and fencing that soe they may provid bread for their families, and not be troublesom and burdensom to other townes which of nesesitie must haue bene If we had Continued where we were, and this yeare the honoured tresurer sent his warant for a Cuntrie Rate, And tho it be but a litle, yet to our greife we must say we are not able to pay it. Theirefore your poore petitioners humbly Craue this Honoured Court to Remit this Rate and grant an exemption from Cuntrie Rats for the future for som years, soe many as this Honoured Court may Judge meet. And in soe doing you will oblige your poore petitioners as in dutie we are bound for euer to pray for a blessing vpon all the Concerns of this Honoured Court. This petition by a generall voice and voate of all the inhabitants was desired to be drawne subscribed and presented By me. RALPH HOUGHTON The magists Judge meet to grant ye petitioners exemption from Country Rates for this yeare & the next, their bretheren the deputyes hereto consenting. EDWARD RAWSON Secretary 17th ffebr 1681. Consented to by the deputies [Massachusetts Archives, CXII, 330.] WILLIAM TORREY Cleric 1681 Dec 20, The Deposition of Tho: Wilder aged 37 years sworn, sayth that being with Jno Prescott Sen! About six houers before he died he ye sd Jno: Prescott gaue to his eldest sonn Jno: Prescott his house lott with all belonging to ye same & ye two mills, corn mill & saw mill with ye land belonging therto & three scor Acors of land nere South medow & fourty Acors of land nere Wonchesix & a pece of entervile called Johns Jump & Bridge medow on both sids ye Brook. Cyprian Steevens Testifieth to all ye truth Above writen. Sworn in Court. J. R. c [Middlesex Court Files.] Upon ye 7th of April 1683 LANCASTER. A Jury of Inquest was Caled to giue in their virdict concerning ye vntimely death of John Whitcomb, we whose names are vnderwriten doe by what we vnderstand by y brother of ye deceased by name Jonathan Whitcomb and one more by name George huse who was standing on ye shore and saw how ye said John Whitcomb felle into ye water, do here vnanimously giue in our virdict thus. that ye sd John Whitcomb and Jonathan Whitcomb being bringing some hay ouer ye riuer vpon two canooes indeavoring to pull them ouer by a rope which was fastned to a bough at ye riuer side, but ye cannooes sinking ye said John Whitcomh falling into ye riuer was by a prouidence of god drownded in pennecuk riuer ye 7t John Moor Sen fforeman & the rest of the subscribers the Ju Inquest vpon the vntimely death of John Whetcomb late of Lan appeared before me Pet: Bulkeley Assist, & made oath that the pre contain a true Acco of the cause of the death of sd Whetcomb acc to their judgmt & conscience June 18 1683 [Middlesex Court Files.] PET BULKELEY AS LANCASTR May ye 28 1684. The Towne being mett togethe adjornment of ye publique meeting. The towne made choyse of White and gave him order to gather in all ye Ratts Due from al yt of towne to ye meeting house & ministry in this last years Ratts, Confirmed by a voat of ye towne 00-03-03 & 1-06 To the Honoble Generall Court assembled in Boston the 10th Septembṛ. 1684. Josiah White, in behalfe of the Town of Lancaster, now vpon a resetlement, humbly Prayeth this Honoble Courts order (if it may seeme good,) for the confirmation and strengthening of the vote passed by the Town as aboue written, That all those who are Proprietors of Lands lying within sd Town although not dwellers there, may be assessed in proportion to ye value of their Estates as the Inhabitants are, towards the erecting of a meeting house, maintenance of a minister & other publique charges, the rate for this yeare being made as aboue: And that you please to order the levying of the same. The magists haue voted that In answer to the Request of the present Inhabitants resident at Lancaster, this court doth order that all psons or their heirs executors or administrators that are propriters of lands there being grants of that towne, shall pay their proportion to a town Rate, for erecting a meeting house, & mainteynance of A minster in yt towne according as other, the inhabitants yt are p'sent ther do pay for the same sort of lands. The magists haue past this their Brethren the deputyes hereto consenting 15 September 1684. EDWARD RAWSON Secretary Consented hereto by ye Deputies, prouided that all persons & estates, be assessed by a due proportion to said Rates [Massachusetts Archives, CXII, 366.] L HAMMOND p order. We must rely upon so late an authority as Reverend Timothy Harrington for the information that, "after the resettlement, divers gentlemen for the space of seven years supplied the pulpit." He names in a note "Mr. Carter, Mr. Wooddroffe, and Mr. Oakes." The last was perhaps Edward Oakes who was graduated at Harvard college in 1679. William Woodrop was a non-conformist deprived. of his benefice in England, A. D. 1662. Samuel Carter, graduate at Harvard, 1660, was the son of Reverend Thomas Carter of Woburn, and a teacher there. He married Eunice Brooks in 1672. In 1688 Henry Kerley deeds his lands on George Hill to him, but he may have been resident here at an earlier day. In 1692 he was settled in Groton, and died there in 1693, aged fifty-three, leaving four sons and three daughters, whose numerous descendants figure prominently in the town's history. 1684. Henry Kerly, heretofore leifteñnt at Lancaster, now remooved, & marrjed at Marlborow, is appointed ensigne to the trajne band there in ye roome of his brother, deceased there. [Massachusetts Records.] 1688. Josiah Whetcomb is allowed 20 shillings to be paid by the County for killing one growne wolfe in ye Towne of Lancaster. Nathaniel Wilder is allowed forty shillings to be paid by the County for killing two growne wolves in the Towne of Lancaster. John Womsquam Indian is allowed ten shillings to be paid by the County for killing one growne wolfe in the Towne of Lancaster. [Middlesex Records. Court of Sessions.] A law of 1653 established a bounty of 30 shillings for each wolf killed by a white man, 20 shillings if killed by an Indian; the county treasury refunding 10 shillings of this amount to the town in either case. For one hundred years this law was little modified except by an increase in bounty, though after 1718 the Indian hunter was placed on an equality with the Englishman. For whelps and cubs the premium was commonly half that paid for full grown beasts. The head of the animal whether wolf, wild cat, catamount, or bear, had to be brought to the local constable, who cut off the ears and buried them to guard against fraud. LANCASTER DURING KING WILLIAM'S WAR. 1689-1697. The deep scars left by Philip's war had not disappeared before the outlying towns of New England were again menaced with the horrors of savage warfare. Among the New York colonial Manuscripts is a letter from Capt. Francis Nicholson, of which the following is an extract: BOSTON August the 31st 1688. . . Soe next day I went through Groton and Lancaster where the people were very much afraid (being out towns) butt I told them as I did other places that they should nott be soe much cast down, for that they had the happinesse of being subjects of a victorious King who could protect them from all their enemies. . . LANCAST ye 3d of July: 1689. Whereas we ye Inhabitants of sd Lancaster being under som fears of being surprissed by ye Indians we being by foremer experience sencsible of theire mallice and crueltie: and being at present destitute of any officers in power to order ye millitary afairs of ye towne they doe mutually Nominate Mr Thomas Wilder for a Leautent and sergeant John Moore to be ensigne and doe hereby adress our selues to our honed Council for allowance and confirmation of ye same. By order of ye Towne JOHN HOUGHTON Cler The above nomination of officers are allowed in their Respective offices by the Representatives July 5: 1689 Attest EBENEZER PROUT Clerk ISA ADDINGTON Secry Consented to by the Governor and Councill. [Massachusetts Archives, CVII, 171.] 1689 3d July. An Order was despatcht to Cape Tho Prentes rallying his Troop this day at Cambridge to send out two partys of twenty each out of his Troop well appointed wth armes and Amunition, one party for |