and thereby put an end to the Strifes already commenced, and a stop to others ready to break out in consequence thereof and also to save this House the Trouble of saying or acting further on upon it, for as we are the representatives of a free protestant People and as such the Guardians of their Privileges, we esteem ourselves obliged to make a stand agst every attempt made to deprive them of their Just Rights, and particularly we shall think ourselves inexcusable in case your Exies and Hon's should not relieve us if we should not apply to His most Excellent majesty who is graciously pleased to esteem his own Prerogatives and his Subjects Privileges equally dear to him for a remedy, and we esteem ourselves more especially obliged to take this step (if your Ex & Hon's don't prevent it) as it is not the first Instance wherein your Excellency has attempted to invade our rights Witness your Endeavours to get the provincial Records of Deeds into your Hands, or at least to have the Disposal of them, which are no other than the Peoples Evidences of their Titles to their Land Estates and therefore according to the rules of common sense and Reason, ought to be in their own several keepings if it could be, but as it can't they ought to be disposed of by them who are the Proprietors of their Evidences as well as of their Estates. Another Instance was your Excellency's Endeavor to augment the number of members of this House by your own mear arbitrary Power, without any Law enabling you so to, or any colour of authority from His majesty for your so doing that was ever made known to us, to which may be added your Excellency's causing a number of men to scout on ye west side of merrimack River last summer before A Grant was made for their Pay and Subsistance, and which we humbly apprehend your Excellency could not rationally expect ever would be and the scouters remain to this Day without wages and those that subsisted them without their pay for it whether this is not oppressive we leave to the wisest Judges to determine. Proceedings of this nature will cast no blame on us, but it gives us Concern, that any office must bear the Records of such Conduct were it possible for us to entertain so dishone a Thought as that a Vote could be past at the Council Board, and the Voters not be fully apprised of your directions without maturely deliberating on the materials it was built with we should have at Once concluded, that the Vote for Keenborough Charter was such an one. May it please y' Ex and Hon's we crave Leave to repeat our request to you for a reconsideration of the Keenborough affair and that you will be pleased to do what is just and right therein to quiet the minds of the People to stay the Strifes already begun and to prevent other Divisions that are like to arise we are Zealously concerned that Love and Peace may be cultivated in the Province and a Harmony in the administration, that the Prerogative may always rest secure that the Infractions made on our Privileges may be healed, and that they may ever hereafter remain safe and inviolate. Charter of Keenborough. Province of George the Second by the grace of God of Great Britain New Hamps France and Ireland King Defender of the Faith &c. To all to whom these Presents Shall come Greeting For as much as it hath been Represented to us by Capt. Andrew Gilman and other Inhabitants of the parish of Brentwood that great disorders have arisen in said Parish Respecting their parish affairs in general, And that all proposals hitherto attempted have proved ineffectual to Restore peace and good Order amongst them Wherefore, the said Capt. Andrew Gilman in behalf of himself and others Humbly Prays That a new parish may be erected in said Parish of Brentwood And to the end that peace and good Order may be Established Know ye therefore of our Especial Grace certaine Knowledge & meer motion By & with the advice of our Trusty & well beloved Benning Wentworth Esq' our Capt General Governor and Commander in chief of our Province of New Hampshire in New England and of our council of said Province have Incorporated, ordained declared and appointed And by these presents for us our Heirs & Successors Do Incorporate ordain declare and appoint out of the Parish of Brentwood all that Tract or parcel of Land Situate lying & Being in y Parish of Brentwood in our Province of New Hamp aforesaid containing by admessurement twelve thousand five hundred Ninety five acker & one Quarter of an acre according to a plan & Survey made by order of our Said Governor by George Mitchel Esq' and Cap Dudley Odlin hearunto annexed abutting & Bounding as by ye said Plan or Survey may appear And we do hearby ordain And appoint that the respective Inhabitants that now are or that shall hereafter be in possession of the Lands within the Plan or Survey aforesaid shall [be] one Society Corporation and Body Politick to have continuance forever by the name of Keenborough and that they and their Successors shall by that name be able and Capeable in law to call Parish Meetings The first of which is to be called within thirty days from the date hereof by Capt. Andrew Gilman and Humphrey Wilson & Benjamin Gilman And the meetings hereafter shall be on the first Monday of April annually And we do hereby give and grant unto the said society or Corporation full Power and authority to make choice of proper Officers to Levy Taxes on the Inhabitants for the Support of the Society agreeable to the Laws of our Province of New hampshire made for regulating Town and Parish affairs. And we do further give and grant to the said society full Power to call & settle a Regular and Orthodox Minister of the Gospel and to Levy Taxes on the Inhabitants conformable to the Laws afforesaid of our Province afforesaid for his support Reserving only the Reommending the first minister to the President and seinour Fellows of Harvard Colledge in New England, to the Reverend Jabez Fitch & the Reverend John Odlin. And we do also hereby Reserve to his most Sacred Majesty his heirs & successors all white Pine Trees growing standing or being within the plan or survey Above mentioned the Preservation whereof for his Majesties Royal Navy is the Tennure by which you hold and enjoy your Corporation. And lastly we do declare and Ordaine, That these our Letters Patent & every clause Sentence and article herein contained shall be in all things firm and vallid & effectual in the Law unto the Said Society & their Successors according to the Purport & Tennure hereof Provided, that these our Letters Patents be recorded within one month from the Date hereof in our Recorder's Office appointed for that purpose in our said Province of New Hampshire In witness whereof we have caused the to be made Patent Witness our [torn off] and Commander in Chief of our Said Province the twenty seventh day of October in the year of our reign Annoq Domine 174— Pr his Excellency's Command with advice of Council B. WENTWORTH. Theodore Atkinson Sec'y Copy Exd Theodore Atkinson Sec'y Petition of the Selectmen of Keeneborough. To his Excellency Benning Wentworth Esqr; Governor & Commander in Chief in and over the Province of New Hampshire in Council. The Humble Petition of the Selectmen of Keenborough in the behalf of ye Inhabitants of sd Parish Humbly sheweth Whereas your Excellency in Conjunction with the Honourable his Majesties Council was pleased to take compassion on us under our former Difficulties and Grant us a Parrish by ourselves; For which we looked upon ourselves greatly oblidged to your Excellency, and the Honoured Council and hoped to have enjoyed great peace & quietness and by virtue of the Charter given us, we have acted ever since, and according to Charter have proceeded to settle a Gospel Minister amongst us viz: The Rev. Mr. Nathaniel Trask, which by Charter we supposed we had full power to do, and to Raise money for his Settlement & Support, and accordingly have raised a Tax upon ye Inhabitants for yt end, but some Discontented persons amongst us, Influenced by some of ye Parish of Brentwood, and by others in other places, who informed them that your Excellency and his Majesties Council, had no power to make us a Parish, and yt your Charter was good for nothing, and being likewise encouraged by ye Gentlemen of ye Law, have refused to pay their Taxes, and being seized and Imprisoned by ye Constable, has brought the Case into ye Law; and to our great Surprise, Judgment went in their favour, at ye last Superior Court, So y now we are in a Deplorable Condition; Having a Minister Settled and money to pay both for his Settlement & support, and no power to raise any Money in a Legal way, or to gather in any Tax, already raised, and hav ing been at great Expense in vindicating yo Charter, and seeing no hopes of a Reconciliation with ye Parish of Brentwood, their Demand being so unreasonable, nor of Relief in any other way. In this Deplorable Case we humbly crave pitty of your Excellency & the Honourable his Majesties Council, and that you would advise us what to do, and would be pleased to find out some way for our Relief, for otherwise we shall run into ye greatest Confusion, Religion will Die amongst us, and both Civil & Ecclesiastical authority be trampled upon; So hoping that your Excellency & ye Honble his Majesties Council will afford us relief, under these pressing Difficulties and prevent our Ruin, and your Petitioners as in Duty bound shall ever Pray &c Petition of a number of the Inhabitants of Brintwood, praying to be set off as a parish. To his Excellency Benning Wentworth Esqr Governor & Comander in chief in and over his Majestys Province of New Hampshire the honorable his Majesty's Council & House of Representatives in General Assembly conven'd 12th day of June 1764 The Petition of us the Subscribers humbly sheweth that whereas we who are of the Parish of Brintwood in said Province are exposed by being at a great distance from Meeting for the public worship of God Therefore pray your Honers to take our Case into your wise Consideration and set us off as a Parish with all Parish privileges one half of the aforesaid Parish of Brintwood for quantity on the westerly end, Beginning at the northwesterly Corner of said Parish running Easterly on Epping Line so far as to contain one half of the length of said Line. Then beginning at the South westerly Corner of said Parish running Easterly on Kingston Line one half of the Length of the said South Line then to run a Straight Line across said Parish of Brintwood so as to contain full one half of the Land of said Brintwood agreeable to a Vote of said Parish reference hereto being had may make fully appear. And your Petitioners in duty bound Shall ever pray John Taylor Zacheus Clough Province of In the House of Representatives June 14th 1764 New Hamps__ This petition being read Voted That the prayer thereof be Granted & that the petitioners have leave to bring In a Bill accordingly In Council June 15th 1764 Read & Concurred T. Atkinson Sec. A. Clarkson Clerk At a Parish Meeting held at the meeting house in Brintwood the fifeenth Day of May 1764 Voted Deacon Jeremiah Bean moderator of said meeting at the same meeting it was Put to Vote to see if the Parish would maintain Two ministers in said Parish & it Past in the Negative Voted the Inhabitants of the Westerly End of the Parish be set off to be a Parish by themselves that is to come one half the way Down on Epping Line & Run such a Point a cross to Kingston Line as to contain one half ye Land in Sd Parish A copy Examd. ELISHA SANBORN Clerk CANTERBURY. [This town was incorporated 20 May, 1727.-ED.] At a meeting of the Proprietors of the Town of Canterbury holden by announcement the 16 Day of May 1738, Then Voted that Sam' Smith Thomas Young & Sam Adams are and shall be a Comittee to Represent The Town of Canterbury at the General Court by (a petition ?) to be Enabled by an act to make the Proprietors pay their Proportion of the charge that hath arisen and shall hereafter arise in the management of the affairs of said town Sam Smith Town Cl |