Transcription of Document

Title & Recording  Location on inverse panel section

CONFIRMATION OF THE PEACE

DISTRICT OF JOHNSTOWN

RECORDED 30TH OF JUNE 1800

LIBER B   FOLIO 112

SIGNED

M. J. PETERS, ASST. REGTR.

DOCUMENT TRANSCRIPTION PROPER

P. Hunter, Lt. Governor (upper right corner of document)

Upper Canada

George the Third by the Grace of God Great Britain , France and Ireland

King Defender of the Faith, &,&,&

To the Hon. John Elmsley, the Hon. James Baby, the Hon. Alexander Grant, the Hon. Peter Russell, the Hon. Phineas Shaw, the Hon. John W. Gill, the Hon. David William Smith, the Hon. William Dummer Powell, the Hon. Henry Allcock, Edward Jessup Senior, William Fraser, Peter Drummond, Ephraim Jones, John Jones, Thomas Sherwood, Samuel Wright, James Breckenridge, Alexander Campbell of Augusta, Thomas Fraser, Hugh Monroe, Gideon Adams, Solomon Jones, Edward Jessup Junior, Thomas Smith, Daniel Jones, Truman Hiccock, Joel Stone, Archibald McNeil,  Steven Burritt and William Soles Junior esquires.  Know ye  that we have assigned you jointly and severally and every one of you, our justices,  to keep our peace in the District of Johnstown and to keep and cause to be kept all ordinances and statutes for the good of the peace and for preservation of the same and for the quite rule and government of our people made in all and singular their articles in their said District as will within Liberties as without and according to all the Force form and effect of the same and to chastise and punish all Persons that offend against the form of those ordinances or statutes or any one of them in the aforesaid District  as it ought to be done according to the form of those Ordinances and Statutes and to cause to come before you or any of you all those to who to any one or more of our People concerning their Bodies or the firing of their houses have used Threats to find sufficient security for the Peace or their good behavior toward us and our People and if they shall refuse to find such Security then them in our Prisons until they shall find such Security to cause to be safely kept.

We have also assigned you and every two or more of you of whom we will and any one of you the aforesaid John Elmsley, James Baby, Alexander Grant, Peter Russell, Phineas Shaw, John McGill, William Smith, William Dummer Powell, Henry Allcock, Edward Jessup, William Fraser, Peter Drummond, Ephraim Jones,  Thomas Sherwood, Samuel Wright, James Breckenridge, Alexander Campbell, Thomas Fraser, Hugh Monroe, Gideon Adams, Solomon Jones, Edward Jessup, Thomas Smith, Daniel Jones, Truman Hiccock, Joel Stone, Archibald McNeil, Stephen Burritt and William Soles shall be one Our Justices to enquire the truth more fully by the Oaths of Good and Lawful men of the aforesaid District by whom the truth of all the matter shall be better known and all manner of Felonies, poisonings, enchantments, Sorceries, Arts Magic, trespasses, forstallings, regratings, engraftings and extortions whatsoever and of all and singular other crimes and offences which the Justices of the Peace may or ought to enquire by whomsoever and after what manner so ever in the said District done or perpetrated or what shall happen to be there done or attempted; and also of all those who in the aforesaid District  in companies against our Peace in disturbance of our People with armed force have gone, or rode, or hereafter shall presume to go or ride, And all those who have there lain in wait or hereafter shall presume to lie in wait, to maim or kill or cut our People, And also of all valuables and all and singular other persons who in the abuse of Weights and measures or in selling victuals against the form of the Ordinances and Statutes or any one of them therefore made for the common benefit of Our Province of Upper Canada our people thereof have offense or attempted, or hereafter shall presume in the said district to offence or attempted, And also of all Sheriffs, Bailiffs, Stewards, Constables, Keepers of the Goals, and other officers who in the execution of their offices about the Province and any of them have unduly behavior themselves or hereafter shall presume to behave themselves unduly or have been or shall happen hereafter to be careless or negligent in our aforesaid District, And of all and singular articles and circumstances and all other things whatsoever that concern the premises or any of them,  by whomsoever and after what manner soever in Our aforesaid District done or perpetrated or which hereafter shall these happen to be done or attempted in manner soever and to inspect all indictments whatsoever so before you or any of you taken or to be taken on before others take our Justices of the Peace in the aforesaid District made or taken and not yet determined and to make and continue processes there upon against all and singular the Persons so Indicted, or who before you hereafter shall happen to be indicted  until they can be taken or surrender themselves or be outlawed and to hear and determine all and singular the Felonies, poisonings, enchantments, Sorceries,  arts magic, trespasses, forstallings, regratings, engrossings, unlawful assemblies, indictments aforesaid and all and singular other the Premises as according to the Laws and Statutes of Upper Canada as in the like case it has been accustomed or ought to be done the same offenders and every of them for their offences by fines, ransoms, Amercements for forfeiture, and other means as according to the Law and Customs of Upper Canada or form of the Statutes and Ordinances aforesaid it has been accustomed or ought to be done to Chastise and Punish.

Provided always if a case of Difficulty upon the determination of any the Premises before you or any two or more of you shall happen to arise then let judgment in no wise be given thereon before you or any two or more of you unless in the presence of one of our Justices of Our Court of or Bench, or of one of Our Justices appointed to hold the assizes in the aforesaid District, And therefore we command you and every of you that to keeping the Peace, ordinances, Statutes and all and singular other the premises you diligently apply yourselves and that at certain days and places which you or any such two or more of you as is aforesaid shall appoint for these premises into the premises you make enquiries and all and singular the premises hear and determine and perform and fulfill them in the aforesaid form doing therein what to justice appertains according to the Law and Custom of Upper Canada save to Us the Amercements and other things to us therefrom belonging.

And We command by the Tenor of these Presents Our Sheriff of our District of Johnstown that at certain days and places which you or any such two or more of you as is aforesaid shall make known to him, he cause to come before you or such two or more of you as aforesaid so many and such Good and Lawful men of his Bailwick as well within Liberties as without by whom the Truth of the matter in the Premises shall be better known and enquired into.

In Witness whereof we have caused these our Letters to be made Patent Witness our trusty and welbeloved Peter Hunter, Esquire, Our Lieutenant Governor of our said Province and Lieutenant  General Commanding our Forces in our Provinces of Upper Canada and Lower Canada at York this Thirtieth day of June in the Year of Our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Fortieth of Our Reign.

                                                                                           P. H.  ( initials only )

(bottom right hand corner as follows)

Examined  

Wm. James Levy ( difficult signature )

July 17th 1800

 

Who Are We  Location  Branch History  Local History  Executive  Membership  Houses  Meetings  Events  Our Ancestors  

Loyalist Cemeteries  Resources  Links  Picture Gallery  Special Items  Projects