Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-04-05
mcharter of ArIineton.n


it part of the records of the town of
Arlington, bearing date of July 2Sth, 1861,
copied and certified August 2Sth, 1915.
The valuable document is loaned us to
copy for the BANNER by Mrs. l.. p. Can
field, our longtime correspondent in that
village. In a subsequent letter our cor.
respondent states that this record copy
of the charter has just come to light af
ter an oblivion of nearly 100 years: thar
the records of the town were lost through
the action of an absconding clerk,
named BriscOe, during the unpleasant
ness with the Province of New York,
just prior to the American Revolution.
Mrs. Canfeld's husbands father, Nathan
Garfield, Esq, during his lifetime went
to Canada and made an unsuccessful at
tempt to recover the lost records, but
that so far as is known, the charter has
never been heard of until now. 1t would
appear from the dates of the certificates
QSl5), that this particular copy cannot
be the one lost about 177l-76, but is
a duplicate and belongs in the archives
of the present town clerk of Arlington.
We hope the publication below may not
only interest large number of our read
ers, but lead to the discovery of other
files of papers that should be placed in
the town clerks office. The charter
reads as follows, the up. S." meaning
the provincial Seal' of New Hamp.
shire.
Arlington.
PROVINCE of New HAMPSHIRE,
GEORGE. the third by the Grace
Up. S. of GoD, of Great Britain, France
and Ireland, King, Defender of
the Faith, etc.
To all to whom these presents shall
come, Greeting YE, that We, of our
special grace, certain knowledge and meer
motion, for the due encouragement of
sitting a New Plantation within our said |
Province, by and with the advice of our
trusty and well beloved Benning Went
worth, Esq, our Governor and Com
mander in Chief of our said Province of |
New Hampshire in New England, and of
our Council of the said Proyince; have,
upon the conditions and reservations
hereinafter 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, inhabi
tants of our said Province of New Hamp-
shire, and our other governments, and to
their heirs and assigns forever, whose
names are entered on this grant, to be
divided to and amongst them unto sixty
eight equal shares, all that tract or par
eel of Land situate and lying within our
said Province of New Hampshire, con-
tanning by ad- measurement, twenty
thousand and forty acres; which tract is
to contain six miles square and no more;
out Of which an allowance is to be made
for highways and unimproved lands by ,
rocks, ponds, mountains and rivers, one
thousand and forty acres free, according
to plan and survey thereof made by
one said Governors order and returned
into the Secretary's Office, and hereunto ,
:-butted and bounded as fol- ,
lows, viz. Beginning at a stake six
miles due north of the northwest corner ,
of b nningtou; from thence due north,
or by the magnet north, ten degrees east I
six miles; from thence east ten degrees ;
south by the needle six miles, from .
thence south ten degrees west by the -
O. !
degrees north six miles to the bounds
first mentioned and that the same be,
and hereby is incorporated into a town :
ship by the name of DARLINGTON. And =
5he inhabitants that do or shall hereafter '
nhabit the said township, are hereby de- =
,lared to be enfranchised with and en-
titled to all and every the privileges and .
mmunities that other towns within our
Province by law exercise and enjoy l
Ind further that the said town as soon l.
Is there shall be fifty families resident n
md settled thereon, shall have the liber- d
y OF holding two fairs, one of which =
hall be held on the-and the other y
Annually; which fairs are not to =
continue longer than the respective-- - =,
the said-and that as soon l.
IS the said town shall consist of fifty ,
antilles, market may be opened and !,
,ept one or more days in ch week, as :,
my be thought most advantageous to the ~
also that the first meeting =.
or the choice of town officers agreeable =,
o the laws of our said Province, shall be o
leld on the first Wednesday in October -,
ext; which said meeting will be mott .,
led by Isaac Scarf, who is hereby also n
ppointed the Moderator of the said first
Meeting, which he is to notify and gov p
IN agreeable to the laws and customs of
ur said Province; and that the annual r
Meeting forever thereafter for the choice {,
+ such officers of the said town, shall be
n the Second Tuesday of March annual.
7. To have and to hold the said tract of
and as above expressed together with
II privileges and appurtenances, to them :,
nd their respective heirs and assigns, N
orever, upon the following conditions, ~
H.
I That auarv nrro,, ta,, l. I, I, o;, -, -