lines of said Town and for laying out the undivided lands in said Town and the Remainder to be applied towards building a meeting house and maintaining a Minister in said Epsom-Also That the Proprietors aforesaid should pay one Shilling old Tenor per acre per year for five years next after the said one year should be expired, to be applied towards the building a meeting house and maintaining a Minister in s' Epsom and at the same meeting voted your Petitioner agent for said Proprietors to prefer a Petition to the General Assembly for a Confirmation of said Vote: Wherefore your Petitioners in the Capacity afores prays your Excellency and Honours by an act to Ratify and Confirm Said Vote And to Authorize & Impower the said Proprietors to tax all the lands laid out in Severalty in said Epsom on the said Tenth day of September afores at two Shillings old Tenor per acre for one year for the use and purpose aforesd. And to enable the said Proprietors to Collect the Same also to tax for five years next after the said one year every acre of land that shall then be laid out in Severalty in said Town at one Shilling old Tenor per. acre each year for the use and purpose aforsaid and to enable the said Proprietors to Collect the Same. JOHN WEEKS Agent In Council March 34 1761 read & ordered to be sent down to the Honble Assembly. Theod Atkinson Sec The Petition of the Inhabitants of Epsom for abating the Province Tax. Province of To his Exelency Benning Wentworth Esq' Cap' General Governour & Commander in Chief in and over his Majestys Province of New Hampshire and to the Honable Counceill & house of Representatives now Convened in General Assembly at Portsmouth the Petition of his Majestys Good Subjects Inhabitants of the township of Epsom in Said Province Humbly Sheweth We the Poor Inhabitants of the township of Epsom in Said Province humbly Beg Leave to Remonstrate our Very Poor Distressing Curcumstances to your Compassion & Most Earn estly Crave your Pity and pray your Honours to Relieve us from the unsuportable Burden of Province tax under which we are made to Grone and Which we think we Cannot Possibly Survive under unless your Honours Will be Pleased to Mitigate and free us from. Gentlemen our Numbers are Very small & we are very much Exposed to Losses our young Cattle Sheep & Swine are often Destroyed by Wild beasts and further we have Lately Seteled a minister among us which we are affraid we Shall not be able to Support by Reason of the Poor Circumstances we are now under we are not able to Build a Meeting House but our Minister is obliged to Preach in Some of our Dwelling houses the tax which was Laid on us the Last year many of us were obliged to hire the money to Pay our Necessities are very Grate by Reason of the Scarcity of Provisions we have been obliged to Lay out all that we have got for years Past & are now much in Debt this is to Entreat your Honours to take of the heavy tax which we now Labour under & Restore us the money we Paid Last year & tioners Shall Ever Pray as in Duty Bound John McClary Nathan Marden John Black Ephraim Lock Reuben Sanborn Jun. Reuben Sanborn James Wood Abraham Lebbee Abraham Walles Thomas Blake Isaac Lebbee In Council June 24th 1762 Isaac Lebbee Jun. Reuben Lebbee Samuel Beckford Samuel Black Thomas Hins John Blaso John McGaffey Abner Evens Read & Order'd to be sent down to the Honble Assembly your Peti Theodore Atkinson Jun. Sed Province of New Hampshire, Epsom May the 26, 1760 these are to notifie the propriters of the town of Epsom to meat at the house of Cap' Andrew McClarey in epsom on wensday the eightenth of June next at ten of the clock in the fore noon then and their to see if the proprietors will asist the inhabitance in bulding a meating house and asist the inhabitance about the hiring a minister or any other thing that may be thot proper for the benefit of s town and to see if the propritors will devide the undevided Land in epsom and likewise see if they will preamblate the several lines in sd Epsom. A true Copy atest by N Marden proprietors Clark At a Legal meeting of the Proprietors of the town of Epsom held at the house of Cap Andrew McClary on wensday the 18 day of June 1760 I voted Mr Isaac Lebbee to be moderator for the present meating. 2 voted that the meeting be adjorned untill the tenth day of September next at ten of the Clock Before noon to be held at the place aforesa A true copy atest by September the 10, 1760 Nathan Marden proprietors Clark i voted Nathan Marden be propritors Clark for the propriters of Epsom untill another be chosen. 2 voted that the proprietors pay two Shillings pr. Acre old tener for all and every acre of Land which is laid into Severelty in the town of Epsom within one year from this Date partly to pay for the perambelating the Lines of s Epsom & laying out the undevided Land and the remander to be applyd towards Building a meating house & mantaining a menester in s Epsom and also that the propriters pay one Shilling old tener pr. acre pr. year for five years next after the sd one year is Expir'd to be applied towards building a meating house and maintaining a minister in s Epsom. 3 voted that John Weaks Esq' be an agent for the propriters of Epsom to prefer a petition to the general Court for a confirmation of s votes and also for an act to enable the s propriters to colect s sum. 4 voted that Capt. John McClary be a Committee to peramblate the Lines of Epsom & to Divide the Undevided Land in Epsom. 5 Voted that Nathan marden be a Committie man for the Same. 6 voted that Ephraim Lock be a Committie man for the Same Isaac Lebbee Sen' moderater A true Copy atest by Nathan Marden propriters Clark We whose names are under writen Desir the select men of Epsom to insert the follong and Call a propriters meating Viz. William Bery Leve Dearborn John Lebbee John McClary Andrew McClary John Weeks Bracket Johnson Propriters William Blaso Isaac Lebbee Sen' Benjamin Holt Isaac Lebbee Junr. EXETER. [Exeter was purchased of certain Indian Sachems by Rev. John Wheelwright and others, 3 April, 1638. The purchase embraced thirty miles Square. Under this purchase, the settlement was made.] Combination at Exeter, 1639. [See and compare copy from Ancient Record of Exeter, Prov. Pap. Vol. I, pp. 131-133.] Combination for government at Exeter, with the forms of oaths for rulers and people. Whereas it hath pleased the Lord to move the heart of our dread Sovereign Charles by the grace of God King &c to grant license and liberty to sundry of his subjects to plant themselves in the western parts of America-We his loyal subjects, brethren of the church in Exeter, situate and lying upon the river Pascataquacke with other inhabitants there, considering with ourselves the holy will of God and our own necessity, that we should not live without wholesome laws and government among us, of which we are altogether destitute, do in the name of Christ and in the sight of God combine ourselves together to erect and set up amongst us such government as shall be to our best discerning agreeable to the will of God professing ourselves subjects to our Sovereign Lord King Charles, according to the liberties of our English colony of the Massachusetts, and binding ourselves solemnly by the grace and help of Christ, and in his name and fear, to submit ourselves to such godly and christian laws as are established in the realm of England to our best knowledge, and to all other such laws which shall upon good grounds be made and enacted amongst us according to God, that we may live quietly & peaceably together in all godliness and honesty. Mo. 5 D. 4, 1639. Henry Elkins Samuel Walker Thomas Petit Henry Roby William Winborne Thomas Crawley Christopher Helme Darby Field Robert Read Edward Rishworth Robert Smith Richard Morris Nicholas Needham Thomas Wilson George Rawbone James Wall Thomas Leavitt John Cramme Thomas Wardhall The Elder's or Ruler's Oath. You shall swear by the great and dreadful name of the high God maker and governor of heaven and earth and by the Lord Jesus Christ the prince of the kings and rulers of the earth, that in his name and fear you will rule and govern his people according to the righteous will of God, ministering Justice and judgement on the workers of iniquity and ministering due encouragement and countenance to well doers, protecting of the people so far as in you lieth by the help of God from foreign annoyance and inward disturbance that they may live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. So God be help ful and gracious to you and yours in Christ Jesus. Oath of the people. We do swear by the Great and dreadful Name of the High God, Maker and Governor of heaven and earth, and by the Lord Jesus Christ, the King and Saviour of his people, that in his Name and fear, we will submit ourselves to be ruled and governed according to the will and word of God, and such wholesome laws and ordinances as shall be derived therefrom by our honored Rulers and the lawful assistants, with the consent of the people, and that we will be ready to assist them by the help of God in the administration of justice and preservation of the peace, with our bodies and goods and best endeavours according to God. So God protect and save us and ours in Jesus Christ. Exeter Sept. 26th 1738 To the Gentlemen Selectmen of Exeter: We the Subscribers pray you wou'd forthwith call a town meeting and we pray you Insert the following in your s warrant for a town meeting.To the town of Exeter-The Petition of us the Subscribers Inhabitants of the western part of the first parish in Exeter, Humbly Sheweth-That we your Petitioners have for diverse years Labour'd under inexpressible Disadvantages & Difficulties on many accounts More particularly by reason of our Great Distance from the publick Meeting House, so that Even in the Summer Season we and our Families cannot attend Regularly & Constantly on the publick worship of God as we would doe and in the winter Season for Diverse years past have thought it Best to be at the Expence of Supporting preaching amongst us without any abatement of our Rates to the Support of the ministry in this Parish, and Having made some Provision & Been at some Cost toward Building a Meeting House among us Being now Desirous of Being a Parish by ourselves and as soon as may be Conveniently to Settle an Orthodox Gospel Ministry among us-we therefore pray that you wou'd consider our Circumstances and pass a vote to set us of by ourselves, to be in all respects a Distinct parish as the Parish of New Market is now set off from the first parish in Exeter and we pray if you see Good to vote the Bounds of our Parish as follows. Beginning at old Pickpocket upper Saw-Mill and from thence running South to Kingston line, thence west and by North by Kingston Line four miles, thence north four miles, thence Easterly to New Market South west corner Bounds and So Bounding by New Market South Bounds So far till a South |