The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1835-08-26
RHoDE.rsL AND REPUBLICAN,
MEMOIR OF RHODE-ISLAND.
l10C

The common londs IN NeDpOrt dipided.
The records of the proprietors of the Island o
Rhode Island, except the earliest, which in III,
first book of records now in the Secretary of State
Office, have not come down to us, except a portion
of them among the mutated records of The town
Of Newport and some in the town of Portsmouth.
Those, however, of II which relates the diyis-
ion and disposition of the commons only, have been
accidentally preserved in the Town Clerks office OF
the town of Middetown, from the circumstances OF
the clerk Of that town having been formerly the
clerk of the proprietors aso they in fair pres
ervation AZ ,"ain the surveys pats and grants of
the lands divided among the several PROJECTORS at
that time. Among the plats are those of the Island
of Goat Island, which was laid ont in house lots,
large common extending from the head of broad
rreet to the Middletown line including the present
road and thalDnd on both sides of the same, anoh-
er in Middletown( called Lenthal's plains) on res
ervation of Which the sehoo-hou.e now stands, and
another consisted of Sechuest neck, being the
Southeastery neck of land in the town of Middle
which runs into the sea. The Island of Coast
ers harbor rs we'll as Goat-Isand was divided into
small lots, the former no. plated, those we presume
must have been given up to, purchased by the
town.
We intended to have given more detailed ac-
count of this last division Of the common lands in
1902, and applied to the Town Council of the town
of Mdde,own 70. the loan of the propriecrs records
for that purpose, bur refused the loan of them
The said records contain much evidence respecting
the reserved commons in Newport which we consid-
er both useful and curious.
1t is proper here to remark that from the earliest
settlement of the town and previous 1902 the pro-
pre,ors were in the practice Of granting small build
ing lots in various parts of the town TO individuals
on condition of their building houses the said lot,
or pss, within given time, or to forfeit the lots SO
granted. Sometimes other conditions were annex
ed, such as keeping street in repair, or making a
bridge &c. but the grantees afterwards gener-
ally released from The conditions by vote of the
their little became fee simple.
T.eo de,riptions of Freemen the turn Of Newporf.
From all the evidence extant the subiect, il
appears that before, and up to the year 1902 there
we're two descriptions Of Freemen in the town of
Newport; the first the first proprietors or pur-
chasers of the Island and their heirs well as those
to whom they had conveyed any portion of The lands
with the right of commonage: all such were de-
nominated, the old freemen, who held town meetings
in that capacity for the ordering of all public, or
town grants Of land. The second class,
freemen, were such as were admitted as townsmen
with the general rgh, of franchise, and who acted
viii, the first named freemen in all town matters
which did not concern the protection of, or the use
Of, or the granting away the lands held in common
by the former.
In the year 1902 the old freemen finding that
their commons were trespassed upon, by others,
came to an unanimous agreement t" divide the com
mon lands between them in proportion to their sew
eral and respective ownerships therein, which was
surveyed and divided accordingly in the aforesaid
year l702, granting to the townsmen whatever re-
nnained Of the commons, not then divided among
themselves, to be held by the town for the use and
benefit Of the whole townsmen in comman forever
tow nsmen were mostly small aud many Of them
have since been disposed of by the town to ndivid-
uals but some remain to the public to this day, viz.
Two Immediately abova The pound, on each side of
the road that on the east side has lately been en-
croached upon by Henry Gould to considerable ex-
tent. Another lies on the east side of the main road
and adjoins the Middletown line, which has, within
four or five years been wholly fenced in by wm ver-
non. wiihoa, any authority from tleown The own
beach. and marsh adjoining, is also II par, Of the
or hnal town commons, many other small cores of
j. are OF the same character, in various parts Of
the town. The proprieors appropriated in I7O2,
six acres for school land. which land was sold to aid
.hc erection Of the tchool-bouse in Nill-stnect