7 Day of October in the Third Year of our Reign Annoq Domini 1763 (amoungst Other Things to Testify our Royal & approbation of the Conduct & Bravery of the officers & Soldiers of our Armies and to Signify Our Desires to reward the same & have therein. Comanded & Impowered our Several Governours of our respective Provinces on the Continent of America to Grant without Fee or Reward to such reduced officers as have Served in North America during the late Warr & to Such Private Soldiers as have been or Shall be disbanded there and Shall Personally apply for such Quantys of Land Respectivly as in & by our aforesaid Proclamation are Perticularly mentioned Subject nevertheless to the Same Quit Rents & Conditions of Culture & improvment as other our Lands are Subject in the Province within which they are Granted-and Whereas William Starke of Dunbarton in our Province aforesaid Esq had Our Appointment as Captain of one of our Independent Companys of Rangers and Served during the late War in North America and is now reduced & he having Personally Applyed & Sollicited such Grant agreable to our aforesaid Proclamation Know Ye that we of Our Special Grace certain Knowledge & mere motion do Signify our approbation as aforesaid and for Encourageing the Settlement & Cultivation our Land within our Said Province of New Hampshire in New England have by & with the Advice of our Trusty & Well beloved Benning Wentworth Esq Governour & Comander in Chieff of our Said Province of New Hampshire & of our Council for the Said Province (agreable to our aforesaid in Part Recited Proclamation and upon the Conditions & Reservations hereafter mentioned) given & granted & by these Presents for us our hiers & successors do give & grant unto the Said William Stark and to his Heirs. & Assignes forever a certain Tract or Parcel of Land containing Three Thousand Acres lying & being within our Province of New Hampshire aforesaid, & butted & bounded as follows Viz begining at the North Westerly Corner of Conway being a Beach Tree marked from thence South Eighty two Degrees East Five Hundred Rodds to a Stake & Stones in Conway Line aforesaid thence Turning of at right Angles & runing North Eight Degrees East Three miles to a Stake & Stones then turning off again & Runing North Eighty two degrees West five Hundred rodds to a Stake & Stones then turning off again & runing South Eight degrees West Three miles to a Beach Tree at the Corner of Conway aforesaid the Bounds began at to have & to Hold the Said Tract of Land as above Expressed to him the Said William & to his Heirs and CHARTER RECORDS. assigns for ever upon the following Conditions & reservations (Viz) (First) That the Said William his Heirs or assigns shall Plant & Cultivate five acres of Land within the Term of Five Years for every fifty acres containd in this his Grant & Continue to improve & Settle the Same by Aditional Cultivations on Penalty of the forfieture of this his Grant & of its reverting to us our *1-283 Heirs & Sucessors to be by us or them regranted to such of our subjects as shall Effectually Settle & Cultivate the Same-(2dly) That all White & other Pine Trees within Said Tract fit for masting our royal Navy be carefully Preserved for that Use & none to be Cutt or felld without Our Special Licence for so ding first had & obtaind upon the Penalty of the forfeiture of the right of the Grantee in the Said Land his Heirs & Assigns to us our Heirs & Successors as well as being Subject to the Penalty of any Act or Acts of Parliament that now are or hereafter Shall be Enacted-(3dly) Yielding & Paying therefor to us our heirs & Successors for the Space of Ten years from the Date hereof the rent of one Ear of Indian Corn only on the 25th Day of December Annually (if Lawfully Demanded (4) the Said Grantee his Heirs or Assigns shall Yield & Pay unto us our Heirs & Successors Yearly & every Year for ever from & after the Expiration of Ten Years from the above Said 25th of December Namely on the 25th Day of December which will be in the Year of our Lord 1775 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 Land aforesaid which money Shall be paid by the respective owner Settler or Possessor as afore Said in our Council Chamber in Portsmouth in the Province afore Said or to such Officer or officers as Shall be appointed to recieve the Same & this to be in Lieu of all other Rents & Services whatsoever In Testimony whereof We have Caused the Seal of our Said Prove to be hereunto Affixed WENTWORTH Esq Our aforesaid Governour the 25th Day of October Wittness BENNING in the Fifth Year of our Reign & in the Year of our Lord Christ 1765 By his Excellencys Comand with advice of Council Theodore Atkinson jun' S B Wentworth Province of New Hampshire ss Portsm° Octob* 25 1765 Recorded according to the Original Charter under the Province Seal T Atkinson jun Secry BATH. [Granted Sept. 10, 1761, to Rev. Andrew Gardner and others. Regranted March 29, 1769, to John Sawyer and others. See X, Bouton Province and State Papers, 277, 398, 400, as to participation in movement for union with Vermont towns; XI, Hammond Town Papers, 164; Index to Laws, 49; sketch, Child's Gazetteer of Grafton County, 1886, p. 132; Historical Sketch, by David Sutherland, 13, Mass. Historical Society Collections, 105; Historical Address, by David Sutherland, 1854, with supplementary notes by Thomas Boutelle, 1855, pp. 135; Lawrence's N. H. Churches, 1856, p. 509.] Bath P-S [BATH CHARTER, 1761.] *Province of New-Hampshire. *2-181 GEORGE, THE THIRD, By the Grace of To all Persons to whom these Presents shall come, KNOW ye, that We of Our special Grace, certain Knowledge, and meer Motion, for the due Encouragement of settling a New Plantation within our said Province, by and with the Advice of our Trusty and Well-beloved BENNING WENTWORTH, Esq; Our Governor and Commander in Chief of Our said Province of NEW HAMPSHIRE, in New-England, and of our COUNCIL of the said Province; HAVE, upon the Conditions and Reservations herein after made, given and granted, and by these Presents, for us, our Heirs, and Successors, do give and grant in equal Shares, unto Our loving Subjects, Inhabitants of Our said Province of NewHampshire, and Our other Governments, and to their Heirs and Assigns for ever, whose Names are entred on this Grant, to be divided to and amongst them into Sixty Eight equal Shares, all that Tract or Parcel of Land situate, lying and being within our said Province of New-Hampshire, containing by Admeasurement Acres, which Tract is to contain Miles square, and no more; out of which an Allowance is to be made for High Ways and unimprovable Lands by Rocks, Ponds, Mountains and Rivers, One Thousand and Forty Acres free, according to a Plan and Survey thereof, made by Our said Governor's Order, and returned into the Secretary's Office, and hereunto annexed, butted and bounded as follows, Viz. Beginning at a Norway Pine Tree Standing on the Banks of Connecticut River on the North Side of the Mouth of Ammonoosock River which Tree is Marked with the Figure 10 From thence Running South fifty Five degrees East Six Miles & One Quarter of a Mile-Then Begining at the aforesaid Tree & Running up Connecticut River as that Runs so far as to Make it Six Miles on a Strait Line, thence Six Miles on such a Point as will be Six Miles from the End of the Six Miles & a Quarter first above Mention'd And that the same be, and hereby is Incorporated into a Township by the Name of Bath And the Inhabitants that do or shall hereafter inhabit the said Township, are hereby declared to be Enfranchized with and Intitled to all and every the Priviledges and Immunities that other Towns within Our 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 the other on the continue longer than the respective And annually, which Fairs are not to following the said and that as soon as the said Town *2-182 shall consist of Fifty Families, a Market may be opened and kept one or more Days in each Week, as may be thought most advantagious to the Inhabitants. Also, that the first Meeting for the Choice of Town Officers, agreable to the Laws of our said Province, shall be held on the last Tuesday of this Instant September which said Meeting shall be Notified by Mr Andrew Gardner who is hereby also appointed the Moderator of the said first Meeting, which he is to Notify and Govern agreable to the Laws and Customs of Our said Province; and that the annual Meeting for ever hereafter for the Choice of such Officers for the said Town, shall be on the Second Tuesday of 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. I. That every Grantee, his Heirs or Assigns shall plant and 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 of its reverting to Us, our Heirs and Successors, to be by Us or them Re-granted to such of our Subjects as shall effectually settle and cultivate the same. II. That all white and other 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 Our special Licence for so doing first had and 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. III. That before any Division of the Land be made to and among the Grantees, a Tract of Land as near the Centre of the said Township as the Land will admit of, shall be reserved and marked out for Town Lots, one of which shall be allotted to each Grantee of the Contents of one Acre. IV. 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 twentyfifth Day of December annually, if lawfully demanded, the first Payment to be made on the twenty-fifth day of December. 1762 V. 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 ten Years from the abovesaid twenty-fifth Day of December, namely, on the twenty-fifth Day of December, which will be in the Year of Our Lord 1772 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 Portsmouth or to such Officer or Officers as shall be appointed to receive the same; and this is to be 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, Esq: Our Governor and Commander in Chief of Our said Province, the Tenth Day of September In the Year of our Lord CHRIST, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty One And in the First Year of Our Reign. By His EXCELLENCY'S Command, With Advice of COUNCIL. Theodore Atkinson Se'y B Wentworth 28 |