36S HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER. 



Church of England, as by law established ; but that for want of proper persons to 

 superintend the affairs and interests of the same with legal authority, the build- 

 ing is now considerably out of repair— and pious and well disposed persona are 

 discouraged in their designs of contributing to, and establishing proper funds for 

 the support of the said church and minister thereof; for remedying which, 



Your petitioners humbly pray, that your honour will be favourably pleased to 

 grant unto them his Majesty's Letters Patent, constituting your Petitioners, or 

 such of them as shall be thought proper, a Body Politic a:;d Corporate, for the 

 purposes of conducting and managing the affairs and interests of the said church 

 in such manner and form, and with such rights, priveledge3 and immunities, as 

 were heretofore granted to the inhabitants of the town of Flushing, in Queen's 

 County, in communion of the Church of England, or with such other rights, 

 priveledges, and immunities, as shall be thought reasonable aud proper ; and your 

 petitioners shall ever pray. 



John Milner, Peter De Lancet, 



John Bastow, N. Underuii l, 



J. Willett, James Graham, 



Lewis Morris, Jr., James V. Cortlandt.« 



On the 1 2th of May, 1762, the petition was read and granted in the 

 following manner : — 



ROYAL CHARTER OF ST. PETER'S CHURCH, IX THE BOROUGH 

 TOWN OF WESTCHESTER. 

 " George the third, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France and Ireland, 

 king, defender of the faith, &c, to whom these presents shall come, greeting: 

 whereas, our loving subject, the Rev. John Milner, Rector of St. Peter's church, 

 in the Borough Town of Westchester, and the County of Westchester, in our 

 Province of New York, and John Bartow, Isaac Willett, Lewis Morris, Jr., 

 Peter De Lancey, Nathaniel Underbill, James Graham and James van Cortlandt, 

 inhabitants of the said Borough Town of Westchester, in Communion of the 

 Church of England, as by law established ; in behalf of themselves and the rest 

 of the inhabitants of the said town, in communion as aforesaid, by their humble 

 petition, presented on the twelfth day of May last, to our trusty and well beloved 

 Cadwallader Coiden, Esq., then our Lieutenant Govemour and Commander-in- 

 chief oi our Province of New York, and the territories depending thereon in 

 America ; in council did set forth, that for many years past there had been a 

 church in the said Town of Westchester, for the regular administration of Divine 

 8t nice according to the use of the Church of England, as by law established, but 

 that for the want of proper persons to superintend the affairs and interests of the 

 same with legal authority, the building was considerably out of repair, aud pious 

 and well disposed persons were discouraged in the designs of contributing to and 

 establishing proper funds for the support of the said church and the minister there- 

 of ; for remedying whereof, the said petitioners did humbly pray a letter patent, 

 constituting the said petitioners, or such of them as shall be thought proper, a body 



a New York Col. MS3 (Coiden.) 1761-2, vol. xc. Sjc. of State's Office. 



