The Beginnings of Litvibering in the New World 17 



at Kittery, on the nth day of March 1650, Mr. Richard Leader 

 made certain propositions for the erection of mills at Newich- 

 wannock, it is ordered therefore by this court and the consent of 

 the county, that the aforesaid Richard lycader, his heirs and 

 assigns, shall have sole property and privilege of the little river 

 at Newichwannock, commonly called or known by that name to 

 erect a mill or mills upon the river aforesaid, together with like 

 property and liberty of all such timber as is not yet appropriated 

 to any town or person." The magnitude of Mr. Leader's opera- 

 tions soon gave the name of Great Works to the place which 

 afterwards became the name of the river. 



In 1654 there was granted to him all the pine trees up the little 

 river, so far as the town bounds went, for the accommodation of 

 his mill. Following the course of the river this would be about 

 twenty miles. For the privilege of cutting the timber he was to 

 pay the town a tax or royalty of ^15 currency. 



These saw-mills had not been running many years before the 

 citizens found it necessary to make regulations to guard against 

 the wasteful cutting of trees for clapboards and pipe-staves, as 

 appears from the regulations made in Kittery and Dover and 

 Portsmouth regarding the cutting of such trees. 



In Kittery in 1656 it was ordered that if any inhabitant should 

 fall any pipe-stave or clapboard timber and let lay unused up 

 one month, any other inhabitant might improve it as his own 

 property. Previous to this it had been ordered that no inhabi- 

 tant could have more than five trees of each kind allotted him at 

 one time for the purpose. At a town meeting of the inhabitants 

 of Portsmouth in 1660 a penalty of five shillings for every tree 

 was imposed upon any inhabitant for cutting timber or any 

 other wood from off the common except for their own building, 

 fencing or firewood. 



Elsewhere restrictions in the use of timber were enacted :* 



" It is this day ordered that noe inhabitant shall fall above 

 tenne trees for clapboards or pipe-staves until he hath wrought- 

 y and he that shall have above Tenne Trees fallen at any time 

 not wrought up shall forfeit for evrie Tree Tenne shillings." 



" It is this day ordered that noe man shall fall any timber for 

 clapboards or pipe-staves, plank or boards without approbation 

 of the Townsmen." 



*Historical Memoranda of Dover, p. 32. 164, 11, 6 1110. and p. 33. 8, 12 

 mo, 1643, 



