Norwich’s Town Charter:
PROVINCE of NEW-HAMPSHIRE.
GEORGE the THIRD,
By the Grace of GOD, of Great-Britain, France and
Ireland, KING, Defender of the Faith, &c.
To all Persons to whom these Presents shall come, Greeting.
KNOW ye, that We of Our special Grace, certain Knowledge,
and meer Motion, for the due Encouragement of settling a New Plan-
tation 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; HAVE upon the
Conditions and Reservations herin after made, given and granted, and b 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 New-Hampshire,
and Our other Governments, and to their Heirs and Assigns or ever, whose
Names are entred on this Grant, to be divided to and amongst them into sixty
nine equal Shares, all that Tract or Parcel of Land
situate, lying an being within our said Province of New-Hampshire, containing by
Admeasurement, twenty three thousand
Acres, which Tract is to contain six
How big was the town to be?
Miles square, and no more; out
of which an Allowance is to be made or High Ways and unimprovable Lands by
Rocks, Ponds, Mountains and Rivers, One Thousand and Forty Acres free, ac-
cording 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 Hemlock Tree marked
with the figures 5 & 6 that stand on the Bank of
Connecticut river just at the Head of White river,
Falls and is opposite to the North West corner of
Labanon from thence North sixty degrees West,
Six miles from thence North forty five degrees East
Six miles from thense South sixty degrees East Seven
miles to an Elm Tree marked with the figures 6 & 7
from thence down the river to the first Boundry mentioned
And that the same be, and hereby is Incorporated into a Township by the Name of
Norwich And the Inhabitants that do or shall hereafter
What was the name of the town to be?
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
And the other on the
annually, which Fairs are not to continue longer than the
respective following the said
and that as soon as the said Town 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
the last Wednesday of August next which said Meeting
shall be Notified by Mr. Ebenezer Wales 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 or ever hereafter for the Choice of such Officers for the said
Town, shall be on the Second Tuesday of March annually,
Q. What three things events were to happen as soon as fifty families moved to town?
A. They town was to begin fairs, open a market, and hold a town meeting for the choice of town officers.
To HAVE and to HOLD the said Tract of Land as above expressed, together with
all 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 and cultivate five Acres
Q: What did the settlers have to do to their land?
A: Plant and cultivate five acres out of every fifty acres within five years
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.
2.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.
Q: Why couldn’t pine trees be cut?
A: The King of England reserved all tall pines to use as masts on the Royal Navy ships.
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.
Q: How was the town center to be organized?
A: Every settler was to get one acre at the town center.
- 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 twenty-fifth Day of December annually, if lawfully de-
manded, the first Payment to be made on the twenty-fifth Day of December 1762
- Every Proprietor, Settler, or Inhabitant, shall yield and pay until 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 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 fourth Day of
July In the Year of our Lord CHRIST, One Thousand Seven
Hundred and sixty one And in the First Year
of Our Reign.
What year was Norwich chartered?
By His EXCELLENCY’s Command, B Wentworth
With Advice of COUNCIL,
Theodore Atkinson, Secy
The Names of the grantees of Norwich
| Eleazr Wales
Daniel Welch Abner Barker Ebenezr Wales Ebenezr Heath William Johnson ye 3d Gideon Noble James West Daniel Baldwin Calvin Topliff Samuel Johnson Elisha Wales Seth Wales Amos Fellows Jedidiah Brinton John Fowler Nathan Strong Robert Turner William Johnson Samuel Root Solomon Wales |
Joseph Blanchard
Josiah Root Adoniram Grant George Swain Samuel Root Junr Benja Jennings Moses Holmes Benja Sheapard Elisha Carpenter Lemuel Holmes Abner Barker Jr Nathanl Herriman Samuel Long Ebenezr Smith John JOhnson Thomas Welch Joseph Samuel Cobb Judah Heath James Russell Hezekiah Johnson |
Jonathan Hatch
Samuel Slafter Benja Whitney James Bicknall Jacob Fenton Moses Barnard Eleazr West Andrew Crocker Eliphas Hunt Stephen Palmer Eleazr Warner Abijah Learned The Hon. Theodr Atkinson Esq Richard Wibird Esq Henry Sherburne Esq Mr. Andrew Clarkson Clement March Esq John Shackford Mesheck Weare Esq Rev. Mr. Samuel Haven & Peter Gilman Esq. |
One whole share for the Society for Propagating the Gospell
in foreign Parts one whole share for a Glebe for the Church of
England as by a Law Established one share for the first settled
minister—one share for the Benefit of a school in said town
His Excellency Benning Wentworth Esq Five Hundred Acres to be
laid out as marked in the plan B.W. and is to be accounted two
of the within shares.
Province of New Hampshire July 5th 1761
recorded from the Back of the original
Charter of Norwhich under the Province Seal.
Attest Theodore Atkinson, Secy