To all Christian people unto whome these prnts shall come The Councill for ye affaires of New England in America send greeting in our Lord God ever lasting Wereas our late Soveraigne Lord King James of blessed memory by his Highness Le'rs patents under ye great seal of England beareing date at Westminster ye, third day of Novembr in ye Eighteenth year of his Raigne over his Highness Realme of England for ye Considerac'ons in ye so Le'rs patents expresed and declared Lath absoelutly given granted & confirmed unto ye sd Councill & their Successors for ever All ye land of New England in America lying & being in breadth from fourty degrees of Northerly latitude from ye Equinoctiall line to fourty Eight Degrees of ye, so Northerly latitude inclusively & in length of & wthin all ye breadth aforesd from Sea to Sea together alsoe wit all ye firme lands soyles ground havens ports rivers waters dishings mines & Mineralls as well Royal mines of Gold and Silver as other mines minerals pretious stones quarreys & all & singular other comodityes Jurisdicc'ons Royaltys priviledges Franchises & preheminences both wthin Ye sd tract of land upon ye maine & alsoe wthin ye Islands and seas adjoyning as by ye so Le'rs patients amonst diverse other things therein contained more at large it doth & may appeare now knowe all men by these p'nts yt ye Sd Councill of New England in America being assembled in publique Court according to an act made & agreed upon ye third day of ffebry last past before ye date of, these p'nts for divers good causes & considerac'ons them therunto especially moveing haveing granted aliened bargained & sould & in & by these p'nts doe for them & their successors give grant alien bargain sell & confirms unto Capt Jon Mason Esqr his heires & assignees All yt part of ye maine land of New England aforesd being from ye middle part of Naumkeck river & from thence to proceed, East wards along ye sea Coast to Cape Anne & round about ye same to passcattaway harbour & soe forwards up wthin ye river of Newickewanock & to ye farthest head of ye said river & from thence Northwards till six miles be finshed from ye first entrance of passcattaway harbour & asoe from Naumkeck through ye river thereof up into ye land west Sixty miles from wch period to crose over land to ye sixty miles end accounted from passcattaway through Newickewanock river to ye land north west aforesd & alsoe all yt ye south half of ye Isles of Sholds all wch lands wit ye consent of ye Councill shall from henceforth be called New Hampshire & alsoe tenn thousand acres more of land in New England aforesd on ye south east part of Sagahahock at ye mouth & enterance thereof from henceforth to be called by ye name of Masonia together wth all & singular havens Harbours creekes & Islands imbaid & all Islands & Isletts lying wthin five leagues distance of ye maine land opposit & abutting upon ye premises or any part thereof not formerly lawfully granted to any by speciall name and all mines mineralls quarreys soyles & woods marshes rivers waters lakes fishings hawking hunting & fowling & all other Royaltyes Jurisdicc'ons privileges preheminence proffitts com'odityes & hereditaments wtsoever wth all & singular their & every of their appurtences & together alsoe wth all rents reserved & ye benefit of all profitts due to ye Sd Councill & their successors wth ye power of Judicature in all causes & matters wtsoever as well criminall capitall & civill ariseing or wch may hereafter arise wthin ye limits bounds & percincts aforesaid to be exercised & executed according to ye laws of England as near as can be by ye sd Capt John Mason his heires & assignee or his or their Deputies I,ieutenants Judges Stewards or officers thereunto by him or them assigned deputed or appointed from time to time with all other priviledges Franchises liberties imunityes escheats & casualtyes thereof arising or wch shall or may hereafter arise wthin ye said limitts & precincts wth all ye interest right title claime & demand wt soever wch Ye sd Councill & their Successors now of right have or ought to have or claime or may have or aquire heerafter in or to ye sd porc'ons of lands Islands or any of ye premises & in as free large ample & beneficiall man'er to all intents construcc'ons & purposes we soever as ye sa Councill by vertue of his Majts sd letters patients may or can grant ye same saveing & allawayes reserving unto ye sd Councill & their Successors power to receive heare & determine & singular appeal and appeales of every person & persons wt soever dewelling or inhabiting wthin ye sd territoryes & Islands or any part thereof soe granted as aforesd & from all Judgements & sentences wt soever given wthin ye sd lands & territoryes aforesd To have & to hold all & singular ye lands & premises above by these p'nts granted except before excepted wth all & all man'er of profits comodityes and hereditamts wt soever wthin ye lands & precincts aforesd or to ye sd lands Islands & premises or any part of them in any wise belonging or appertaining unto ye sd Capt Jo Mason his heires & assignees for ever To ye only proper use & behoofe of him ye Sd Capt Jo Mason his heires & assigner for ever To be holden of ye sd Councill & their successors & Gladium com'itatus yt is to say by finding four able men coveniently armed & arraied for ye warr to attend upon ye Governor of New England for ye publique Service wthin fourteen dayes after warning given yeelding & paying unto ye sd Councill & their successors for ever one fifth of all ye oar of ye mines of Gold & Silver wch shalbe had possessed or obtained wthin ye limitts or percincts aforesd for all rents services dutys & demands wt soever due unto ye sd Councill & their Successors from any plantation wthin the precincts aforesd ye same to be delivered unto his Mats Receiver his deputie or deputies assigned for ye receipt thereof To ye use of his Matie his heires & Successors from time to time wthin ye lands precincts & territoryes of New England aforesd And last ye sd Councill have deputed authorized & appointed & in their place & stead have putt Henry Jaseline Esqr & Ambrose Gibbins gent or either of them to be their true & lawfull Attorney & attorneys for them & in their name & stead to enter into ye sd lands & other ye premises wth their appurtences or into any part thereof in ye name of ye whole & to take quiet & peacable possession & sezing thereof and after such possession & seeing soe had & taken as aforesd then to deliver ye same unto ye Sd Capt Jon Mason his heires or assignee or to his or their certaine attorney or attornies to be by him or them deputed on intent and meaning of these p'nts In wittness whereof they ye sd Councill have heerunto affixed their com'on seale dated ye two & twenteth day of Aprill in ye Eleaventh year of his Raigne of Soveraigne Lord Charles by ye grace of God King of England Scotland France & Ireland Defender of ye faith &c Anno Dom' 1635

[NOTES.-Contrary to the title of the above grant, the name " Masonia " is not applied to the territory of New Hampshire, but to a tract of ten thousand acres of land in Maine, granted by the same document. New Hampshire was granted by its present name.-OTIS G. Hammond.

I am indebted to Hon. A. S. Batchellor, Editor of the New Hampshire State Papers, for extended courtesies, and for accurate copies of New Hampshire Charters.-Editor.]

(1) Hazard's Historical Collections, I. 384-387. New Hampshire State Papers, XXIX, vol. VI, 64-66. Back