History of Northampton, Massachusetts, from its settlement in 1654;

314 HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTON. [1762.
Interior of the Meet- In 1762, the town pefused to determine the
ing-House im- ^ge at which boys should be allowed to
sit in the gallery. This was probably pro-
hibitory, and shut the boys out of that section entirely.
So large had become the congregation, and so crowded was
the meeting-house, that a general overhauling of the seat-
ings in it was ordered. A committee was appointed to
make a '
' general alteration of persons sitting in the meeting
house," as well as to settle with persons who have built
pews at their own expense, so that the whole may be
" appropriated to the town's use as others are." An exception
was made in the case of Noah Clark and his daughter,
the wife of Gideon Lyman. They were permitted by special
vote to retain the seats they then occupied.
More New Counties
With the establishment of the new County
Petitioned for. Qf Berkshire came a desire for a general
dividing up of the old counties in Middle
and Western Massachusetts. Two propositions to dismember
Worcester and the adjoining counties on each side,
originated in the former county within three years. In
1763, Brig. -Gen. Ruggles of Worcester and others petitioned
for the formation of another county to be composed
of certain towns in Eastern Hampshire and Western Worcester.
Northampton voted to make no opposition to the
scheme, but nothing seems to have resulted from the un-
dertaking. The year following another county was projected
from towns in Northern Worcester and Middlesex
Counties, but that also failed.
The shirkshire Road. A road was laid from Northampton to
Shirkshire or Murrayfield (now Norwich),
in 1762, the committee reporting at the March meeting the
following year. It was built at the expense of the town
and was not completed for two years. For many years it
was the main road to Westhampton, The principal portion
of this highway seems to have been constructed under the
siiperintendence of Col. Seth Pomeroy. He began the
work on the 11*'' of September, 1764, on the "west side of
Rocky Hill," and finished on the 8*'' of November. His
account was kept by days' work. For instance, " Monday