3°° HISTORY OF TJTE COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER. 



Court of Common Picas, justice and quorum, &c., the following curious testimony 



ni a suit between Richard Ponton, defendant, and Gabriel Leggett, 

 plaintiff. Captain Thomas Williams," aged 62 years, deposed, saith, the first 

 reason of tins difficulty was a big look violently from nice. Afterwards Captain 

 Leisler& sent, an order to Captain Ponton to send him some men to go to Albany 

 for their assistance against the French, and also the said Williams to assist the 

 said Ponton in taking and sending the said men up. When the townes company 

 ailed together and Captain Ponton asked them who was willing to go vol- 

 unteers upon the said expedition, and Gabriel Leggett answered they was fooles 

 if any them did aid who would give them a leg or an arm if they lest 



them. Upon which, Captain Ponton commanded him to hold his peaec, but he 

 still continued abusing the defendant and said here comes the father of rogues, 

 and many other scurrilous words, upon which I got a warrant against him, &c." 



At a general Court of Sessions, held in 1695 : — 



"The jury for our Bovi reign Lord the King, upon their oaths do present 

 Thomas Furguson of the county town of Westchester, laborer, for selling of a 

 certain hora >/ue of a brown culler at Westchester aforesaid, at or 



about the first day of May last, &c." 



By an act of Assembly passed on the nth of May, 1693, " a public 

 and open market was appointed to be held on every Wednesday of the 

 week at Westchester, " to which market it was lawful for all and every 

 of the inhabitants and sojourners to go, frequent and resort, and thither 

 to carry all sorts of cattle, grain, victuals, provisions and. other necces- 

 saries from eight in the morning to sunset."' 



It was also enacted by General Assembly the same year, " that there 

 shall likewise be held and kept twice yearly and every year, a fair, to 

 which fair it shall and may be likewise lawful for all and every person 

 to go and frequent, &c, two fairs yearly for the county of Westchester; 

 the first to be kept at the town of W r estchester in the said county on the 

 second Tuesday of May and to and on the Friday following, being in 

 all four days, exclusive and no longer ; and the second fair to be kept at 

 Rye in the said county, on the second Tuesday in October yearly, and 

 to end the Friday following, &c, &c." d These privileges were subse- 

 quently confirmed and enlarged.* 



The following charter, incorporating the ancient settlement of West- 

 chester as a borough town, was granted on the 16th of April, 1696 : — 



. Thomas Williams, freeholder of Westchester, was elected member of the 



• r's Council. 

 b Goti nor Jacob Leisler, who assumed the government of the Province In 1GS9. 

 c Th inflrmed in 10'jT.— See Aots of Assembly, p. 17. 



••< of Assembly, confirmed the 11th of May, 1C9T. 

 e See Charter. 



