Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1888-01-20
"CU.HBERL.IND. "
III. II. W." Adds an Interesting and
Instructive Chapter TO the Discussion.

III. II. W." Adds an Interesting and
In-ir"cti'e Chapter 10 the Discussion.
The historian of Whit.ngham. who has
claimed that the town of Nottingham
was not formerly the town Of Cumberland
now says that he has always claimed that
the territory now occupied 10y Whiting gham,
together with all the vacant lands therca-
bouts, wa, formerly called Cumberland,
but that Cumberland was never chartered
or organized us a town 10y that name con
seluently its identity with what is Whit.
ingham Is not proven, In fact it never had
any identity except by Inference based on
theory
Whitingham is bounded ON the north 10y
Wilmington, which was chartered as VII
mington in l,jl and as Draper in 763 on
the east by Halifax, which was chartered
in 1850; ON the south by Massachusetts,,
and on the west by ReadsbOro. There were
no vacant lands thereabouts" after the
territory had any name at all, except what
is nov Nottingham and Readsboro. and
the name could not have applied to Reads
boro il that town was bounded on the east
| by Cumberland, but must have been re
stricted 10 Whitingham Readsboro was
chartered April 1, l710 The boundaries
commence at the southeast corner of STAN
ford and run thence east, "}20 chains to
the West bound of Cumberland, thence
along the West bounds Of Cumberland and
| Draper, n. 10 +. 800 chains to Somerset, "
etc. In writing from this description be
| fore failed u put down the words, 'and
| Draper This error Of mine appears to
have led 10 some confusion. These towns
were six miles square. The east line of
Readsboro was $50 chains, II miles, long
six of which were along the west bounds of
! Cumberland, and six along the west bounds
of Draper, now Wilmington Readsboro
was not in Cumberland, but its eastern
boundary was on the western boundary of
| Cumberland This historian says of this /.
| "Of course it was. Readsborough was in
what is now Bennington county and its east
line was ON the west bound of Cumber-
land county This is an error. Readsbo
rough was in Cumberland county at that
| time, aud therefore this line was not on the
western bounds of that county. Cumber-
land county was first established by an act
of the provincial legislature July 81, 1866.
This act was not approved by the home
| government and was disaflirmed June 26th
1867. 1t was redstablished March 18th
l16S. The description of the boundaries
OF this part ran " beginning at point on
the west bank of Connecticut river oppo-
site to where the line run for the partition
line between our said province Of MaSsa-
I..lttt 4 1.
the east side of the same river, and run
ming thence west ten degrees north ON
direct line about tweuty-six miles to the
southeast corner of tract of land called
Stamford thence north about thirteen de
grees east ON direct line ffty-six miles to
| the southeast corner of the township of
Scarborough in the county of Albany, ~
/ etc Stamford was next west of Reads
borough then as now, and Scarborough
included what is now Clarendon and parts
of Rutland and of some other towns,
In the charter of Nottingham the descrip-
ton of the boundaries begins at the southeast
corner, thus beginning at hemlock tree
and beech tree growing close thgether
having two large stones laid between them
standing in the line run for the bounds of
the province of the Massachusetts Bay and
which beech tree is marked with these
] WI AAo hN NblliNI VI AulnItllhhut anu
runs thence north ten degrees east six
miles thence north eighty degrees west
six miles, etc. This shows that Cumber-
land had "A southeast corner as well as west
bounds The map made by Claude Joseph
Sauthier an assistant TO the surveyor gen
eral, appears from its title TO have been
made from actual surveys, and shows Cum
berland as township with its southeast
corner at exactly this place, and bounded
ON the north by Draper and ON the west by
Readsborough. The county line between
Bennington and Cumberland counties was
first established in l779 by the legislature
of Vermont, At this place it was put, lin
the west lines of Draper and Cumberland, u
These are now the west lines of Whining
ton and Nottingham. These things show
that Nottingham is identical with what
was Cumberland.
The return of the deputy to the high
7 ghariH Of tha Of 8 -,