Grant of the Province of Maine
CHARLES the Second by the Grace of God King of England Scotland France and Ireland Defender of the Faith &c. to all to whom these presents shall come Greeting
Know yee that wee for divers good causes and consideracons us thereunto moving have of our especiall Grace certaine knowledge and meere motion given and granted and by these presents for us our heires and successors do give and grant unto our dearest brother James Duke of Yorke his heires and assigns all that part of the maine land of New England begining at a certain place called or knowne by the name of St. Croix next adjoyning to New Scotland in America and from thence extending along the sea coast unto a certain place called Petuaquine or Pemaquid and so up the River thereof to the furthest head of ye same as it tendeth northwards from thence to the River Kinebequi and so upwards by the shortest course to the River Canada northward and also all that Island of Islands commonly called by the severall name or names of Matowacks or Lond Island scituate lying and being towards the west of Cape Codd and ye narrow Higansetts abutting upon the maine land between the two Rivers there called or knowne bv the several names of Conecticutt and Hudsons River together also with the said river called Hudsons River and all the land from the west side of Conecticutt to ye east side of Delaware Bay and also all those severall Islands called or knowne by the names of Martin’s Vinyard and Nantukes otherwise Nantuckett together with all ye lands islands soyles rivers harbours mines minerals quarryes woods marshes waters lakes ffishings hawkings hunting and cowling and all other royalltyes proffitts commodityes and hereditaments to the said severall islands lands and premisses belonging and appertaining with theire and every of theire appurtenances and all our estate right title interest benefit advantage claime and demand of in or to the said lands and premises or any part or parcell thereof and the revercon and revercons remainder and remainders together with the yearly and other ye rents revenues and proffitts of all and singular the said premisses and of every part and parcell thereof to have and to hold all and singular the said lands islands hereditaments and premisses with their and every of their appurtenances hereby given and granted or hereinbefore menconed to be given and granted unto our dearest brother James Duke of Yorke his heirs and assignee forever to the only proper use and behoofe of the said James Duke of Yorke his heires and assignee forever to be holden of us our heirs and successors as of our manner of East Greenwich in our county of Kent in fires and common soccage and not in capite nor by Knight service yielding and rendering and the said James Duke of Yorke doth for himself his heires and assignee covenant and promise to yield and render unto us our heires and successors of and for the same yearly and every yeare forty Beaver skins when they shall be demanded or within ninety days after and wee do further of our speciall grace certaine knowledge and meere mocon for us our heires and successors give and grant unto our said dearest brother James Duke of Yorke his heires deputyes agents commissioners and assignee by these presents full and absolute power and authority to correct punish pardon governe and rule all such the subjects of us our heires and successors who may from time to time adventure themselves into any of the parts or places aforesaid or that shall or doe at any time hereafter inhabite within the same according to such fames orders ordinances direccons and instruments as by our said dearest brother or his assignee shall be established and in defect thereof in cases of necessity according to the good direccons of his deputyes commissioners officers or assignee respectively as well in all causes and matters capitall and criminall as civill both marine and others soe alwayes as the said statutes ordinances and proceedings be not contrary to but as neare as conveniently may be agreeable to the lawes statutes and government of this our realme of England and saving and reserving to us our heires and successors ye receiving hearing and determining of the appeal and appeales of all or any person or persons, of in or belonging to ye territoryes or islands aforesaid in or touching any judgment or sentence to be there made or given.
And further that it shall and may be lawfull to and for our said dearest brother his heires and assignee by these presents from time to time to nominate make constitute ordains and confirms by such name or names stile or stiles as to him or them shall seeme good and likewise to revoke discharge change and alter as well all and singular Governors officers and Ministers which hereafter shall be by him or them thought fitt and needfull to be made or used within the aforesaid parts and islands and also to make ordaine and establish all manner of orders lawes directions instruccons formes and ceremonyes of government and magistracy fitt and necessary for and concerning the govermnent of the territoryes and islands aforesaid so alwayes as the same be not contrary to the lawes and statutes of this our Realme of England but as neare as may be agreeable thereunto and the same at all times hereafter to put in execucon or abrogate revoke or change only within the precincts of the said territoryes or island) but also upon the seas in going and coming to and from the same as he or they in their good discrecons shall thinke to be fittest for the good of the adventurers and inhabitants there And wee do further of our speciall grace certaine knowledge and meere mocon grant ordains and declare that such governors officers and ministers as from time to time shall be authorized and appointed in manner and forme aforesaid shall and may have full power and authority to use and exercise martiall law in cases of rebellion insurreccon and mutinie in as large and ample manner as our Lieutenants in our countyes within our Realme of England have or ought to have by force of their commission of Lieutenancy or any law or statute of this our Realme
And wee do further by these presents for us our heires and successors grant unto our said dearest brother James Duke of Yorke his heires and assigns that it shall and may be lawfull to and for the said James Duke of Yorke his heires and assignee in his or theire discrecons from time to time to admit such and so many person and persons to trade and traffique unto and within the terrytoryes and islands aforesaid and into every and any part and parcell thereof and to have possesse and enjoy any lands or hereditamenst in ye parts and places aforesaid as they shall thinke fitt according to the lawes orders constitucons and ordinances by our said brother his heires deputyes commissioners and assigns from time to time to be made and established by vertue of and according to the true intent and meaning of these presents and under such condicons reservacons and agreements as our said brother his heires or assignee shall set downe order direct and appoint and not otherwise as aforesaid And wee do further of ous especiall grace certaine knowledge and meere mocon for us our Wires and successors give and grant to our said dears brother his heires and assignee by these presents that it shall and may be lawfull to and for him them or any of them at all and every time and times hereafter out of any of our realmes or dominions whatsoever to take leade carry and transport in and into their voyages and for and towards the plantacons of our said territoryes and islands all such and so many of our loving subjects or any other strangers being not prohibited or under restraint that will become our loving subjects and live under our alegiance as shall willingly accompany them in the said voyages together with all such cloathing implements furniture and other things usually transported and not prohibited as shall be necessary for the inhabitants of the said islands and territoryes and for theire use and defence thereof and manageing and carrying on the trade with the people there and in passing and returning to and fro yielding and paying to us our heires and successors the customes and dutyes therefore due and payable according to the lawes and customes of this our Realme
And we do also for us our heires and successors grant to our said dearest brother James Duke of Yorke his heires and assignee and to all and every such governor or governors or other officers or ministers as by our said brother his heires or assignee shall be appointed to have power and authority of government and command in or over the inhabitants of the said territoryes or islands that they and every of them shall and lawfully may from time to time and at all times hereafter forever for theire severall defence and safety encounter expulse repell and resist by force of arms as well by sea as by land and all wayes and means whatsoever all such person and persons as without the speciall licence of our said deare brother his heires or assignee shall attempt to inhabit within the severall precincts and limitts of our said territoryes and islands and also all and every such person and persons whatsoever as shall enterprise or attempt at any time hereafter the destruccon invasion detriment or annoyance to ye parts places or islands aforesaid or any parse thereof and lastly our will and pleasure Is and wee do hereby declare and grant that these our letters patents or the enrollment thereof shall be good and effectuall in the law to all intents and purposes whatsoever notwithstanding the not reciting or menconing of the premises or any part thereof or the meets or bounds thereof or of any former or other presents patents or grants heretofore made or granted of the premisses or of any part thereof by us or any of our progenitors unto any other person or persons whatsoever bodyes politique or corporate or any act law or other restraint incertainty or imperfection whatsoever to the contrary in any wise notwithstanding althoughe expresse mencon of the true yearly value or certainty of the premises or any of them or of any other guifts or grants by us or by any of our progenitors or predecessors heretofore made to the said James Duke of Yorke in these presents is not made or any statute act ordinance provision proclamacon or restriction heretofore had made enacted ordained or provided or any other matter cause or thing whatsoever to the contrary thereof in any wise notwithstanding.
In witnesse whereof wee have caused these our letters to be made pattents.-Witnesse ourselfe at Westminster the twelveth day of March in the sixteenth yeare of our raigne. [1664]
By the King:
HOWARD
Source:
The Federal and State Constitutions Colonial Charters, and Other Organic Laws of the States, Territories, and Colonies Now or Heretofore Forming the United States of America. Compiled and Edited Under the Act of Congress of June 30, 1906 by Francis Newton Thorpe. Washington, DC : Government Printing Office, 1909.
This text is from Yale University Law School’s Avalon Project, a substantial collection of American history documents posted on the Internet.