THE CHARTER OF THE BOROUGH OF LANCASTER. 141 



No. 11. 

 THE CHARTER OF THE BOROUGH OF LANCASTER. 



GEORGE the Second, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Fraticr 

 and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, &c. To all to whom these Pre- 

 sents shall come, Greeting. WHEKEAS our loving Subject, JAMES 

 HAMILTON of the City of Philadelphia, in the Province of Pennsyl- 

 vania, Esq., owner of a Tract of Land whereon the Town of Lancaster, 

 in the same Province, is erected, HATH, on the behalf of the Inhabi- 

 tants of the said Town, represented unto our trusty and well-beloved 

 THOMAS PENN, Esq ; one of the Proprietors of the said Province, 

 and George Thomas, Esq ; with our Royal Approbation Lieut. Gov. 

 thereof, under JOHN PENN, the said THOMAS PENN, and RICH- 

 ARD PENN, Esquires, true and absolute Proprietors of the said Pro- 

 vince, and the Counties of Neiv- Castle, Kent and Sussex, upon Delaicare, 

 the great Improvements and Buildings made, and continuing to be made 

 in the said Town by the great Increase of the Inhabitants thereof, and 

 hath humbly besought them for our Letters Patent, under the Great 

 Seal of the said Province, to erect the said Town of Lancaster into a 

 Borough, according to certain Limits and Bounds hereinafter described, 

 and to incorporate the Freeholders and Inhabitants of the same with ])or- 

 petual Succession, and to grant them such Immunities and Privileges a.s 

 might be thought necessary for the well-ordering and governing thereof. 



THEREFORE KNOW YE, That we favouring the Application of 

 the said JAMES HAMILTON, on behalf of the said Freeholders and 

 Inhabitants, and willing to promote Trade, Industry, Rule and good 

 Order amongst all our Subjects, of our special Grace, certain Knowledge 

 and mere Motion, have erected, and by these Presents do erect the said 

 Town of Lancaster into a Borough for ever hereafter, to be called by 

 the name LANCASTER, which said Borough shall extend, be limited 

 and bounded in the Manner it is now laid out, pursuant to the Plan 

 thereof hereunto annexed. 



AND we further grant and ordain, That the Streets of the said Borough 

 shall forever continue as they are now laid out and regulated. ^ 



AND we do nominate and appoint Thomas Cookson and Sebastian 

 Grooflfe to be the present Burgesses; and the said Thomas Cookson shall 

 be called the Chief Burgess within the said Borougii, and Michael 

 Byerly, Mathias Young, John Dehofte, John Folkes, Abraham Johnson 

 and Peter Worrall, assistants for advising, aiding and assisting the said 



