88 AUTHENTIC HISTORY OF LANCASTER COUNTY. 



No. 5. 



The Frame of Government of the Province of Pennsylvania, and the terri- 

 tories thereunto belonging^ passed hy Governor Markham, November 7, 1696. 



Whereas, the late king Charles the Second, in the three and thirtieth 

 year of his reign, by letters patent under the great seal of England, did, 

 for the considerations therein mentioned, grant unto William Penn, his 

 heirs and assigns, for ever, this colony, or tract of land, thereby erecting 

 the same into a province, called PennsTjlvania, and constituting him, the 

 said Williayn Penn, absolute Proprietary thereof, vesting him, his Depu- 

 ties and Lieutenants, with divers great powers, pre-eminences, royalties, 

 jurisdictions and authorities, necessary for the well-being and good gov- 

 ernment of the said province. And whereas the late duke of Yorh and 

 Albany , &c., for valuable considerations, did grant unto the said William 

 Penn, his heirs and assigns, all that tract of land which hath been cast, 

 or divided into three counties, now called Newcastle, Kent, and Sussex, 

 together with all royalties, franchises, duties, jurisdictions, liberties and 

 privileges thereunto belonging; which last mentioned tract being in- 

 tended as a beneficial and requisite addition to the territory of the said 

 Proprietary, he, the said Proprietary and Governor, at the request of the 

 freemen of the said three counties, by their deputies, in Assembly met, 

 with the representatives of the freemen of the said province at Chester, 

 alias Upland, on the sixth day of the tenth month, 1682, did (with the 

 advice and consent of the Members of the said Assembly) enact, that the 

 said three counties should be annexed to the province of Pennsylvania, 

 as the proper territories thereof: and whereas king William and the late 

 queen Mary, over Pjiigland, &c., by their letters patent and commission, 

 under the great seal of England, dated the twenty-first day of October, in 

 the fourth year of their reign, having, (for the reasons therein mentioned) 

 taken the government of the said province and territories into their 

 hands, and under their care and protection, did think fit to constitute 

 Benjamin Fletcher, Governor of New York, to be their Captain General, 

 and Governor in Chief, over this province and country. And whereas, 

 also the said king and queen afterwards, by their letters patent, under 

 the great seal of England, dated the twentieth day of August, in the sixth 

 year of their reign, have thought fit, upon the humble application of the 

 said William Penn, to restore them to the administration of the govern- 

 ment of the said province and territories ; and that so much of their said 

 commission as did constitute the said Benjamin Fletcher, their Captain 



