The citizens of Boscawen selected an honorable name for their town.
Admiral of the Blue Edward Boscawen, (August 19,1711 – January 10, 1761) was a British admiral in the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament for the borough of Truro, Cornwall, England. He is known principally for his various naval commands during the 18th century and the engagements that he won, including the siege of Louisburg in 1758 and Battle of Lagos in 1759.
THE CHARTER.
“Province of New Hampshire George the Second by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France & Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith &c.
” To all whom these presents may come. Greeting.
“Whereas our loyal subjects inhabitants of a tract of land within our Province of New Hampshire l^nown by the name of Contoocook, have humbly petitioned & requested that they may be erected & incorporated into a township & enfranchised with the powers & privileges which other towns within our said Province by law have & enjoy ; and it appearing to us to be conducive to the general good of our said province, as well as to the said inhabitants in particular, by maintaining order & encouraging the culture of lands, that the same should be done :
‘” Know ye therefore that of Our Special Grace’s certain knowledge, & for the encouraging the good order & purpose aforesaid, by & with the advice of our trusty & well beloved Penning Wentworth Esq, our Governor & commander in chief & of our council for said Province of New Hampshire, have erected & ordained, & by these presents, for us, our heirs & successors, do will & ordain that the inhabitants of the tract of land aforesaid or that shall inhabit or improve thereon, the same being limited & bounded as follows :
” Beginning at the southerly side of Contoocook river’s mouth, where the same falls into Merrimack river, running thence a course west seventeen degrees south, seven miles one hundred rods, measured from a forked white pine near the mouth of Contoocook river, to a pitch pine & heap of stones; — & from said pitch pine & heap of stones running north seventeen degrees west seven miles to a forked beach marked ; & thence on a course east seventeen degrees south north to the Merrimack river to a heap of stones ; thence by the river as the same runs to the mouth of Contoocook river again where it began : Shall have, & by these presents are declared, ordained to be a town corporate, & are hereby erected & incorporated in to a body politic & corporate, to have a continuance two years only by the name of Boscawen, with all the powers, authorities, privileges, immunities & franchises which any other town in said Province by law holds & enjoys; always reserving to us, our heirs & successors, all white pine trees that are, or shall be found growing, & being on said land fit for the use of our Royal Navy, reserving to us, our heirs & successors, the power & right of dividing said town when it shall appear necessary & convenient for the benefit of the inhabitants thereof; Provided nevertheless^ & it is hereby declared, that this our charter & Grant is not intended, nor shall in any manner be construed to extend to or affect the private property of the soil within the limits aforesaid; & as the several towns within our said province of New Hampshire are by the laws thereof enabled & authorized to assemble & by a majority of votes present to choose all such officers & transact such affairs as by said laws are declared.
” We do by these presents nominate & appoint Col Joseph Coffin Esq. to call the first meeting of said inhabitants, to be held within said town within sixty days from the date hereof, by giving legal notice of the time & design of holding such meeting; — after which the annual meeting of said town for the choice of such officers & the management of the affairs aforesaid shall be held within the same on the first Tuesday of March annually.
” In testimony whereof, we have caused the seal of our said Province to be hereunto affixed. Witness Benning Wentworth Esq. our Governor & commander in chief of our said Province of New Hampshire, this twenty-second day of April in the thirty-third year of our reign & in the year of our Lord Christ one thousand seven hundred and sixty:
” Benning Wentworth
” By His Excellency’s Command with the advice of the Council
” Theodore Atkinson Sec ”
