[The following articles have appeared at different times either in "The Groton Landmark" or the "Groton Citizen," and are now revised and reprinted in this Series. S. A. G.]

GROTON AS A SHIRE TOWN.

In the year 1729 an attempt was made to divide Middlesex and form a new county from its northwestern section. The matter is referred to in the Reverend Wilkes Allen's History of Chelmsford (page 44), where it says that a committee was appointed in Chelmsford, during that year and the four following ones, to meet with committees from other places in order to carry out the scheme. The author gives a list of the towns to be embraced in the new county, which were Groton, Townsend, Pepperell, Dunstable, Merrimack, Dracut, Litchfield, Chelmsford, Westford, Littleton, Concord, Bedford, Billerica, and Tewksbury. At that time Merrimack and Litchfield were considered as belonging to Massachusetts; but after the running of the provincial line in the spring of 1741, they fell on the New Hampshire side of the boundary. It is a mistake, however, to include Pepperell in the list, as

that town was not incorporated for many years after this period, either as a precinct or as a district. Bedford and Westford were both set off as towns on September 23, 1729, and doubtless, as new settlements, were interested in the project; but Townsend, not incorporated until June 29, 1732, and Tewksbury, not until December 23, 1734, could have taken no part in the movement.

Rufus C. Torrey, Esq., in his History of Fitchburg, Massachusetts (1865 edition), refers to the same subject, and says that the inhabitants of Lunenburg in 1729 chose Captain Josiah Willard as their agent to join with others to consider what may be best in order to divide the county of Middlesex. This scheme resulted in the formation of Worcester County, on April 2, 1731, which took eight towns from Middlesex, besides others from Suffolk and Hampshire. It was a distinct affair from the one mentioned in the History of Chelmsford. Mr. Torrey furthermore says:

In a little more than two years after this, attempts were made to form a new county out of the counties of Worcester and Middlesex, of which Groton was to be the shire town. These attempts in a short time were abandoned. (Page 39.)

Further particulars are given in the following extracts from the Journal of the House of Representatives, under the respective dates of June 15 and 17, 1736.

On a motion made and seconded by divers members, Ordered, That the House will enter into the consideration of the Petition of Benjamin Prescot, Esq; and Capt. Joseph Blanchard, for themselves and others, praying for a division of the Countys of Middlesex and Worcester on Thursday next the 17th. currant in the forenoon. (Page 49.)

According to the order of Tuesday last the House enter'd into the consideration of the Petition of Benjamin Prescot, Esq; and Capt. Joseph Blanchard, Agents for Groton, Dunstable, &c. praying for a new County to be erected partly out of Middlesex and partly out of Worcester Countys, as entred the 18th. of June last, and 26th.

of March and referred; the same being read, with the respective answers thereto, and some debate being had, the following Vote passed, viz. In answer to the within Petition, Ordered, That the prayer thereof be so far granted as that the Towns of Groton, Dunstable, Littleton, Wesford, Dracut, Nottingham, Townshend, Lunenburgh, and Harvard, with the Towns lately granted, and lying Northerly and Westerly of the Towns afore enumerated, and not already included in any County, be and hereby are erected into a seperate and distinct County by themselves, to all intents and purposes in the Law, and that the Petitioners have leave to bring in a Bill accordingly. Sent up for Concurrence. (Page 51.)

The question of dividing the county does not appear to have been brought forward again for nearly thirty years. In the Journal of the House of Representatives, June 6, 1764, the following entry is found:

A Petition of Capt. Abel Lawrence and others, Agents for several Towns in the County of Middlesex, praying that sundry Towns in the County of Middlesex and Worcester as mentioned, may be erected into a seperate County.

Read and Ordered, That the Petitioners insert Copies of this Petition in all the Boston News-Papers three Weeks successively, that so the several Towns in the Counties of Middlesex and Worcester, may shew Cause, if any they have, on the second Wednesday of the next Session of this Court, why the Prayer thereof should not be granted. Sent up for Concurrence. (Page 39.)

The petition is given in "The Massachusetts Gazette and Boston News-Letter," August 23, 1764, and sets forth the reasons for the division. It is as follows:

Province of the Massachusetts-Bay.

TO HIS EXCELLENCY FRANCIS BERNARD, Esq;

Captain-General and Governor in Chief in and over His MAJESTY'S said Province; and to the Honorable His Majesty's COUNCIL, and House of REPRESENTATIVES, in General Court assembled at Boston, December, A. D. 1763.

The Petition of the Subscribers, Agents for the several Towns and Districts, viz. of Groton, and District of Shirley, and Pepperrell, as also the Towns of Westford, Lyttleton and Townshend, in the County of Middlesex, and the Town of Lunenburg, and the Township of Ipswich-Canada [Winchendon], and Dorchester-Canada (so called) [Ashburnham] in the County of Worcester. Humbly sheweth,

THAT your Petitioners and their Predecessors, inhabiting the several Towns and Districts aforesaid, from the first Settlements of said Towns and Districts have, and still do labour under great Difficulty and Burthen, by Reason of the great Distance they live from the usual Place of holding the several Courts of Justice within the Counties aforesaid, as well as the Courts of Probate in the same Counties; many of the Inhabitants living fifty, some forty, and few less than thirty Miles from the Courts of Probate aforesaid, which renders it at all Times very difficult and sometimes impossible, for poor Widows and others to attend the Probate Courts, and other Courts of Justice, without great Expence; by Means whereof, many times Actions are and necessarily must be continued, to the great Cost and Charge, oftentimes, to poor Orphan Children, and others who are necessarily obliged to attend said Courts; and this almost inconceivable Difficulty and Burden daily increases, in Proportion to the Increase of the Inhabitants of said Counties, which are now so large, that the Inferior as well as Superior Courts are frequently obliged to adjourn over Sundays, in order to finish the necessary Business of said Courts, to the great Cost and Damages of many poor Witnesses and Jurymen, and others who are obliged to attend, &c. Wherefore your Petitioners, in behalf of themselves and the several Towns and Districts aforesaid, most earnestly pray Your Excellency and Honors to take their difficult Case under your wise Consideration, and pass such Acts and Laws, as that the Towns and Districts aforesaid, together with the Towns of Chelmsford, Dracut, Dunstable, and Stow, in the County of Middlesex, and the towns of Harvard and Leominster, in the county of Worcester (or such of said Towns and Plantations, or any others, as your Excellency and Honors shall think fit) may be erected and incorporated into a separate and distinct County, and that the same may be invested with all the Privileges that other Counties have and enjoy in this Province; or otherwise grant Relief as Your Excellency and Honors, in Your known Wisdom and Goodness shall see meet, and

Your Petitioners in behalf of themselves and the several Towns they represent, as in Duty bound, shall ever pray.

Jonas Prescott
William Fletcher

Fabez Reep [Keep]

Agents for Lyttleton.

Agents for Westford.

Benjamin Brooks, Agent for Townshend.
William Prescott, Agent for Pepperrell.
Hezekiah Sawtell, Agent for Shirley.

In the House of Representatives,

JUNE the 14th. 1764.

READ, and ordered, That the Petitioners insert Copies of this Petition in all the Boston News Papers, three Weeks successively, that so the several Towns in the Counties of Middlesex and Worcester may shew Cause (if any they have) on the Second Wednesday of the next Session of this Court, why the Prayer thereof should not be granted.

Sent up for Concurrence,

THOS. CLAPP, Speak'r, Pro Tempr.

In COUNCIL, June 14. 1764, read and concurred.

A. OLIVER, Sec'ry.

It will be seen that the spelling of some of the names of these towns differs from the modern method. Lyttleton, Townshend, and Pepperrell were formerly common ways of writing them. It is somewhat doubtful how Littleton got its name; but Townsend was so called from Viscount Townshend, a member of the Privy Council, and Pepperell from Sir William Pepperrell, the hero of the capture of Louisburg, who always wrote his surname with a double "r." While, therefore, these forms were correct more than a century ago, long and good usage has decided against them.

It is useless now to speculate on what might have been, if the prayer of the petitioners had been granted. It would