PART II.
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In this portion of the work will be found all the various facts and historical matters of interest, that we have been able to collect and authenticate, that have not appeared in the previous pages.
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ORIGINAL CHARTER.
The application for, and Charter of 1753.
At a council holden at Portsmouth, by his Excellency's orders, on Wednesday, April 11, 1753:
Present — Theodore Atkinson, Richard Wibird, Samuel Lolley, Daniel Warner, Esq's. The secretary laid before the Council the petition of Abner Sawyer and about sixty others, praying a grant of His Majesty's unappropriated lands lying to the westward of Connecticut River, for a township six miles square, upon the condition directed to in His Majesty's instructions, and asked the Council whether they would advise his Excellency to make such a grant, to which they did advise and consent.
PROVINCE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.
George, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King, defender of the Faith, etc.: To all persons to whom these presents shall come, —
GREETING:
Know ye, that we of our special grace, certain knowledge and mere motion, for the due encouragement or settling a new plantation within our said Province, by and with the advice of our trusty and well-beloved Benning Wentworth, Esqr., our Governor and Commander-in-chief of our Province of New Hampshire, in America, and of our Council of the said Province, have, upon the conditions and reservations hereafter made, given and granted, and by these presents, for us, our heirs and successors, do give and
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grant in equal shares, unto our loving subjects, inhabitants of our said Province of New Hampshire, and his Majesty's other governments, and to their heirs and assigns forever, whose names are entered on this grant, to be divided to and amongst them into seventy-four equal shares, all that tract or parcel of land situate, lying and being within our Province of New Hampshire, containing by admeasurement twenty-three thousand and forty acres, which tract is to contain six miles square, and no more, out of which an allowance is to be made for highways and unimprovable land by rocks, mountains, ponds and rivers, one thousand and forty acres free, according to the plan thereof made and presented by our said Governor's orders, and hereunto annexed, butted and bounded as follows, viz: Beginning at a stake and stones five hundred rods east 10° south by the needle from the northeast corner of the town of Marlborough, and from thence running six miles north 20° east by the needle to a stake and stones, from thence west 10° north by the needle six miles to a stake and stones, from thence south 20° west by the needle six miles to the north side of Marlborough aforesaid, thence by Marlborough line east 10° south to Marlborough's northeast corner, from thence continuing that course to the stake and stones first above mentioned, and that the same be and is hereby incorporated into a township by the name of Fane, and that the inhabitants that do ——— or shall hereafter inhabit said township, are hereby declared to be enfranchised with and entitled to all and every the privileges and immunities that other towns within our said Province by law exercise and enjoy. And further, that the said town as soon as there shall be fifty families resident and settled thereon, shall have the liberty of holding two fairs, one of which shall be held on the ———, and the other on the ——— annually, which fairs are not to continue and be held longer than the respective ——— following the said respective days, and as soon as the said town shall consist of fifty families, a market shall he opened and kept one or more days in each week, as may be most advantageous to the inhabitants. Also, that the first meeting for the choice of town officers, agreeable to the laws of our said Province, shall be held on the last Wednesday in August next, which meeting shall be ratified by Mr. Abner Sawyer, who is hereby also appointed the moderator of the said first meeting, which he is to notify and govern agreeable to the laws and customs of our said Province; and that the annual meeting forever hereafter for the choice of such officers of said town shall be on the second Wednesday in March, annually. To have and to hold the said tract of land as above expressed, together with all the privileges and appurtenances, to them and their respective heirs and assigns forever, upon the following conditions, viz: That every grantee, his heirs or assigns, shall plant or cultivate five acres of land within the term of five years, for every fifty acres contained in his or their share or proportion of land in said Township, and continue to improve and settle the same by additional cultivations, on penalty of the forfeiture of his grant or share in the said Township, and its reverting to his Majesty, his heirs and successors, to be by him or them regranted to such of his subjects as shall effectually settle and cultivate the same. That all white pine trees within the said Township fit for masting our royal navy be carefully preserved for that use, and none to be cut or felled without his Majesty's especial license for so doing first had and obtained, upon the penalty of the forfeiture of the right of such grantee, his heirs or assigns to us, our heirs and successors, as well as being subject to the penalty of any act or acts of Parliament that now are or hereafter shall be enacted. That before any division of the said land be made to and amongst the grantees, a tract of land as near the centre of the Township as the land will admit of, shall be reserved and marked out for town lots, one of which shall he allotted to each grantee of the contents of one acre, yielding and paying therefor to us, our heirs and successors, for the space of ten years, to be computed from the date hereof, the rent of one ear of Indian corn only, on the first day of January annually, if lawfully demanded, the first payment to be made on the first day of January next ensuing the date hereof. And every proprietor, settler, or inhabitant, shall yield and pay unto us, our heirs and successors, yearly, and every year forever, from and after the expiration of the ten years from the date hereof, namely: on the first day of January, which will be in the year of our Lord Christ one thousand seven hundred and sixty-four, one shilling Proclamation money for every hundred acres he so owns, settles, or possesses, and so in proportion for a greater or lesser tract of the said land, which money shall be paid by
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the respective persons abovesaid, their heirs or assigns, in our Council Chamber, in Portsmouth, or to such officer or officers as shall he appointed to receive the same, and this to he In lieu of all other rents and services whatsoever.
In testimony whereof we have caused the seal of our said Province to be hereunto affixed. Witness, Benning Wentworth, Esqr, our Governor and Commander-in-Chief of our said Province, the 19th day of June, in the year of our Lord Christ, 1753, and in the twenty-sixth year of our reign.
B. WENTWORTH.
By His Excellency's command, with advice of Council.
THEODORE ATKINSON, Secretary.
Entered and recorded according to the original charter, under the Province seal, this 21st day of June, 1753.
Per THEODORE ATKINSON, Secretary.
The names of the grantees of the above Charter have already appeared in Mr. Field's address.
His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq., one tract of land of the contents of five hundred acres, which is to he accounted two of the shove shares ; one whole share for the incorporated society for the propagation of the gospel in foreign parts ; one whole share for the first settled minister of the gospel in the said town; one whole share for a glebe for the minister of the church of England as by law established.
Henry Sherborn, Theodore Atkinson, Richard Wibird, Samuel Smith, John Downing Senior, Lolly Sampson, Sheaffe and Daniel Warner, John Wentworth Junior.
Provicne of New Hampshire, entered and recorded from the back of the charter of Fane, the 21 June, 1753.
THEODORE ATKINSON, Secretary.
The following named persons were the grantees of the second Charter, granted November 3, 1761.
The names of the grantees of New Fane: Benja. Flagg, Mary Sawyer, Jonas Heywood, James Barrat, John Milling, Sam'l Ball, Thomas Barrat, Eben'r Morse, Luke Brown, Sam'l Jones, Isaac Miller, Timo. Brown, Sam'l Jones, Jun'r, John Hazleton, Esq., Sam'l Heywood, Jonas Potter, Ross Wyman, Amos Heywood, Abijah Brown, Charles Brigham, Esq., Charles Heywood, Isaac Glezon, Ezra Sawyer, Jun'r, Joseph Hubbard, John Brooks, James Taylor, Isaac Hubbard, Thos. Sawyer, Inness Sterner, Thos. Davis, David Fiske, Job Cushing, Jona. Fisk, Isaac Davis, Thos. Green, Ezra Sawyer, Simon Davis, John Woodward, Daniel Warner, Esq., Sam'l Potter, Isaac Willard, Mark Hunking Wentworth, Esq., Sam'l Potter, Jun'r, Benja. Stowell, Theodore Atkinson, Esq., Simon Davis, Jun'r, Isaac Barnard, Esq., Maj. John Wentworth, Esq., Ephraim Brown, Joseph Bixby, Ephraim Potter, Edward Brown, Timo. Payne, Esq., Timothy Wheeler, Sam'l Brown, Will'm Young, Simon Hunt, Luke Brown, Jun'r, Thos. Hubbard, Joseph Hubbard, Jun'r, Jona. Heywood, Joseph Hubbard. Jonah Conant, Samuel Brooks, David Wheeler.
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