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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Decree concerning Orange County's representatives to the North Carolina General Assembly
George II, King of Great Britain, 1683-1760; Dobbs, Arthur, 1689-1765
July 19, 1757
Volume 05, Pages 767-768

[From MSS. Records in Office of Secretary of State.]

North Carolina.

George the Second by the Grace of God King of Great Britain France and Ireland Defender of the Faith & soforth.

To all and Singular and Faithful Subjects Greeting

Whereas a part of our Province of North Carolina lying South of the Line that Divides our Colony and Dominion of Virginia from our said Province and upon the Rivers Eno and Neuse and upon the Branches of Cape Fear by Act of our General Assembly of the said Province hath been Erected into a County with proper Metes and bounds & called by the Name of Orange and Many of our Loving Subjects have Seated themselves and Familys within the same Know ye that we being willing to Encourage all our good and faithful subjects as well at present Residing and Inhabiting as shall and may hereafter Reside and Inhabit within the said County of Orange at the Special Instance and Petition of Divers of our dutifull and Loyall subjects Inhabitants and Freeholders of the said County of our Royal Grace Good will Certain Knowledge and mere motion with the advice of our Council of our said Province of North Carolina Have given and Granted and by these presents for us our heirs and successors Do give and grant to all freeholders of our said County owning an Estate for life or any Estate of Greater Dignity of and in one hundred Acres of Land within the Limits of the sd County as they are now appointed and ascertained or within such Limits as hereafter from time to time shall be appointed and ascertained full power and absolute Authority to Name Elect and Send two Representatives out of the Freeholders of the sd County which sd Representatives

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respectively so Elected shall have an Estate real for his own life or the life of another or an Estate of Greater Dignity of Two hundred acres of Land in the sd County to be present sit & Vote in the House of Assembly of our said Province of North Carolina and there to do and consent to those things which by the Common Council of our said Province shall happen to be Ordained And we do hereby grant & order that a writ or writs of Election for members of the Assembly to Represent the said County shall be Issued and sent to the Sheriff thereof for the time being when and so often as a General Assembly shall be called or occasion shall require And that at such Election the Sheriff of the sd County or in his absence the Under Sheriff shall attend at the Court house of the sd County and there take the votes of the Freeholders aforesaid in a fair and open manner after Proclamation made by Entering in a List the names of each Voter who shall Vote at such Election and the poll shall keep open till sun set unless the majority of the Candidates there present shall agree to have it closed sooner and the Sheriff or Under Sheriff before whom such Election shall be taken shall then cast up the number of suffrages given for Each Candidate and Declare the Two persons who shall have the Greatest number to be duely Elected Members of Assembly for the said County and in case of an Equality of Votes between any of the Candidates the Sheriff or Under Sheriff before whom such Election is made shall have the Casting Vote and in no other case whatsoever shall be admitted to give his Vote Provided always that all such Electors and Voters shall and do before they are admitted to Vote at such Election make Oath of their Freehold if any Candidate present shall require the same to be Done In Testimony whereof we have caused these our Letters to be made patent

Witness our Trusty and well beloved Arthur Dobbs, Esqr our Captain Genl Governor and Commander in Chief of our sd province at New Bern the nineteenth day of July one thousand seven hundred & fifty seven in the Thirty first year of our Reign

By his Excys Command
ARTHUR DOBBS.
Richd Fenner D: Secty

Recorded 27th Septr 1757