and aforasmuch as it hath been made to appear to the said court of assistants now sitting at Plymouth, the first Tuesday in March, 1685-6, that a certain tract of land was granted by William Bradford, Esq., and his associates assembled in court in the year of our Lord 1645, unto the inhabitants of the town of Duxbury, (a competent portion of lands,) about a place called by the Indians Massaquatucket, for a plantation for them the inhabitants of Duxbury, and that they shall have it four miles every way from the centre; the inhabitants of Duxbury being fifty-six in number, by agreement among themselves, every one were to have equal shares, who, by the approbation and appointment of his Majesty's honored court in New Plymouth 1645, did employ Mr. Constant Southworth, with some others, to purchase the above mentioned tract of land of Ossamequin, chief Sachem of the Poconocket country, which being done, and now inhabited by many of the proprietors, is now called Bridgewater, and all such privileges allowed to them as the court allows or grants to other townships; and having set up their centre, his Majesty's court held at Plymouth 1668, did grant to Bridgewater six miles from the centre on all four sides, where former grants made by the court hindereth not, as appears in court records, and is bounded out by the agents of each respective town adjoining, as appears by their hands to their agreement, and assented to and acknowledged before the Governor and his associates, sitting in his Majesty's court held at Plymouth, the 2d of March 1685-6, the bounds of the whole township being settled between them and other towns adjoining, are as followeth: — The bounds betwixt Bridgewater and Taunton being a heap of stones lying four miles west from the centre, and running north from station to station, till it meet with the line of the colonies; and from said heap of stones south, to a heap of stones lying to the west of Unketest Pond, and from thence south-east unto a great white oak being marked with a T for Taunton, and on the north side with a B for Bridgewater; and so from station to station till it come to the great river on the westward side of a spot of meadow, according to the agreement of the agents of both towns.   And the bounds between Middleborough and Bridgewater is the great river, until it come to the north side of Mr. Standish's land, lying on the mouth of Winnetuxit river, and so from the north