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 Hon the Council herein. Te 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 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 Jno Lock, jun. Tho. Gennins Hez. Gennins, jun, Saml Wallis Richd Rand Thos Edmunds Edwd Lock Jno Moor Benja Seavey, jun James Randall Isaac Liby Jacob Liby Eben Philbrick Wm. Seavy, tertius James Shute Wm. Seavy, jun Wm. Gammon Vote and Remonstrance of Portsmouth against the Petition from Sandy Beach, 1724. Att a Publick Town Meeting held in Portsm3 the 20th Apr 1724, Vot'd That ye 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 sd Town to appear before ye Gov & Councill upon ye hearing of ye sd Petition & Remonstrate against ye 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, & yt y Committe be Impower'd to imply an Attorney in y Premises if there be occasion. True Copy-Test. 21st Apr 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 sd 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. Wm. Gennings? 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. James Seavey Willm Sevey jun John Lock Hezekiah Jennes Samuel Brackett William Lock John Jenes James Lock Beneamen Lamprey Ebenezer Philbrick James Berry Joseph Sevey Benja Serey Edwd Randle Isaac Dow James Marden Thoms Rand John Pain Nathil Rand Thomas Rand William Rand Simon Knowles Edward Lock. X' y 29, 1725. In the House of Representatives. The within Petition being read: Ordered that the Towns of New Castle, Portsmouth, Hampton & Greenland be notified by the Petitioners to appear on the second day of the sitting of the Spring Sessions next, to shew cause (if any they have) why the Prayer of the Petition may not be granted. Jas. Jeffry, Clr. Ass Another Petition from the same source, 1725. Whereas we the subscribers did formerly Petition to the Government of this Province to be set off for a Precinct or District, which we humbly conceive was denyed, because it was thought that if the prayer of the Petition were granted, the Great Island could not subsist to maintain a Minister there without the assistance of a great part of the subscribers ;-now to take of that objection, and in order that the Gospel may be continued both at the Island and Sandy Beach, we the subscribers consent that Twenty Pounds annually during the Rev'd Mr. Shurtliff's life, or continuance in the Ministry at the Island, be allow'd as follows: viz. That whereas Little Harbour side with Sandy Beach used to pay near one third part of Mr. Shurtleff's Salary, and there being five persons on Little Harbour side that do not desire to join with us, the Petitioners, `viz. Lieut. Jno. Sherburn, Tobias Lear, Jno. Odiorne, James Randle, and the Widow Wallis who used to pay about six pounds annually towards the minister's Rate, We the subscribers do promise and engage to make that sum Twenty pounds annually as afores";-Provided that we may be cleared from all other Parish Taxes to the several places where we do now belong. December 14th 1725 In Province of New Hamp We also will quit o' right to the Twelve Pounds paid by the Isle of Shoals. William Seavey William Walles Thomas Rand Samuel Brackett John Lock James Lock Edward Lock Benjamin Seavey Samuel Walles Joshua Foss Samuel Berry Joseph Lock William Lock Richard Go88 Nathanael Rand' William Marden Ezekiel Knowles Solomon Dowst Benjamin Seavey, jun Samuel Rand James Fuller William Gammon William Seavey, tertius Jethro Goss William Marden jun Thoms Rand, jun. James Shute William Rand Zach: Berry William Berry Sandy Beach, Petition, Dec. 29, 1725. James Marden Samuel Seavey, jun. Jethro Lock Richard Jennes John Jennes Nehemiah Berry Petition from the Parish of Rye, 1729. To his Excellency William Burnet, Esq' Capt. General & Governor in Chief in & over his Majesties Province of New Hamps in New England & To the Hone the Council & the Hone House of Representatives in General Assembly now setting, The Humble Petition of the Parish of Rye in New Castle, in the Province of New Hamp Humbly sheweth: That whereas this Parish was established by a Special Act of General Assembly Apr. 30, 1726, and near one half of the freeholders & other Inhabitants of the same being Poled off to 6 Parish from other Towns, a considerable number of which did before belong to Hampton Town, & having no line fixed & settled between s' Parish & Hampton, the s1 Parish are under ill conveniences respecting their Parish affairs, some moving out & Leaving the Burden of Taxes heavier upon the Remnant left, and some others moving in among us & settling in that part of the Parish that did belong to Hampton, which we are not impowered to Levy Taxes upon, nor to obledge to attend military exercises, nor to help in Repairing his Majesties High-ways in this Parish nor to assist in managing our other Parish affairs;-We, labouring under these & many other ill |