428 Report of a Committee to Visit Rowley

    Cambridge 18 August 1735

    In observance of the Votes of the Corporation of Harvard College hereunto annexed.

    We the Subscribers have bin at Rowley and viewed the College Lands in said Town (excepting the Wood Lotts, and three Quarters of an acre of Marsh called highway Marsh, all which were at such a distance that we could not conveniently take a view of them), have also searched the Records of said Town and the County Records but can’t find any Instruments of partition betwixt the College and the Town of Rowley refering to any of said lands, but find an instrument of partition betwixt Mr. Fowler and Capt. Northern of Wharehouse pasture.

    In Rowley Records we find a tract of land called the Sheep pasture at a place called Mill Swamp, in which the College is supposed to have a Right of about eighteen acres, though not yet divided the College tenant has made the College proportion of fence to said sheep pasture.

    In said Records we also find an East and a West end Ox pasture wherein the Town of Rowley improve four gates in each, in Right of Mr. Ezekiel Rogers, being laid out to them (as they say) in consideration of their payment of a Legacy to Mr. Ezekiel Rogers of Ipswich.

    Also at a place called Hawk Medow we find Twenty four Acres of Medow and upland laid out to the Town on Mr. Rogers’s Right in consideration of the payment of the Legacy aforesaid. Also in the year 1666 in Hog Island Marsh we find Mrs. Rogers had a Right of her former husbands Vizt. Mr. Barker, who had 20½ Gates. Her lot in said Marsh is supposed to be about eight acres; But we can’t find she had any laid out to her in Right of her late husband Mr. Rogers.

    We are humbly of opinion that (in as much as there dont appear to be any instruments of partition betwixt the Town of Rowley and the College Refering to the division of said Lands) it is necessary that the Corporation qualifie some person or persons to joyn with the Town of Rowley in making instruments of partition betwixt them; And advise the Town of Rowley of their appointment of such person, or persons, and desire that they would appoint and qualifie a Comitte to joyn with them in that affair. And at the same time observe to the Town of Rowley that by the Records of their Town we the Comitte are of opinion that the College has a Right in East and West end Ox pastures and in Hawk Medow and that they ought to have a Right in hog Island Marsh too or as an equivalent therefor.

    Therefor in faithfullness to the trust reposed in the Corporation it not being their personall interest the Corporation do intreat that they would take the affair unto their serious consideration, and either relinquish to the College their equitable right in said lands or satisfie that the College has no right in them, which we presume is all that the Corporation dos desire.291

    We are also humbly of opinion that previous to the sale of said lands it would be best that said lands be surveyed (excepting the Wood Lotts) and plans taken of them in order to the better showing the just value of said lands.

    Edwd. Hutchinson

    Henry Flynt

    Nathll. Appleton

    Andw. Bordman

    Rowley Lands Papers. The ms is torn in places. There is a slightly different version of this report, also in Rowley Lands Papers; it is signed by Henry Flynt only. A few words, missing from the present version, have been supplied from the other. References to the Committee in CSM Publications, xvi are: appointment, March 10 (p. 635) and June 26 (p. 636), when Bordman was added; report, August 18 (p. 637). The Committee was particularly concerned with lands still claimed by the Town or Church.