History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts - citizen hylbom blog

MAllLBOROUGH. 137
MARLBOROUGH,
BY REV. R. A. GRIFFIN AXD E. L. BIGELOW.
N Ma), 1050, Edmund Rice,
William Ward, Jolin Bent, Sr.,
John Woods, Thomas King,
John Howe, John Maynard,
Ed«aid Rice, John Ruddocke,
Peter Bent, Thomas Good-
now, Richard A^g^.to^^ ^,jj
Henry Rice, inhabitants of
Sudbury, petitioned the Gen-
eial Court for a tract of land
eight miles square, affirming
" God hith bmiL pleaded to increase our children,
which are now divers of them grown to man's
estate, and wee, many of us, grown into years, so
as that wee sliould bee glad to see them settled
before llie Lord take us away from hence, as also
God having given us some considerable cattle, so
that wee are so streightened tliat wee cannot so
comfortably subsist as could bee desired ; and
some of us having taken some pains to view the
country ; wee have found a place which lyeth west-
ward, about eiglit miles from .Sudbury, which wee
conceive might bee comfortable for our subsist-
ence." On the 14tii of the same month they
were granted six miles in the locality desired. It
contained •29,4-19 acres. This region was situated
about a hill called by the Indians Whipsuffenicke,
adjoining another, on which was land reserved for
the aborigines called Ockoocangansett. In the
colony records, 1658, it is spelled Ognoinkougua-
inescit, and the name of the English plantation is
called Wliipsufferage. Daniel Gookin, in 1674,
speaks of both tracts as Okommakamesit.
The first meeting of the proprietors of tlie Eng-
lish plantation occurred September 25, 1050, at
which it was ordered that those who took lots
should pay their proportion toward the general ex-
penses, should either live themselves on the land
two years or appoint some one the town would
approve, or else forfeit their lots; "but if God
shall take away any man by death, he have liberty
to give his lott to whom lie will." December 26,
1659, it was ordered "that all such as lay clayme
to any interest in this new plantation at Whipsuf-
feradge (by the Indians called Whipsuppenicke)
are to perfect . their house lots by the 25tli of
March next insueing, or else to loose all their in-
terest in the aforesaid plantation." November,
1660, thirty-eight house-lots, including one for
the minister and one for the smith, were set off and
confirined to their proprietors. These grants aggre-
gated 992| acres, divided into holdings of from
fifteen to fifty acres. The rest of the land, called
cow commons, was left subject to future grants.
May 31 (0. S., June 12 as we now date), 1660,
the town was incorporated under the name of
Marlborow, it is supposed after the English town
of that name, so called on account of the vicinity
abounding in marl ; the word was formerly spelled
^farlberg or Marlbridge. Why it was chosen it
is difficult, perhaps impossible, to say, though tiie
most probable conjecture would be that some one
or more of the early settlers hailed from Jlarlborough
in Wiltshire. Its records for the first
thirty-nine years are missing; those extant begin
April 27, 1699. The first selectmen were Edmund
Rice, William Ward, John Ruddocke, Jolin Howe,
Thomas Khig, Solomon Johnson, Thomas Good-
now. John Ruddocke was chosen clerk. One of
the earliest acts of the municipality was to order an
assessment for six months for the support of Rev.
William Brimsmead, their preacher, "of 4 pence jier
acre npon house lots and 3 pence per pound ujion
cattle." In 1662 the frame of a house and the
land on which it stood were given to the minister.
It was thirty-six feet by eighteen, and twelve and
one half feet high between the joints. It had
four windows in front and two at the west end.
It had two gables in front, ten feet wide ami
eight feet square, projecting eight feet, with two
small windows on the front side of the gables. It
was built by contract for £15, to be paid in corn :
one third wheat, one third rye, and one third In-
dian corn; wheat at 4*. Qd., rye at 4*., and Indian
com at 3-$. per bushel. In the payment of this
sum, a rate was made of seven and a half pence ])er