History of Amesbury - Merrill.org

HISTORY OF AMESBURY. 35
Oct. 29th. At a general meeting of the freemen "it was
ordered that the lane wich turnes by Richard Currier's new
dwelling house shall goe no further than the end of y c
,
w ch was
John ffellers house-lot." Richard Currier was yet in Salisbury,
east of the Powow.
Ralfe Blesdell borrowed one thousand pipe-staves of the town
to pay in twelve months. He, probably, had engaged a large
number and, being short, solicited a portion of those which had
been paid in for fines, while he might be able to make them.
The commoners' committee confirmed all grants of land which
were made.
Sept. 19th. Luke Heard sold his house, lot and planting-lot
to George Brown for _£g. He lived within the circular road,
near its junction with the " fferrie road."
A rate of £8 was ordered "to defray town charges and to
daub the meeting house." If built in 1640 it would need
re-daubing or plastering again by this time. The clay mortar,
although becoming quite hard, would gradually fall off, leaving
sufficient openings between the logs for the cold to creep in.
Prudential men :
1646.
Samuel Dudley, Christopher Batt, Henry
Munday, Edward French, John Eaton.
"Ralph Blesdale is allowed to draw wine at Salsberry" by the
General Court this year. He was, as usual, chosen to keep an
"ordinary" in town, in later times called tavern. Most of the
town meetings in those times were held at the ordinary. There
was a petition sent to the General Court by some of the Salis-
bury people for a new church organization, and a committee
was appointed, as follows :
—
"Mr. Richard Dumer, Mr. Edward Rawson & Mr. Carleton
are appointed a committee to search & examine things at Sals-
berry & make returne of their thoughts thereabouts (concern-
y e petition of some of y m to be a distinct church) and return
their thoughts."
Why this petition was sent to the General Court we have no
means of knowing ; but it is certain that since the erection of
two mills on the Powow river, the population had increased in