Petition for Town Priviledges, 1743. To his Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq' Captain General and Commander in Chief in and over his Majesty's Province of New Hampshire in New England, and to the Honourable his Majesties Council and the Honourable_the House of Representatives for the Province afores in General Assembly convened: The Humble Petition of the Freeholders & Inhabitants of the Parish of Summersworth within the s Province humbly sheweth: That the s Parish being sett off a seperate Parish by an Act of the General Assembly made and passed in the third year of his present Majesty's Reign whereby the Inhabitants of s Parish are invested with all the Powers and Priviledges of a Parish as to maintain an Orthodox Gospel Minister their poore and School and to choose all Parish officers, now the growing charge of maintaining the minister, poore and school and other necessary charges arising insomuch that the Rates for this present year are six shillings & Eight pence on the head or four pence per pound in the new Tenor which makes the taxes very high, and our Numbers being small, also the Land not taken up is so mean that there is but little probability of our numbers increasing, as also that when we have chosen a Collector to gather the Parish Assessment & he having served in that troublesome office hath beene Re-chosen by the Town of Dover as Constable, which office he hath been Obliged to serve in or otherwise to pay his fine, and also if any person that was chosen by s Parish as Collector and Refused to serve there was no Law to compel him to pay his fine :-Wherefore to Remedy the above Grievances your Humble Petitioners Humbly Pray that your Excellency and Honours would be pleased By an Act of General Assembly to Invest us with the priviledges and Powers of a Town, and a small matter to enlarge our Boundaries according or near our first Petition: viz. To begin at a place in Quocheco River called the Gulf and from thence on a Straight Line to the southern side of Varney's Great Hill, and from thence to run on a North West point of the Compass to the end of the Township and your Petitioners as in Duty Bound shall ever pray. Dover, May 19th 1743. Paul Wentworth Gershom Wentworth William Wentworth Moses Stevens Thomas Miller Ezekiel Wentworth Philip Yetton Lane Roberts Joseph Ricker Samuel Wintworth Ephraim Wentworth Garshom Dowens Thomas Dowens John Downs John Drew Moses Carr Thomas Nock Nathanel Nock Benja Twombly John Ricker Nathaniel Ricker Phinias Ricker John Robertes Daniel Smith Ebenezer Robearts Benja Wamyorth Richard Goodin Jonathan Merrow Daniel Plumer Benja Mason John Mason Saml Walton Joseph Wentworth Samuel Stakpole Joshua Robards, junr Samuel Downs In the House of Representatives, December 1, 1743. The within Petition read, and voted That the petitioners at their cost serve the Select men of Dover with a coppy of the Petition and votes thereon, and that they appeare before y General Assembly y 2 day of Jans next, if ye Ass be then sitting; if not, on the third day of the sitting of the Gen Ass at their next sessions, to shew cause (if any) why the prayer of the Petition may not be granted. In Council, Dec 2, 1743. Read & Concurrd. Theo. Atkinson, Secy. James Jeffry, Cler. Ass Eodem Die, assented to B. WENTWORTH. SOUTH HAMPTON. [Was incorporated by Charter, May 25, 1742. ED.] Petition of sundry inhabitants to be set off, &c. To his Excelly Bening Wentworth Esq' Capt" Gen" and Govern' in Chief in and over his Majesties Province of New Hampshire in N. England and to the Honble his Majesties Council and Representatives in Gen' Court assembled Septembr 14th 1742. The Petition of sundry of ye Inhabitants of the Est part of Salisbury which by the runing the new Line fall into the Province of New Hampshire and (as we are informed) are included in the late charter granted for ye Township of South Hampton, Humbly Sheweth :-That we the subscribers being comprehended in the afores Charter and by reason thereof exposed to greater hardships and unreasonable difficulties as to all Parish and Town affairs, being six miles or more distant from their Meeting house, we cannot with our families attend ye publick worship there, neither can we have ye privilidge of voteing in their publick affairs respecting Town or Parish, for if their meetings are warned in the usual Method we shall have no knowledge of them, or if by chance we hear of any of them, such is the distance that we can't attend them; and therefore it will be very prejudicial to us to stand in such relation to them with whom we can neither do our duty nor injoy our just Rights and Privileges;-We therefore pray that (as the rest of our Neighbours) we may be set off as to our persons & Estates from the said Town of South Hampton and annexed to Hampton Falls there to do duty and injoy ye privilidges of Townsmen, so shall yr Petition ever pray, &c. John Collins Province of New Hamp In Council September the 16, 1742. Jonathan Walton The above petition read & Voted thereon that the selectmen of South Hampton be served with a copy of this Petition & the vote thereon, by the Petitions & at their expence; & that they appear on the 3d day of sitting of the Gen" Assembly next, to shew cause if any they have why the Prayer of the Petition should not be granted. Eodem Die. Theod. Atkinson, Secy. In the House of Representatives, the above Petition Read & ye (1) A note in the margin by the late John Farmer, Esq. says, “ Eliphaz Dow murdered Peter Clough in 1754, and was executed 8 May 1755." See Prov. Pap. Vol. VI. pp. 338, 384. ED. vote of Council thereon, and voted a concurrence wth ye Vote of Council. September y 17th 1742. The within vote Assented to, James Jeffry, Clr. Ass". In the House of Representatives 9hr 19th 1742. B. WENTWORTH. The within Petition read and voted, That the Prayer of the Petition be granted & that the Petitioners have liberty to bring in a Bill accordingly. Prov. New Hamp" November 23d 1742. In Council. the above vote read & Concurrd. Theod. Atkinson, Sec. James Jeffry, Cler. AssTM In the House of Representatives, 9hr the 24th 1742. Mr. Sec bro't down the within Petition to be Reconsidered, 9 ye 25th 1742. The within Petition Read & the House having reconsidered the affair Voted, That a Line be extended from the dividing Line between Hampton Falls P'ish & ye P'ish of Kensington to the Province Line, being south four degrees West, and that all the Inhabitants & their Estates to y Eastward of y' line that did belong to South Hampton shall be annexed to Hampton Falls P'ish, And ye Petitioners have Liberty to bring in a Bill accordingly. In Council, Nov: 25, 1742. James Jeffry, Clr. Ass Concurrd with this amendment, viz. After the words Hampton Falls Parish, be added, -to all Intents & Purposes except the Dutys of repairing & mending highways below the above s Line, & paying their Province Tax which is to be paid as usual till a new Proportion or the further order of the Gen Assembly Theod. Atkinson, Sec. Eod. Die. In the House of Represents the above vote of Council for amendm Read & Concurrd. Eodm Die.-Assented to James Jeffrey, Cler. Ass Petition of John Page and Benjamin Baker, to be set off, &c. [Compare the papers which follow, with those pertaining to Newtown, pp. 607-630. ED.] To his Excellency Benning Wentworth, Esq' Cap. Gen' and Governour in Chief in & over his Majesty's Province of New Hampshire in N: E: And to the Honourable his Majesty's Council and Representatives in General Court Assembled: November 1742. The Petition of John Page & Benjamin Baker late of Salisbury, now incorporated with the Inhabitants of South Hampton, Humbly Sheweth : That by Reason of our great Distance from the Place of Pub lick Worship in s Town of South Hampton, We cannot without great difficulty with our Families attend the Publick Worship there, nor attend other publick meetings for the management of Town affairs: And therefore pray that We may be polled off to Hampton Falls as to our Persons and Estates, there to do duty & enjoy Priviledges as sundry others of our Neighbours, in like circumstances with our selves, have been. So shall your Petitioners ever pray &c. South Hampton, Sept 27th 1742. In the House of Representatives gbr ye 19th 1742. JOHN PAGE The above petition read and voted, That the Petitioners serve the Selectmen of South Hampton with a Coppy of this Petition and Votes thereon, & that they appeare the third day of y sitting of the Gen Assembly at the next sessions to show cause (if any) why the Prayer of the Petition may not be granted. Prov. of New Hamp" Nov 20th 1742. James Jeffry, Cler. Ass The within Vote of the House read & concurrd at the Council Board. Theod. Atkinson, Sec. Nov. 24h 1742. In the House of Representatives, May 25th A. D. 1743. James Jeffry, Cler. Assm Answer to the foregoing Petition by the Selectmen of To his Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq' Captain Gen- We the Select men of South Hampton have taken opportunity at this time to express our loyalty to the King's Majestie and our Duty to your Excellency and Honours and to the Representatives: We humbly confide in your tender Regard to our holy Religion that whereas we have setteled a Church of our Lord Jesus among us that you will protect us so that we may be able to maintain it. We have been served with a coppy of a Petition that Doc. John Page and Mr. Benjamin Baker have prefered to this Honourable Court in order to pole off from us, which we oppose for these Reasons following. |