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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Representation from the Clarendon County General Assembly concerning land grants
Carolina. Clarendon County. Assembly
August 1666
Volume 01, Pages 145-149

[B. P. R. O. Shaftesbury Papers. Bdle 48. No. 81.]1

Right Honourable,

The Gent chosen for an Assembly for the County of Clarendon in Carolina, upon a view and consideration had of your Honours Charters

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and Concessions to the said County did supplicate for a Redress cheafely in three things, as to grevious to be required of them.

1. The halfe penny per acre for all Lande

2. The undecemall way of division of there lande

3. The Injuntion on penaltye of forfiture of keeping one man on every hundred Acres. They added these Reasons, viz.

1. To the first that in all their land where or howsoever taken up theire are of these three sortes viz. Pine Swamp and Marsh which make up much the greater part of theire proportions and are yet so wholy unprofitable that to pay a halfe penny per acre for them is more then there vallew wherefore they did signifie there Redresse, that those landes, what proportion soever they beare to the good Oake Land should bee accounted to them as soe many Acres but not as to paye the said Rent by those acres; they were rather willing to paye a greater Rent for what acres of Oake land they should possess soe as they might be excused the paying rent for the Rest and did propose it as an Expedient to paye one penny per acre Annually for all the Oake land in there respective Tracts as the Rent due for the whole: and that your Honours Survay in Bounding out there lande should certify in perticuler the quantity of Oake land according to which the Rent should bee Resarved in the deede of conformation for lands. They enforced this with a complamt that it was sufficiently grevious to them after so chargeable and hazardous an adventure to which they were onely incouridged by the consideration of such Quantityes of lande to bee constrained to accept of land soe wholy unusefull, and which did so much incomode every mans settlement and therefore they hoped your Honour would not add this burthen to their sadd disappointment.

2. To the second, that they arived here the most of them before the Conssessions ware framed and had there land assigned to them by certaine meats and bounds on which they have planted and bilt, that therefore to have those lands now cast into such a way of Lotte as the Conssessions contrive, and the undesimall part reformed for your Honour will certainly alter all those bounds and remove every mans possession which cannot but bee Ruine to Most; nor doe they see how this waye of allotments can be practised in the Future, at least soe as to bee any benifit to your Honours for the good land lying soe widely dispersed what is already taken up though but halfe the proportion due to each person, runns to an extent of at least three score miles soe that what is to take up will lye soe Remote from all conveiniencyes that it cannot advantage your Honour to have an eleventh part at that distance, and indeed that kinde of divition appointed by the concessions is not at all practicable heare, because the

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good lands do noe where lye so contiguous nor soe in any place as equally to accommodate the whole generall lot. And a very great mischife it would bee to any whose lott shall fall where there is not a foote, they did expresse a great desire that somewhat might be offered to your Honour in vallue of this undecimall part but finding no thing heare really worth your acceptance they durst rather bee silent then propose any ignoble compensation.

3. To the third, having already declared soe fully the nature of the lands in this country they thought it unnecessary to multiply reasons against the keeping a man on every hundred acres it being evident from what is sd that in very many places a hundred acres would not maintaine one man.

This Addresse and Representation being made to the Lt Genll and his Councell and there concurance in all humble maner desired in a petition to your Honour for a release from these reall pressures. They certainly knowing all this to be truely soe as it is remonstrated, ware the redier to joine in prayers soe Rational and soe nesessasary, and therefore with one harte and voyce we the Governer Councell and assembly or representation for the county of Clarendon in Carolina beseach your Honour's to to take the premisses into your serious consideration and to releive us according to the true merrite of our cause.

May it please your Lordshipp.

This humble address as it is above written was perpated with the allowance and consent of the Honorable Sir John Yeamans Baronet Lt Genll under your Lordshipp of this Province at such time as he was heare with us and presided in our Councells; who at first gave us all the appearance of his purpose to joyne with us in the subscription thereof. But when it was engrossed and presented to him to bee signed he made this answer that his further thoughts had discoursed unto him an absurditie in owneing under his hands so perticuler a knowledge of the soile in this County into which he was but newly come, and that therefore he did conceive it might give a better reputation to our cause if he did exempt himself from the Genll Addresse, he added that his intimating to your Lordshipp in his private letter the full satisfaction he had received with in himself of the greviousnes and unpracticablenes of these three injunctions espetially would stronger inforce our arguments to your Lordships and more advantage the Acceptance of our prayers then his appearing jointly with us, and soe he left us with sufficient Incoridgmt to proceed with our petition by ourselves and with our hopes enlarged that though hee lobored not openly with us hee would yet labor more effectually for

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us Thus therefore and upon these grounds wee doe presume Right Honourable to press unto your presents and being now heare doe in all humility offer these further to your noble consideration.

1. That when all the fame of this province was left in that black cloud of Reproaches which a party of the first new england Adventurers had wraped the whole country in and noe mans eare or mouth or hand was open to heare or speake or act in her defence, wee then from no other incitemt but the glory of that venture which is made for Publick advantage, did by a vollentary and full contrybution dispell those mists of scandall and revive a lustre bright enough to direct and provoke to a seizure by meanes of which expence your Lordshipps have the possession of a parte which may be improved to aseminary for the whole provence if the discoridgement from without the place prove not more fatall then those within it; neither can wee think this seirvis really performed for your Lordshipps inferior to that which is but promised nor is it a frindly argument that because wee have settled in aworse part of the country wee must have the worse conditions, since therefore those whome wee credited as your Lordshipps plenipotentiaryes in Barbadoe were pleased soe well to consider of the success of those our contrybution as in your Lordships name to promise us five hundred acres of land and soe proportionally for every 1000 of sugar wee had expended on that second discovery without which (wee can make it plainly appear) though all else was ready the designe had yet fallen, since also tis most certaine that if Port Royall bee ever presented with powerfull invitations to a culture it will bee from the consequence of these our supernumerary disburses wee hope it will not be offensive to your Lordshipp that we deprecate a punishment upon our misfortunes and beg to have that conformed to us notwithstanding our ill suckses, which was granted as the prize of our vigerous crowding in to your Lordships servis, through all the obstickles that Mallice or conterary pollicies could object.

2. That those nombers of the Carolina adventurers who made the seperation and intercepted that treaty which wee had comenced with your Lordships, presenting different proposalls and accepting other conditions ware such as had the whole bent of there affections towards port Royall and never purposed further to second there diverted adventures on this county of Clarendon which then might conduce to the establishing them an interest in the county of Craven who beeing now by the said callamity which fell on Sir Jno. Yeamens disappointed in there expectations there nessesarily discouridged proceeding heare: and evidence the same not onely by a silent discontinuance, but alsoe by a clamerous drawing off, those againe on the other side who ware determinate for this county

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stop'd in there carreare by these unexpected concessions have remayned at a staye ever since, with too much appearance of never reinclyning there motion this way. Thus is there an approaching loss to all concerned to the King and nation, loss of dominion and trade to your Lordshipps loss of the name and Honor of enlarging both these, to the adventurers loss of money and hopes increased in us that are hereby the loss of our whole substance; and all this unavoidably unles you Honours reeintegrating that treaty which your Honours once desended to with us and in us with the adventurers of ould and new England and by granting us these priviledges which you were once not very far from granting us (which very probably you will) the Actineuity of such who can trample on all other difficultyes when supported by that which they opinion Fredome, the Ruine which with open mouth attends us while being desarted by all, wee are utterly disabled either to proceed or to retire enforceth us to this ernestnes, yet ware wee the onely partyes in this cause wee should approch with much lesse bouldnes, but now wee sue in your Lordshipps behalves also yt your Possesion of this Province may not bee utterly lost, and with it all the hopes of our subjecting it to an English Govermt wee are

Yor Lordshipp's most humble servants
JOHN NEVINSON.
RICHARD WHITTNEY.
JOHN KNIGHT.
HENRY BRAYNE
THOMAS GIBBES.
GEO CARY
ROBERT GIBBS.
THO CLIFTON.
WILL GRIG
SAM HAMES
JOHN VASSALL
R. SANDFORD
HUMP. DAVENPORT
JOHN BRENT

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1 NOTE.—The contents of this paper show its date to be about the same as that of the preceding one.—ED.