half of s Inhabitants Pray that they may be eased this year of the Province Tax or such part thereof as may be tho't Just and reasonable and your Excellency and Honours will Indulge your Petitioners with an oppertunity to enforce this Petition and assign the Reasons for the granting the Prayer thereof and your Petitioner as in Duty bound Shall every Pray. THOMAS SIMPSON July 25th 1754 Prov. N. Hampre In Council July 25th 1754 read & ordered to be sent Down to the Honble the Genl Assembly Theodore Atkinson Sec Province of New Hampe To his Excelency Bening Wentworth Esqr. Governour in chief in & over the Province aforesaid (in Counsel) The Petition of the Inhabitance and freeholders of the Sow west part of Nottingham Humbly Sheweth that your Petitioners wear set of by a vote of the Town of Nottingham as a Parish in the year 1750 at their annual meeting and were Bounded as followeth Viz: Begining at a Certain tree between the fifth and sixth Ranges in the third Division of Lotts in s Towne No. 21 at the Lower end of said Ranges then Runing S. West to Chester Line being about five Miles, thence Runing on s Chester Line West North West to a Pitch Pine tree which is the South westerly corner of Nottingham, thence Runing north East and by north on the head of Nottingham about five miles to the line between the 5th & 6th Range then running East South East on s Line to the Bounds first mentioned. The aforesaid Tract of Land being about six Miles square was voted of as a Parish to the inhabitance & freeholders of said Land with all Priviledges belonging to a Parish as much as in them Lyes. And in March 1751 Their was money Rais'd on all the inhebetence of Nottingham Except the Church men and it was then Voted that what was paid by those men that Lived in the South West Parish (so call'd) should be expended in supporting a Minister to Preach the Gospel among them And in March 1752 at the annual meeting there was a Large sum of Money Rais'd and your Petitioners were to have the money that was paid by your Petitioners to be expended among us; And money hath ben raised yearly ever since and we have Receiv'd nothing for our Money Except one Days Preaching and about three weekes schooling for six years, for your Petitioners not being incorporated into a Parish only by the Votes of the Town were not able to chuse any Parish officers to Re ceive the money and to lay it out altho' the Town are willing we should have it as soon as we are incorporated and as preaching the Gospel and teaching the children are matters of Great importance to all his Majesties Good Subjects and for many other Reasons which you in your wisdom are sensible of that will forward the Settleing and Promote Good order in a Place, We your Petitioners Earnestly Pray you would be pleas to incorporate us and Grant us Parrish Priviledges. Nottingham Febry 23d 1756 Jonathan Longfellow Nathaniel Batchelder Nathaniel Batchelder Junr. John Batchelder Petition June 28 1765 for a separate Parish. To his Excellency Bening Wentworth Esqr. Captain General Governour Commander & Chief in and over his Majesties province of New Hampshire And Vice Admiral of the same, The Honourable His Majestys Counsil & House of Representatives for s Province Convened. The humble petition of us the Subscribers being Freeholders and Inhabitants of the South West Parish in Nottingham (so call'd) Humbly shews, That whereas your petitioners Lives many of them to the Distance of eight and Some ten miles from the meeting house which makes it very Difficult for us or our families to attend the public worship of God att that place and as your petitioners apprehend their Number is equal or above many Parishes that have been sett off in this province We therefore humbly pray that you would please to sett us off a distinct Parish invested with all the privileges of other Parishes within this Province according to the following bounderies (which bounderies is agreeable to A Vote of the town of Notingham Held att the Meeting House in s Notingham on the third thursday of april 1765) viz beginning att the bounds between the 9 & 10th Lotts in the first Range of the 3d Division And to Extend to the head Line of Notingham Joining to Allenstown (so call'd) then to begin att the bounds between the 21 & 22d Lotts in the Second Range and to Extend to the s head Line and Likewise including the whole of the 3d 4th 5th & sixth Ranges of the sd 3d Division with all the Lands on the westerly side of pleasant pond including the whole of the farms in the 7th & 8th Range that Joins to the road that Leads from Notingham Meeting House to Epsom Line. Also the whole of the Hundred Acre Lotts in Bow street on the Southwesterly side including Josiah Sawyers Lott being the original Lott of Archibald Macfadvix from thence to the head of sd Bow Street. Your Petitioners therefore Humbly prays that in your Great Wisdom and Goodness you would please to take this our prayer under your wise consideration and act on it as you may think proper and your petitioners as in Duty bound Shall Ever pray &c. Notingham June ye 17th 1765 Joseph Judkins Richard Gliden Joseph Lad Nathaniel Smith Jude Allen John Cram Samuell Kelley Thomas Robie William Sanborn Joseph Mason Jeremiah Easman Increse Batchelder Josiah Sawyer Benjamin Batchelder In Council June 28th 1765 Daniel Marston Read & Ordered to be sent down to the Honble Assembly T. Atkinson Jun. Sec Province of In the House of Representatives June 28, 1765 This Petition being Read Voted That they be heard thereon the second Day of the sitting of the General Assembly after the first day of Sep Next That they give notice of the Substance of the Petition in the Public News Papers of the Government three Weeks successively & that any Person or Persons may appear against the Prayer thereof that are so Disposed In Council Eodem Die Province of New Hampste T. Atkinson Jun Sec H. Sherburne Spkr In the House of Representatives Nov 22d 1765. The Petitioners being heard on the within Petition and no Person appearing to make objection and the Prayer of said Petition appearing to be reasonable Voted That the Prayer of said Petition be Granted and that the Petitioners have liberty to bring in a Bill accordingly. In Council Nov. 224 1765 The above Vote read & concurred T. Atkinson Jun Sec. M. Weare Clr Att a Legal meeting of the freeholders and Inhabitants of Notingham held att the meeting house in said Notingham on the third thursday of April 1765, Voted that the southwesterly Corner of Notingham (So called) be sett of as a Distinct Parish according to the following boundaries viz. to begin att the bounds between the ninth and tenth Lotts in the first Range and to Extend to the head line in sd Notingham then to begin att the bounds between the 21st and 224 Lotts in the Second Range and to Extend to the s head line in Notingham and likewise to include the whole of the 3d 4th 5th & 6th Ranges of the third Division (so called) in sd Notingham with the Lands and settlers on the westerly side of Pleasant Pond so far as the road extends to Epsom line including all the farms and settlers on sd Epsom Road (so calld) to the head Line of Notingham as Likewise the whole of the Hundred acre Lotts in Bow Street on the Southwesterly side of sd Street including Josiah Sawyer's Lott being the original Lott of Archibald Macfadrix to the head of sd Bow street A true Coppy Attest 41 Benjamin Shepard Town Clerk Province of New Hampshire Rockingham ss. Nottingham Petition for Liberty to Elect an Assemblyman To His Excellency John Wentworth Esq Governor in Chief in and over his Majesties Said Province of New Hampshire. The Humble Petition of the Inhabitants of Nottingham in said County of Rockingham Shews that said Nottingham is an ancient Settled Town and Does at Present Consist of above three Hundred & Fifty Families. For a Long Time Past the Inhabitants thereof have been Constantly Taxed toward the Support and Maintenance of the Government of this His Majesty's Province and have always freely and cheerfully Paid the same tho they have Never Enjoy'd the Inestimable Darling Privilege and Liberty of Being Represented in the House of Commons here which other Towns and Parishes Less Opulent and Not so Numerous or ancient have been Indulg" with; the Liberty of sending Representatives. Your Petitioners would humbly Submit their Case to your Excellencys Wise Mature Consideration, Whether they are not Intitled to the Privileges and Immunitys of the British Constitution Equally with Every other Subject thereof Whether the Lives Liberties and Propertys of your Petitioners under their Present Circumstances may not be taken from them without their Consent to the Law by which they may be Judged. Wherefore your Petitioners Pray your Excellency Would authorize and Impower them for the future to send a Representative to the General Assembly of said Province That your Petitioners may no Longer Be Virtually But Really Represented By a Person of their own Electing and Your Petitioners as in Duty Bound shall ever Pray |