History of Amesbury - Merrill.org

HISTORY OF AMESBURY. 99
Wells a piece of land adjoining William Sargent's and also a
piece at Back river, and gave him the house bought of John
Hoyt for the minister's use, and £io. And to crown their gen-
erosity, offered to haul the house to the spot where he should
build, provided he should release the town from building cer-
tain roads. Mr. Wells did not accept the house, but built to
suit himself. He bought fifty-five rods of William Sargent on
the north and the deed bears date July 1, 1673. The lilacs
still mark the spot where his house stood, and bloom as beau-
tifully and are as fragrant as they were more than two hundred
years ago. This was the Vane lot spoken of last year, of which
the old academy once occupied a part.
The annual meeting was now fixed on the last Tuesday in
March'.
• 1674.
The town having some misunderstanding with Phillip Watson
Challis, commenced a suit against him, but was beaten and, as
he says, "upon tryal of case nothing did appear." It was
claimed that he agreed to give up to the town a fifty-acre lot
for the use of the ministry in consideration of other grants, which
fact did not appear on the trial, but "y e land was granted to
me without any reservation of any such engagement whatever
was intended" the deed acknowledged this year states. He
seems to have been willing to give the land for the use of the minis-
try, but was not to be driven to it. The tract is now known as
the "parsonage" near the late Aquilla Martin's, and the follow-
ing is taken from the deed :
"Know y e that I y e
—
s d Philip Challis w th y e consent of Mary
my wife, for divers good & lawful considerations us thereunto
moving but more especially of o r great desire & affecon towards
a Godly ministry to be settled & upheld in y e s d town of Ames-
bury have given * &c *. * * without pay or satisfaction to the
public use of the ministry in y e aforesaid town " * * * " Pro-
vided & it is always my declared intention y l
it shall not be y c
power of y e s d town as feoffees in trust nor in y e power of y e
Minister at any time in being y l shall have y e same in posses-
sion use or occupation to aleniate or dispose of y e same or any