New England—Exceptionally early land grant by the Council of New England, 1624

New England—Land Grant.

Letters patent, issued by “the Councell established att Plymouth in the Countye of Devon, for the planting, ruling, ordering and governing of New England in America”, noting that “uppon the devision of New England [...] betweene the Lords and others of that Plantacion made before the king's most excellent Majestie at Greenwich on Sundaie the Nyne and Twentieth daie of June last past [i.e. 1623], the Sixteenth part or portion conteyning too two shares of Ten Myles apeece in breadth and Thirty myles in length, fell by lott unto Sir William Bellasyse”, and here confirming that Bellasyse (now more commonly spelt Bellasis) is retaining for himself the “Southwest share” and is assigning the “Northeast share” to Sir Thomas Metham; further nominating Bellasis to the Council and confirming his rights to this share of land “with whatsoever belongeth to itt or falleth within the lymitts and precincts thereof, either upwards or downewards, lengthwise or breadthwise together with all jurisdiction, Highe, and low Justice, Royaltyes, Rights, priviledges and immunityes [...] To have and to hold [...] for ever, Under such tenure, services and reservacions as shall heerafter by a general constitution be imposed uppon every other of the parts and porcions of New England allotted [...] as aforesaid”, signed by Barnaby Gooch (“Bar: Goche”) as Treasurer of the Council, one parchment membrane (440 x 305mm), 31 January 1623/4, lacking seal but retaining parchment tag, very slight loss at left margin not affecting text, several very small holes at folds, slight staining and creasing

PROVENANCE:

Sir William Bellasis (c.1593-1641); by descent to the Bellasis family of Newburgh Priory; thence by descent

LITERATURE:

Records of the Council for New England (Cambridge, MA: for the American Antiquarian Society, 1867)

Historical Manuscripts Commission, Report on Manuscripts in Various Collections, Vol.II […] Sir George Wombwell [of Newburgh Priory] [etc] (London, 1908), pp.21-22

Robert Earle Moody, 'A Re-Examination of the Antecedents of the Massachusetts Bay Company's Charter of 1629', Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society, 3rd Series, vol. 69 (1947-50), 56-80