Resolutions of Officers regarding the Royal Proclamation of 1763, 15 September 1772
Resolutions of Officers regarding the Royal Proclamation of 1763
Fredericksburg 15th Septr 1772
We the Subscribers Commissioned Officers who had the honour to serve his Majesty in the late War in America, having met to consider of a proper method to obtain the Lands granted to us by his Majestys Proclamation bearing date at St James’s the 7th day of October 1763 and published by Govr Fauquier by his Proclamition bearg date at Williamsburg the 12th day of Jany 1764 have come to the following Resolutions.1
First. By the Terms of said Proclamation we are restricted from acting in this affair for any absent Officers, the Personal appearance of each claimant before the Govr of the Provence being necessary to ascertain his Title such absent Officers however who choose to join us are at liberty notwithstanding to do so at our next meeting to be held at this place on Monday the 23d off Novr next.2
Second. The Sum of three pounds Cury is at our next meeting to be deposited in the hands of Messrs Woodford & Weeden for each thousand Acres which we severally claim by his Majesty’s Proclamation, to be employed in defraying such expences as the discovery and Surveying of our Lands may require.
Third. Together with Messrs Woodford & Weedon we appoint the following Subscribers who reside in this neighbourhood to act for us in this affair, to wit, Messrs Dangerfield, Buckner, Duncanson[,] Chew & Mercer whom we empower to meet as often as they think necessary and give Instruction’s to proper persons to be employd in Surveying the Lands; by their Orders the necessary Sums are to be disbursed and we hereby oblige ourselves to pay into the hands of Messrs Woodford and Weedon on demand such sums of money as the said Gentlemen or a Majority of them shall find necessary to defray any future contingent expences that may arise in the prosecution of this affair.
Fourth. If any Subscriber fails to deposit the first mentiond Sum or to comply with the requisition of the Treasurer’s as above mentioned such Gentlemen is to be considered as having alter’d his Intention of Prosecuting this Affair and gives up his claim to any advantage from our proceedings.
Fifth. Nor being sufficiently informd what Lands on the Waters of the Ohio are already appropriated, we defer to our next meeting the consideration of the most proper place to begin our Surveys.
| Go: Washington | Wm Woodford |
| Wm Peachy | Larken Chew |
| Hugh Mercer | LeRoy Griffin |
| Wm Buckner | Holt Richardson |
| Thos Bullett | Wm Bradley |
| Wm Dangerfield | James Duncanson |
| Geo. Weedon | John Stadler3 |
Copy, in GW’s hand, MoSW.
1. For the allocation of acreage by rank set by the terms of the Proclamation of 1763, see , 640–43.
2. The officers of the Virginia Regiment of 1754 met in Fredericksburg on 23 Nov. to deal with problems that had arisen in the surveying and allocation of the 200,000 acres granted the regiment under the terms of Governor Dinwiddie’s Proclamation of 1754. The resolutions that the officers adopted at Fredericksburg make no reference to securing land under the royal Proclamation of 1763. Not until 2 Nov. 1773, nearly a year later after all of the surveys and allotments of land under the Proclamation of 1754 had been made, did GW petition the governor, Lord Dunmore, for the land that the officers were entitled to under the 1763 proclamation. See Resolutions of the Officers of the Virginia Regiment of 1754, 23 Nov. 1772, GW to Lord Dunmore, 2 Nov. 1773, and the minutes of the Virginia council for 4 Nov. 1773, printed in part as note 4 in GW’s petition to Lord Dunmore and Council of c.3 Nov. 1773.
3. All but six of the men signing had been officers in GW’s 1st Virginia Regiment. Leroy Griffin and Holt Richardson had been in William Byrd’s 2d Virginia Regiment, and Hugh Mercer and John Stadler served in the Pennsylvania Regiment. Buckner and Bradley have not been identified.