mer order of this Hon'l Court
notwithstanding.

They therefore most humbly pray your Excellency & Honours would be
pleased to Cause the hearing to be had this present Session and
that a Certain day may be assigned for the same as your Excellency
& Honours in your great wisdom & Justice shall see meet.

And your Memorialists as in Duty bound Shall Ever pray.

JONAS HOUGHTON
SIMON STOON JUNER
JONATHAN WHITNEY
THOMAS WHELER

In the House of Rep'tives Dec'r 17, 1730 Read and in Answer to this
Petition Ordered That the Pet'rs give Notice to the Towns of
Lancaster Groton and Stow or their Agents that they give in their
Answer on the twenty ninth Inst't. why the Prayer of the Petition
within referred to may not be granted.

Sent up for Concurrence

J QUINCY Sp'kr:

In Council Dec. 18, 1730; Read and Concur'd.

J WILLARD Secry

[Massachusetts Archives, cxiv, 6-8.]

The next dismemberment of the Groton grant took place in the winter of
1738-39, when a parcel of land was set off to Littleton. I do not find a
copy of the petition for this change, but from Mr. Sartell's
communication it seems to have received the qualified assent of the
town.

To his Excellency Jonathan Belcher Esq'r Captain General &
Governour in Chief &c the Honorable Council and House of
Representatives in General Court assembled at Boston January 1,
1738.

May it please your Excellency and the Honorable Court.

Whereas there is Petition offered to your Excellency and the
Honorable Court by several of the Inhabitants of the Town of Groton
praying to be annexed to the Town of Littleton &c.

The Subscriber as Representative of said Town of Groton and in
Behalf of said Town doth hereby manifest the Willingness of the
Inhabitants of Groton in general that the Petitioners should be
annexed to the said Town of Littleton with the Lands that belong to
them Lying within the Line Petitioned for, but there being a
Considerable Quantity of Proprietors Lands and other particular
persons Lying within the Line that is Petitioned for by the said
Petitioners. The Subscriber in Behalf of said Town of Groton & the
Proprietors and others would humbly pray your Excellency and the
Honorable Court that that part of their Petition may be rejected if
in your Wisdom you shall thi