Petition Writing Instructions

The following instructions for petition writers were published in The Royal Gazette, 11 March 1817, Fredericton, New Brunswick.

See the newspaper article.

Petitioners for GRANTS of LAND having frequently neglected to set forth in their PETITIONS, the particulars required by public Notice : The following is published by authority,—and no Petitions can be hereafter attended to unless they contain all the requisites mentioned in the following Notice :

Notice is hereby given, that every Person who shall hereafter make application for a GRANT OF LAND must set forth in his Petition the following particulars :— viz.

The place of his Birth ; to what Country he is subject ; his present place of residence ; and where he has resided for the last five years ;—whether he is married or single ; and whether he has had any and what Grant or Allotment of Land from the Crown ; and also the particular situation of the Land applied for ; and whether it is in its natural and uncultivated state, or whether any improvement has been made thereon ; and the intention and ability of the Petitioner to cultivate and improve, by himself or by his servants and associates, the Land for which he applies, and also that he has not directly or indirectly bargained or agreed for the sale or transfer of such Land to any Person or Persons whatsoever ; and shall verify his Memorial by an Affidavit in the following form :

“On the _____ day of _____ before me _____ one of His Majesty’s Justices of the Peace for the County of _____ personally appeared the above named _____ and made Oath that the several matters and things set forth in the before written Petition are just and true.”

Fredericton, 11th March 1817.