Jeremiah Lawrence
John Mozier
Josiah Tucher
W'm Allen
John Shadd
Jam's. Green
John Kemp
Nehemiah Jewett
Eleazar Green
Jonathan Shattuck
Jonathan Shattuck Jun'r

In the House of Rep'tives Nov'r. 26. 1742

In Answer to the within Petition ordered that that Part of the Town of
Groton Lying on the Westerly Side of Lancaster River within the
following bounds viz't bounding Easterly on said River Southerly on
Townsend Road so called Wisterly on Townsend line and Northerly on
Dunstable West Precinct with the Inhabitants thereon be and hereby are
Set off a distinct and seperate precinct and Vested with the powers &
priviledges which Other Precincts do or by Law ought to enjoy Always
provided that the Inhabitants Dwelling on the Lands abovementioned be
subject to pay their Just part and proportions of all ministeriall Rates
and Taxes in the Town of Groton already Granted or Assessed.

Sent up for Concurrence.

T Cushing Spk'r.

In Council Nov'r. 26 1742 Read and Concurr'd

J Willard Secry

Consented to, W Shirley,

[Massachusetts Archives, cxiv, 768, 769.]

When the new Provincial line was run between Massachusetts and New
Hampshire, in the spring of 1741, it left a gore of land, previously
belonging to the west parish of Dunstable, lying north of the territory
of Groton and contiguous to it. It formed a narrow strip, perhaps three
hundred rods in width at the western end, running easterly for three
miles and tapering off to a point at the Nashua River, by which stream
it was entirely separated from Dunstable. Shaped like a thin wedge, it
lay along the border of the province, and belonged geographically to the
west precinct or parish of Groton. Under these circumstances the second
parish petitioned the General Court to have it annexed to their
jurisdiction, which request was granted. William Prescott, one of the
committee appointed to take charge of the matter, nearly a quarter of a
century later was the commander of the American forces at the battle of
Bunker Hill. It has been incorrectly stated by writers that this
triangular parcel of land was the gore ceded, in the summer of 1736, to
the proprietors of Groton, on the petition of Benjamin Prescott. The
documents relating to this matter are as follows:--

To his Honnor Spencer Phipes Esq'r Cap't Geniorl and Commander In Cheaf
in and ouer his majists prouince of the Massachusets Bay in New england
and to The Hon'ble his majestys Couns