[Portsmouth Petition for Grant of Land and Change of Name, 1653.] [Mass. Archives, Vol. 112, p. 58.] To the Honnoured Generall Court assembled att Boston this present Month of May 1653:/ The Humble petition of the inhabitants of the towne att present Called Strabery banke ;/ Sheweth; that whereas your petitioners petitioned to the last Generall Court, to graunt unto ye said Inhabitants A Competent portion of Lands to make us a Towneshipp whereby wee may be inabled to subsist, & bee usefull to the Church & Comonwealth; our deseire is that this Honnoured Court will bee pleased, to shew theire favour & good will towards us and willingnesse to accommodate us to the uttermost, And for that purpose hath deseired the honno'd Capt Wiggines to bringe in his Pattent to this present Court: Now may it please this honnoured Court to take our case into Consideration And to consider of our exstreame necessities; first in respect of ye number of ffamilyes wch are between 50, & 60, of wch some are Constrained to remoove for want of Land to accomodate them with theire stockes, secondly the qualitie of the land wee live uppon is soe badd its incredible to beleeve except those wch have seene it which they being settled a plantation the first of any in these parts & our willingnesse in submittinge to your Government; fourthly yt all ye Neighbouringe plantations about us wch were settled since wee; have theire Townshipps setled & bounded onely wee as yett have none, fiftly that wheras there is much benefitt by Sawmills in other townes in this River and adjacent Townes; there is none in this Towne but only one wch was never perfected; nor like to bee. Wee humbly intreat this honnoured Court to take into theire View this necke of Land wch we live uppon; wch nature it selfe hath bounded with ye maine Sea & River as may be seene by ye draught of ye River wch was presented to the Last Generall Court; & now p'sented againe by our deputie; wch necke of Land is farre Lesse than any Neighbouringe towne about us; The deseire of your Humble petitioners is that this Honnoured Court would graunt us the necke of Land begininge in the great bay at a place called Cotterills Deleight soe Runninge to ye sea Accordinge to ye former petition presented to ye Last Generall Court: And whereas y name of this plantation att present beinge Strabery banke accidentally soe Called by reason of a banke where straberies was found in this place; Now your petitioners Humble deseire is to have it Called Portsmouth beinge a name most sutable for this place it being the Rivers mouth & a good harbour as any in this Land; And your petitioners shall Humbly pray Brian Pendleton John Sherbourn Rich: Cutt We Conceive the Answer to this Petition must be respited because of m' Masons claime to the Lands only so far as relates to Capt: wiggins Patent the Committe of the Last Court or so many of them as being p'sent had thru the hearing of the Case are fittest to be employed now Daniel Denison The magists Approove of the Comittees Retourne for respitting of this petic'on, to yo next Court if theire bretheren the Deputs Consent heereto Edward Rawson Secret'y The Deputyes Consent hereto & doe further graunt the petitionTM request viz' that theire Towne shalbe called Portsmouth if o' honnrd magistrates please to Consent hereto William Torrey Cleric. The magists Consent heereto wth ye name of Portsmouth Edward Rawson Secret:/ The magists Considering further of y° petic'on desire a present Committee may be chosen to whom ye setling of ye Toune of Portsmouth maybe Referred & theire thoughts thereabouts Retourned to this Court if theire bretheren the deputs Consent heereto Edward Rawson secret'y 28 May 1653. m' Symonds is Appointed to be of yo Comittee for ye peticon m' Samuell winsley m' Joseph Jewet & Shergent Sherman are appoynted to be of this Committee William Torrey Cleric The magists Consent heereto Edward Rawson Secret'y The Committee (in answer to this peticion) doth conceive that the line of the Towneship of Porchmouth, should reach from the sea by Hampton lyne, to winnacout River. Leaving the proprietoTM to their just right & interest. Samuel Symonds Joseph Jewit Samuel Winsley of the Committee in The Deputyes approve of the returne answer to this pet. wth reference to the Consent of o' honord magistrates hereto William Torrey Cleric. [Mass. Court Records, May 18, 1653.] In Answer to the petition of Strabery banke it is orda that there Towne shalbe Called Portsmouth & that the Lyne of theire Townshipp should reach from the sea by Hampton Lyne to Winnacout river leaving the @prietors to theire Just rights & intrests [Portsmouth Petition for Certain Privileges, 1655.] [Mass. Archives, Vol. 112, p. 56.] To the Honnoured Generall Court assembled at Boston in ye Mounth of May 1655 The Humble petition of ye Inhabitants of the Towne (att present) called strabery banke sheweth that whereas there are Certaine Townes about us wch enjoyes y priviledg of freemen & have theire votes in chusinge Governo Magistrates and other officers for the Administration of justice; our Humble request is that this Honnoured Court will be pleased to graunt unto us equall priviledge with Kittery and Yorke, And Likewise that you will give power to those Magistrates that are to keepe Court amoungst us to Nominate & appoint Comissioners for the endinge of differences under tenn pounds haveing great need of such ffor maney times wee loose our right, by reason wee Cannot summon those that are delinquents to any other Courte except it be for greater summes And likewise that you will be pleased to Confirme our Millitarie officers that they may be Established by power from your selves for wee have betwixt 70 & 80 men able to beare Armes, within our presincts although wee Cannot as yett Call it a Townshipp, but wee hope you will be mindfull of us, in all ye p'mises, which if you bee it will bee a great encouragement for your poore petitioners to goe on in theire Imployments & to follow it with more Chearfullnesse whereby wee may be usefull in the Common wealth & ready att all times to sett our selves forward for ye good of ye Countrey & the benefitt of those amoungst whome wee live & your petitioners shall humbly pray &c John Sherburn Renald Fernald we Conceive the Inhabitants of strawbery Banke should be satisfyed wh the privilidges granted by the Court at their Comming under this goverment 2dly That the Court of Dover or strawbery Bancke may nominate & confirme Commissioners for the ending of smal Causes under 40 as in other Towns 3 That the sd Court may Confirme such millitary officers as they shall p'sent Daniel Denison Edw: Johnson Jos: Hills The magists Approove of the Retourne of the Committee as An Ans' to ye petic'on wth Reference to ye Consent of their bretheren the Deputs heereto Edw Rawson secy The Deputyes Consent to o' hond magists in Answer to this petition William Torrey Cleric [Mass. Court Records, Oct. 11, 1672.] Whereas this Court granted to the Inhabitants of Portsmouth land for a village the last session & having now brought in a platt of a tract of land above Dover bounds the said land so laid out is hereby confirmed to the Inhabitants of Portsmouth Provided a farme of three hundred acres of upland & meadow be laid for the use of the Countey by Ensigne Davis of Dover & m' wincoll as also that the said plat entrench not on any former grants laid out and that the said land be improoved for a village in five yeares wth twenty families such as shall mainteyne an able & approoved ministry and that this land & village be liable to Countey Rates as other Tounes in this Colony are Ye plat is on file. RAYMOND. [This territory was purchased of an Indian, in 1717, by Col. Stephen Dudley, and was called Freetown. It was included in the incorporation of Chester, Aug. 27, 1826, and so remained until set off and incorporated as a parish by the name of Raymond, May 9, 1764. The boundary line between Raymond and Candia was established June 23, 1848. See IX, Bouton Town Papers, 717; XIII, Hammond Town Papers, 307; Index to Laws, 465; History, by Joseph Fullonton, 1875, pp. 407; historical sketch, Hurd's History of Rockingham County, 1882, p. 443.] [GRANT TO SAMUEL SYMONDS.] [Mass. Court Records, May 19, 1658.] June 3, 1657: M' Symonds land Confirmd. Memorandum that upon the day & yeare abovewritten, Samuell Symonds of Ipswich in the shire of Essex in New England Gent did take possession of sixe hundred & forty acres of Ground Graunted to him by the Honnored Generall Court in the presence & wth the Consent of mohermite Sagamore of those parts The place & farme is now Called The Island ffalls. there is a tree close by that falls marked wth two SS, and a litle Island in the River by the falls, there douneward conteyning in length one full mile, from the lower end of that litle Island aforesaid up the River and |