USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Exeter > History of the town of Exeter, New Hampshire > Part 13
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As early as 1693, this had acquired the designation of "great" bridge, by which it has been ever since known. This name in- dicated that there was then at least one other bridge, and of less dimensions. In 1708, May 30, the town resolved that the great bridge be made a horse bridge, wide enough for two horses to pass
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"on breast." The other bridge, which by contrast, gave the former its distinctive name, was, without much doubt, the prede- cessor of the present " string bridge." It was not built all at one time, nor by a single person. The earliest mill was situated on the island at the lower falls. The proprietor of it was Thomas Wilson, and after his death his son, Humphrey Wilson. They also owned land on the eastern side of the river, near the mill, and that part of the river which formed the channel between the mill and that shore was called "Wilson's creek." No doubt a " stringer" was at an early day laid across the creek to connect the island with the nearest shore. Thus the inhabitants would be enabled to take their grists to the mill without the aid of a boat. At a later date, Captain John Gilman became the owner of another grist-mill on the western side of the island. He naturally desired it to be connected with the western shore by a bridge of his own ; his mill and the Wilson mill being rival establishments. At a town meeting on the first Monday of April, 1709, the town gave him all their right to the stream and the island where his mill was, " with the privilege for a bridge to go on the island." This led to the completion of the second bridge across the river. It con- sisted for above a century of nothing more than one or two timbers laid across each of the channels of the river, with hand rails at the side, so that a man could safely pass with a bag of meal on his shoulder. It obtained the name of "string bridge" from the manner of its original construction, and still retains it, though for many years past it has been rebuilt in a substantial shape, with space for carriages to pass each other upon it, and a sidewalk.
There can be little doubt that the first highway was made along the western bank of the river, nearly in the line of the present Water street, leading from the great bridge on the one hand, to the earliest meeting-house on the other. This was doubtless what is spoken of as the "village street" in the contract between Gowen Wilson and the town, May 1, 1649. The road which led from that street near its northern extremity, westerly into the interior, is mentioned by the name of "lane's end" in the town records as early as 1650. This was for a hundred and fifty years one of the main avenues to the water side ; and over it was trans- ported a large proportion of the original growth of the forests which covered many square miles of the old township. In later times its importance has dwindled, and it has assumed the pictu- resque aspect of one of the old English country lanes, its roadway
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being worn deeply below the surface level on each side, and lined by pollard trees and bushes. Its name, too, has undergone trans- formations. It appears on the town plan of 1846 as " Back street," and on that of 1874 as "Park street," but it is popularly known as " Katy's lane" from the residence there of a colored woman whose Christian name adhered to it by natural affinity.
Roads to Hampton, to Stratham and to Salisbury, to those parts of the township which were afterwards set off as Newmarket, Epping and Brentwood, and to Kingston, were undoubtedly in use long before the year 1700.
On the fourth of March, 1658-9, it was ordered by the town that Thomas King and his partners in the mill set up about three miles up the river, should have liberty to build a bridge and make a highway, over which others might pass on foot, or on horseback, or drive cattle ; but in case others made use of it in the way of carting, they should make a proportionate allowance to the said partners, according to their use. This was probably the authority for building what were called the "neck road" and "King's bridge." That territory which was included between the Exeter fresh river and Little river was known by the name of "the neck." It was crossed by this road in a southwesterly direction. The original names of the road and of the bridge are still familiar to old residents, but to the present generation the way is better known as the road to East Kingston.
THE VILLAGE STREETS.
The thoroughfare now termed "Front street" received in the original nomenclature of the town ways, ninety years ago, the name of "Fore street," afterwards that of "Court street," and finally the present designation. It probably had nothing that could be properly called sidewalks before the year 1807. A paper is still extant bearing date in that year containing subscriptions for " defraying the expense of making a gravel walk with posts, rails, etc., in Court street," the amount of which was eighty dollars and twenty cents. The names of the public spirited subscribers deserve to be preserved. They were Phillips Exeter Academy, John T. Gilman, Oliver Peabody, Nathaniel Gilman, Nicholas Gilman, George Sullivan, Jeremiah Smith and Samuel Tenney.
The avenues which connect Front and Water streets are of later date. Spring street was laid out in 1730, Centre street in 1734, and Academy street, which, by reason of its manufactories
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of leather, long bore the euphonious title of "Tan lane," was not opened till still later. The road along the eastern shore of the river was not formally laid out till 1739, though there can be little doubt that it had been used by the public as a way to the mills and to the water side for three-fourths of a century before at least. In fact, as already intimated, the early roads appear to have been made and unmade, just according to the varying needs of the people, without the aid of engineers, and irrespective of direction or grades. The consequence is that in the older parts of the town there is scarcely a furlong of highway built on a straight line. This circumstance undoubtedly contributes greatly to the picturesqueness of the place. Rectangular streets are con- venient, but they are anything but beautiful.
None of the streets in the village southerly of Front street and of that part of Water street between the two bridges are much above half a century old. Court, Franklin and Pine streets, and their connections, were laid out across fields, but Elm street had its germ in Moulton's lane, and Elliott street in Whitefield's lane. Those lanes led to the dwellings of persons bearing those names respectively. Lincoln and Garfield streets, as their names would indicate, are still more recent.
The records of the town and of the courts show that in the earlier times, the highways were sometimes suffered to fall into sad disrepair, and to become inconvenient or unsafe for travel by reason of incumbrances. For example, "meeting-house hill," whose sloping side formed an easy chute for logs into the river, was used from early times as a convenient place of deposit for timber. No doubt travellers were often incommoded by it, and at length, August 30, 1671, the town passed an order that " whereas there is likely to be great damage by laying logs on meeting-house hill, by beating down the banks of it, there shall be no more logs laid between Nicholas Norris his house and the southeast side of the hill, upon forfeiture of what timber shall be laid there, to be forthwith seized on by the constable for the use of the town."
The open space in front of the present town hall, now bearing the name of Court square, was another locality tempting to cumberers of the ground. Near the middle of the last century a pound, which was doubtless more useful than ornamental, and several small shops had been huddled there, so that not only was the eye offended by the sorry group, but the highway must have been reduced to the narrowest dimensions. The need of a site for a court-house afforded occasion, a few years later, for abating the nuisance.
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But of all parts of the town, Water street has been the heaviest burden upon the patience of travellers and highway surveyors. As late as 1768, the eastern part of it, between the great and the string bridge, was so narrow that the selectmen were authorized, by a purchase of land or otherwise, to make it sufficient and wide enough for safe passing. The street was originally much nearer the level of the river than it now is, and has been raised by con- tinually repeated layers of earth and gravel, until its present grade is in some parts several feet higher. The sub-cellars of some of the business blocks are little, if at all, below the natural surface of the ground. About the point where the street turns to the north, it was within the century past so depressed that in very high tides the water flowed over it to a depth that admitted of the passage of boats above the roadway for a considerable distance.
CHAPTER VI.
THE COMMON LANDS.
THE inhabitants of Exeter having the absolute disposal of the lands within the township, it was to be expected that numerous applications would be made to them for allotments therefrom. This was in fact done to such an extent that a great part of the early records are filled with grants of lands, and descriptions thereof by the lot layers chosen by the town. The descriptions are unfortunately so vague, and refer to so few permanent land- marks, that it is impossible, without a degree of labor far out of proportion with the value of the result, to fix the present location of most of the earlier lots. No equality or rule of proportion, so far as can be perceived, was observed in making the allotments, except in the division of lands in December, 1639, and in the final distribution ; but each inhabitant received as much as the town saw fit to give him. No doubt the assignments were intended to be equitable, in view of the circumstances of each case, which were of course well known to the voters. But it is not remarkable that in process of time this method of doling out the lands created dissatisfaction, especially to those who fancied that they were not treated so well as others, which led at length to a general division of the residue of the public domain, and almost literally gave " every man a farm." This conclusion, however, was not reached until nearly a century had expired. An account of the disposal of the common lands, as brief as is consistent with clear- ness, is a necessary part of this history.
When the town was first settled in 1638, each person probably chose such a site for his dwelling as best suited his convenience, with due reference to the rights of others. If any record was made of their several holdings it has disappeared. We only know that the main settlement was near the falls of the Squamscot, and on the western side of the river.
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At the close of the second season, in December, 1639, a system- atic distribution of certain uplands, perhaps all that were free from the forest growth, and of all the meadows and marshes lying on the salt river, was made, among all, with few exceptions, of the inhabitants. The details of this transaction appear else- where .*
LANDS OF EDWARD AND WILLIAM HILTON.
Before doing this, however, the town designated the bounds of Edward Hilton's lands, which lay in the present township of South Newmarket, as follows : "his upland ground is bounded in breadth from the creek next from his house towards Exeter on the one side and a certain point of land over against Captain Wig- gins his house, between the marsh and the upland, that his bounds on the other side, and it is to extend into the main the same dis- tance in length as it is in breadth ; and that he shall have all the meadows which he formerly occupied from his house to the mouth of Lamprey river."
To these lands the town laid no claim of proprietorship. At a later period they were alluded to in the records as a grant made to Hilton " by composition." It is evident that he held them by virtue of some prior claim ; whether by actual possession, or as appurtenant to the "Hilton patent," is not known.
The town also agreed, on May 3, 1640, that Willam Hilton should continue to enjoy those two marshes on Oyster river which he then, and had formerly, possessed, and "which Mr. Gibbies (Gibbons?) doth wrongfully detain from him, with the rest of those marshes which formerly he hath made use of, so far forth as they may be for the public good of this plantation ; and so much of the upland [adjacent] to them as shall be thought convenient by the neighbors of Oyster river which are belonging to this body."
GRANTS OF TOWN LANDS.
Depositions on the files of the old county of Norfolk show that the town at a very early date bestowed upon Thomas Wilson the island in the river at the falls, on which his house and grain-mill were situated, reserving to the inhabitants only the right to land their canoes, and lay their fish there.
* See Appendix (I).
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On May 6, 1643, the town granted to Thomas Rashleigh 14 or 16 acres of land, with the expectation probably that he was to make a permanent settlement there as their minister. He remained about a year, and on his departure the land reverted to the town, and was subsequently regranted to the Rev. Samuel Dudley.
On August 21, of the same year, a vote was passed that any inhabitant who should find a marsh of less than twenty acres, might enjoy it as his own forever ; if of more than twenty acres, it was to be at the town's disposal, but the finder was to have a double portion out of it.
From the earliest surviving book of the town is taken the fol- lowing record of such marshes :
Found, by Samuel Greenfield and Nathaniel Boulter, two parcels lying westward from the town, by estimation nineteen acres apiece ; found the first of May, 1644. Granted at a town meeting the 16th of 11th month to Nathaniel Bonlter and Samuel Greenfield.
Found, by Robert Booth, one parcel westward from the town, by estimation thirty acres, which is in the town's hands to be lotted ont, if Mr. Wheelwright doth not come to live in Exeter again.
Found, by James Wall and Ralph Hall, two parcels, both of them by estimation three acres.
Found, by Robert Hathersay, Thomas Jones and Richard Bull- gar, two pieces of meadow, the fifth of August, 1644, which lieth half way up the fresh river, and on both sides of it, being the same brook which goodman . . . Said meadow lieth westward from Exeter some two miles, be it more or less, which is by esti- mation ten acres, be they more or less, provided that they do not exceed twenty acres.
Richard Bullgar doth assign his part of the aforesaid meadows to Robert Hathersay ; witness his hand.
RICHARD BULLGAR.
On June 10, 1644, the town made a grant to Samnel Greenfield of 20 acres ; and on June 17, following, voted that a tract of marsh should be given to the Rev. John Wheelwright, on condi- tion that "he doth come amongst us again."
On January 16, 1644-5, the town made grants as follows to these persons : Thomas Biggs ; Thomas Crawley 4 acres, condi- tionally ; * Thomas King; John Legat, conditionally ; Thomas Marston 80 acres, "if he come to live among us ;" William Moore ; Henry Roby ; John Saunders ; John Smart, Sr. 10 acres ; Anthony Stanyan 30 acres.
* The condition usually was that the grantee should improve the land by building upon it, fencing it, or the like, within a limited time. The number of acres is stated in all cases where it is given in the record.
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On the same day it was ordered that " there shall be 500 acres of land on the back side of the common field, and 500 acres beyond Humphrey Wilson's great lot towards Hampton, divided by lot to all the inhabitants of the town according to their ratements."
It was also ordered that "the flats between James Wall's point and Thomas Wight's old house shall be divided out equally to the inhabitants against whose lots it lies, and the flats on the other side of the channel to be divided to the rest of the inhabi- tants whose lots do not but against the flats on this (the western) side, yet all to lie in common for fishing, till it be improved."
The following grants were made by the town in the year 1645 :
January 27, John Cram ; Thomas Crawley ; Godfrey Dearborn ; Robert Hersey : William Huntington ; Thomas Jones ; John Legat ; Thomas Pettit ; Robert Smith ; James Wall ; Balthasar Willix. April 26, Edward Colcord 100 acres. December 31, John Legat, 2 acre.
The following grants were made in 1646 :
February 5, Thomas Biggs 13 acres ; Nathaniel Boulter. May 25, Francis Swain 6 acres ; Goodman [John] Smart. June 8, Goodman [John] Smart 300 acres.
The planting grounds of the Indians were excepted and reserved to them in the grant of the Indian sagamores to Wheelwright. They were probably small and not numerous. Inhabitants were forbidden by the town to buy them, except with the approval of the townsmen.
One such purchase is noted npon the records. John Legat and Humphrey Wilson on the eighth of June, 1646, bought of the sagamore a tract of land containing, by estimation, six or seven acres, lying on the eastern side of the river by the lower falls, where said Legat's and Wilson's house lots were. The bargain probably being a fair one, the townsmen gave their written appro- val of it.
The following grants were made in 1647 :
February 16, Mr. [Anthony] Stanyan 20 acres. November 4, George Barlow 40; Nathaniel Boulter 50; Edward Gilman [Jr. ] ; Samuel Greenfield 50; William Moore 10; Francis Swain and Nicholas Swain 100; Richard Swain 30. December 15, Thomas Jones 20; William Moore 30; James Wall, 138; Humphrey Wilson 30.
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The following grants were made in 1648 :
February 10, John Cram 40 acres ; Ralph Hall 20; Thomas Jones 40 ; John Legat 140; Thomas Pettit 40; Anthony Stan- yan 300 ; Balthasar Willix 20. March 4, Thomas Biggs, Godfrey Dearborn, Thomas Jones, 50 each ; Henry Roby 20. November 16, George Barlow 4; Mr. Edward Gilman [Jr.] 100; Christo- pher Lawson 100.
At the last named date is the first record of the appointment of lot layers : John Cram and John Legat.
On the same day "it was agreed that 500 acres of land next the two great lots above mentioned shall be laid for a common field, to be fenced by the town, planting ground for every man to have his equal share, that are householders."
It was also agreed " that the remainder of that [plain] before mentioned to the corner of John Cram's lot or Bell Willix's, and so unto the fresh river, shall be [laid] out for an ox common, for working cattle and steers and horses, for every man to have his equal share, provided he do his portional share of fencing by the last day of May next, and those who do not fence are to have no right in said common."
The following grants were made in 1649 :
January 12, Thomas Biggs and John Bursley 10 acres each, " to cut firewood and timber ; " Thomas Cornish 10, "to cut fire- wood ;" John Cram 10; Thomas King 100; Nicholas Listen 10, "to cut firewood ; " James Wall.
The following grants were made in 1650 :
March 21, John Legat { acre. June 26, Samuel Dudley ; Gowen Wilson conditionally. August 26, Abraham Drake and Nathaniel Drake 30 each; Thomas King 8; John Legat 10. November 24, Thomas Biggs 20; Thomas Cornish 10; Thomas Crawley 5 ; Ralph Hall ; Nicholas Listen 20; Henry Roby 10; Francis Swain 20; Nicholas Swain 5; Gowen Wilson 10. December 5, John Warren 5.
COMMON PLANTING FIELD.
On January 2, 1650-1, it was ordered by the town "that there shall be a common field laid out for planting ground beyond the
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second river from the town, westward about two miles and a half, for every man that is an inhabitant of the town to have his part laid out by lot, and in quantity according to his rate to the minis- try bearing date the 1 of the 11 month, 1650, viz., for every ten shillings which he pays to have 15 acres of land, laid out together by lot, beginning at the head of the fall and so to but upon the river downward, and every acre to be one rod in breadth, provided that if any man that now is an inhabitant shall leave the town before one whole year after the date hereof be expired, then he is to leave his lot to the town again."
The following grants were made in 1651 :
January 2, Henry Roby 60 acres. February 19, Samuel Dudley 80. December 29, Samuel Dudley, for grazing, etc.
The following grants were made in 1652 :
April 20, Samuel Dudley 100 acres ; Edward Gilman [Jr.] ; John Legat 100; John Robinson, conditionally ; Robert Smart. May 10, Thomas Cornish 40 ; Samuel Dudley 100 ; John Garland, conditionally ; John Legat 100; Nicholas Listen 40; Thomas Pettit 40 ; Francis Swain 40 and 20; Thomas Taylor 20 ; John Warren 40 and 20. May 20, Thomas King 100; Thomas Pettit, Jr. 30. July 8, Edward Gilman, Sr., John Leavitt,* John Gilman and Moses Gilman 200, "those of them that come not to live with us by the next summer to forfeit their shares again to the town."
On May 20, 1652, it was ordered by the town "that all the land within a mile and a half of [or about] that northeast end of the town that is not already granted out, shall continually lie common for feeding and firewood and the like use."
On November 6, 1652, "it was ordered and also granted to Mr. Edward Hilton, in regard that he hath been at charge in setting up of a saw-mill, that he shall enjoy for himself and his heirs forever, a quarter of a mile below his mill, with the land and timber belonging therennto, and also above his mill a mile and a quarter with the land and timber belonging thereunto. This land and timber is to lie square, only on this side of Piscassoek river to come about a stone's cast."
* It is believed that Jolin Leavitt, who was a son-in-law of Edward Gilman, Sr., never lived in Exeter. Ile was of Hingham, Massachusetts.
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The following grants were made from 1654 to 1661, inclusive :
1654, February 15, Nicholas Listen 20 acres, conditionally.
1655, September 30, Ralph Hall 10 acres.
1657, January 21, John Robinson, conditionally. May 11, Edward Hilton, Jr. 50 acres, conditionally.
1659, Mareh 4, Samuel Dudley, "upon consideration of draw- ing out all the grants in the town book," etc. ; Joseph, son of William Taylor, 40 acres.
1660, January 21, John Bean and Nicholas Listen 10 acres. January 22, Goodman [John] Folsom ; Thomas King and Jona- than Thing 40 ; Goodman [John] Robinson 10. June 11, Good- man [John] Folsom 20; Gowen Wilson 10.
1660-1, March 16, John Hilton 30 acres.
At the town meeting held on the day last named, it was ordered " that though there may be a proposition for the giving of land, yet from this time forward there shall none be granted till the next meeting following that on which it was propounded."
This excellent rule appears to have checked the bestowal of lands for a brief season, but it broke forth again, three years afterwards, more profusely than ever before.
The following grants were made in 1664 :
January 21, Philip Chesley 30 acres, conditionally .* October 10, John Bean 30; Richard Bray 30; William Bromfield 30; Arthur Cham [or Cane] 15 ; Biley Dudley 50; Samuel Dudley ; Theophilus Dudley 50; Israel Folsom 10; John Folsom, Sr. 60 and 20; John Folsom, Jr. 20; Nathaniel Folsom 10; Peter Folsom 10; Samuel Folsom 15; John Gilman, Jr. 20; Moses Gilman 50; Alexander Gordon 20; William Haeket 30; Joseph Hall 15 ; Ralph Hall 50; Dany (?) Kelley 10; James Kidd 20; Thomas King 40 and 3; John Kiming 30; Cornelius Lary 15 ; Samuel Leavitt 15; Nicholas Listen 40; William Moore 30 and 6 ; Richard Morgan 20; Robert Powell 20; John Robinson 15; Jonathan Robinson 15 ; John Sinclair 15; Robert Smart 80 and 20 ; William Taylor 20; Jonathan Thing 60; John Warren 40; Thomas Warren, Jr., son of John, 10. December 1, John Gilman, Sr. ; Henry Magoon 10.
* The condition not being complied with, the land was regranted, October 10, 1664, to William Bromfield.
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The following grants were made from 1665 to 1669 inclusive :
1665, April 3, John Gilman, Jr. 20 acres ; James Kidd 20.
1666, April 4, James Godfrey 10 acres. July 3, Charles Gilman 30, conditionally.
1668, March 15, Nicholas Listen and Robert Wadleigh 10 acres. March 29, Philip Cartee (often written Carter) 16 or 17. Septem- ber 28, John Folsom, Jr. 20; John Gilman 30; Samuel Leavitt 20; Jonathan Thing.
1669, May 3, John Folsom, Sr. 20 acres.
The following grants were made from 1670 to 1672 inclusive :
1670, March 30, Samuel Dudley 10 acres ; John Robinson 30; Goodman [John] Clark 30; Peter Folsom 30; Edward Gilman 100 ; Jeremy Leavitt, Thomas Rollins, Edward Smith, Jonathan Thing, Jr. and Jolin Young 30 each. These last eight grants were of land given to the town by Thomas Wiggin, and the grantees bound themselves to try the title, if contested by Hamp- ton. October 25, Samuel Folsom 2; Lient. [Ralph] Hall 30.
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