Maynesborough Charter

by the Province of New Hampshire

•Province of New ) George the Third by the Grace of •4-66

Hampshire $ God of Great Britain France & Ireland (Maynesboro') King Defender of the Faith &ca

To All People to whom these Presents shall come, Greeting.

Know Ye, that we of our special grace certain knowledge and mere Motion for the due encouragement of settling a new plantation within our said Province of New Hampshire in New England by and with the advice of our Trusty and well beloved John WentWorth Esqr our Governor & Commander in Chief in and over our said Province of New Hampshire & of our Council of the same, Have upon the Conditions and Reservations herein after made given and granted & by these Presents for us our Heirs and Successors do give and grant unto our elige and loving Subjects Sir William Mayne Baronet, Robert Mayne Esqr, George Gray Esq: John Graham Esq: Walter Kennedy Esq: William Botts Esq: Paul Wentworth Esq : John Nelson Esq: John Ward Esq: Robert Graham Esq: David Scrymgeour Esq: Colin Mackenzie Esq: Thomas Mayne Esq: Edward Mayne Esq: William Scrwens Esq: The Honble Robert Needham, Samuel Smith Esq: and Thomas Evans Esq: & William Wentworth of Barbadoes Esq: who have made Application to us for the same, setting forth their readiness to enter upon & improve the Premises immediately, & to the respective heirs and assigns of the said Grantees for Ever to be equally divided to & amongst them a certain Tract or parcel of Land situate lying and being within our said Province of New Hampshire, containing something more than Six Miles Square, and is by admeasurement Thirty One Thousand one hundred and Fifty four Acres, being about Fifty Acres to each in their Families (exclusive of &) out of which an allowance is to be made for Highways & unimproveable Lands by Rocks Ponds Mountains and Waters One thousand and Forty Acres free according to a Plan thereof exhibited by our Surveyor General of Lands for our said Province by our said Governor's Order & returned into the Secret1?'8 Office of our said Province, a Copy whereof is hereunto annexed, Butted and Bounded as follows Videlicet Beginning at a Spruce Tree being the South East corner of the addition of Shelburne, & runs North 30 Deg8 East 5 Miles & 80 Rods to a Beech Tree spotted & marked with the Letters M. B. P. B. thence running North 82 Deg8 West Ten Miles to a Rock Maple Tree spotted & marked as aforesaid, then South 30 Deg8 West 5 Miles and 80 Rods to a Red Birch Tree, spotted and marked as aforesaid, thence South 82 Deg8 West bounding on a Tract of

Land known by the Name of Durand & on the said Ad•4-67 dition of Shelburne to the Bounds began it. •To Have

And To Hold the said Tract of Land as above expressed together with all Priviledges and Appurtenances to them the said William Mayne, Robert Mayne, George Gray, John Graham, Walter Kennedy, William Botts, Paul Wentworth, John Nelson, John Ward, Robert Graham, David Scrymgeour, Colin Mackenzie, Thomas Mayne, Edward Mayne, William Scrwens, Robert Needham Samuel Smith, & Thomas Evans & William Wentworth and to their respective Heirs and Assigns for ever by the Name of Maynesborough upon the following Terms Videlicet

First That the said Grantees at their own Cost shall cut clear & make passable for Carriages of all kinds a Road of Five Rods wide thro' the said Tract hereby granted, which said Road shall be completed in Two Years from the date of this Grant, in failure of which the Premises and every part thereof shall be forfeited and revert to us our Heirs and Successors to be by us or them reenter'd upon & regranted to any of our loving Subjects.

Second That the said Grantees shall settle or cause to be settled Fifteen Families by the ist day of January 1774, who shall be actually cultivating some part of the said Land and resident on the same, & to continue making further and additional Improvement, Cultivation & Settlement of the Premises so that there shall be actually settled thereon Sixty Families by the iM day of January 1782, on penalty of the forfeiture of any and every Delinquent's Share and of such Share or Shares reverting to us our Heirs and Successors to be by us or them enter'd upon and regranted to such of our Subjects as shall effectually settle & cultivate the same.

Third That all white & other Pine Trees being and growing within & upon the said Tract of Land fit for Masting our Royal Navy be carefully preserved for that use & none to be cut or fell'd without our special Licence for so doing first had & obtained upon the penalty of the forfeiture of the Right of such Grantee his Heirs and 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.

Fourth That before any Division of the Land be made to & among the Grantees a Tract of Land as near the centre of said Township as the Land will admit of shall be reserved & marked out for Town Lots one of which shall be allotted to each Grantee of the Contents of Four Acres.—

Fifth. Yielding and paying therefor to us our Heirs and successors on or before the i8t day of January 1781, the rent of one Ear of Indian Corn only if lawfully demanded.

Sixth That every Proprietor Settler or Inhabitant shall yield & pay unto us our Heirs and Successors yearly and every year forever from & after the expiration of one year from the abovesaid i" day of January, namely on the Ist day •of •4-68 January which will be in the year of our Lord Christ 1782, 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 the respective Persons abovesaid their Heirs or Assigns in our Council Chamber in Portsm° or to such officer or officers as shall be appointed to receive the same; And these to be in lieu of all other Rents and Services whatsoever.

In Testimony whereof we have caused the Seal of our said Province of New Hampshire to be hereunto affixed Witness our Governor & Commander in chief aforesaid the 31st day of Decemb' in the year of our Lord 1771 and in the 12th year of our Reign.—

J' (l :s.) Wentworth

By his Excellency's Command } with advice of Council. $

Theodore Atkinson Secretary— Province of New Hampshire Dec' 31, 1771.

Recorded according to the Original Charter of Maynesborough under the Province Seal

Attest Theodore Atkinson Sec^

Province of New Hampshire Portsm0 29th Dec' 1771.

These may Certify that this Plan of Maynesborough (so called) Beginning at a Spruce Tree being the N. Easterly corner Bounds of a Tract of Land granted in addition to the Township of Shel- . burne, from thence running North 30° E. 5 Miles & 80 Rods, from thence running N. 82° W. 10 Miles to a Rock Maple Tree, from thence running S. 30° W. 5 Miles & 80 Rods to a Red Birch Tree,

from thence running S. 82° E. 10 Miles to the Bounds first mentioned, Contains 31,154 Acres of Land & is a True Copy of an Original Plan or Survey of said Tract or Township as taken & returned to me by Cap' Hubartis Neal Dep7 Surveyor.

Attest: Is. Rindge S' Gen1—