I. Whereas the County and Parish of Edgecomb, being a Frontier County, is now so extensively settled that the Public Business of the said County and Parish becomes very difficult to be transacted:

II. We therefore pray that it may be Enacted, And be it Enacted, by his Excellency Gabriel Johnston, Esq., Governor, By and with the Advice and Consent of his Majesty's Council, and General Assembly of this Province, and by the Authority of the same, That Edgecomb County and Parish be divided by a Line beginning at the Mouth of Stonehouse Creek, on Roanoke River, to the Mouth of Cypress Swamp, on Tar River, and from Thence across the River, in a direct Course, to the Middle Grounds between Tar River and Neuse River, being the dividing Line between Craven and Edgecomb Counties; and that the upper Part of the said County and Parish, as divided by the Line that shall be agreed on by the Commissioners hereafter named, be erected into a County by the Name of Granville County, and St. John's Parish: And that the said County and Parish shall enjoy as many privileges as any other County or Parish in this Province holds and enjoys, save only that the said County shall send but Two Representatives to sit in General Assembly.

III. And be it further Enacted, by the Authority aforesaid, That the Courts of the said County shall be held on every Tuesday succeeding the County Courts of Northampton.

IV. And be it further Enacted, by the Authority aforesaid, That the Justices of the said County, or the Majority of them, shall hold their first Court at the Dwelling house of William Eaton, and then and there nominate and appoint a certain Place for building a Court House, Prison and Stocks, at the most proper Place in the said County; and shall also make such Orders and Rules for erecting the said Buildings and running the dividing Line aforesaid, at the proper and equal Expence of the Inhabitants of the same, by a Poll Tax not exceeding Two Shillings, Proclamation Money, per Year, for Two Years and no longer.

V. And be it further Enacted, That William Eaton, William Person, Francis Stringer and James Macklewean be, and are hereby appointed Commissioners; who are hereby impowered and directed to run a dividing line between the said Counties of Granville and Johnston, as agreeable as may be for the Ease and Convenience of the several Inhabitants of the said Counties, beginning at such a Place on the Head Line aforesaid of Edgecomb County as the said Commissioners shall think meet and just.

VI. And be it further Enacted, by the Authority aforesaid, That the said Court shall, at the first sitting thereof, recommend to his Excellency the Governor, Three Persons for his Approbation of one of them to execute the Office of Sheriff, according to the Law, for the said County.

VII. And to the End that no Action begun in Edgecomb County Court be defeated by the Division aforesaid, Be it Enacted, by the Authority aforesaid, That where any Action is already commenced in the said Court of Edgecomb, and the Parties or Evidences shall be Inhabitants of Granville County, all subsequent Process against such Parties or Evidences shall be directed to be executed by the Sheriff of Edgecomb County; any Act, Law, Usage or Custom to the contrary notwithstanding.

VIII. And be it further Enacted, by the Authority aforesaid, That William Eaton, William Persons, John Martin, Edward Jones, James Mitchel, James Payne, West Harris, John Wade, William Moore, Samuel Lanier, Robert Parker and Joseph Sims be, and they are hereby appointed Vestrymen of the said Parish of St. John's, to serve in Vestry until the General Election of Vestrymen, according to Law, and that the said Vestrymen shall be summoned by the Sheriff of the said County of Granville to meet at the House of William Eaton and qualify themselves as a Vestry, and proceed to parish Business.

IX. And be it further Enacted, That all Public, County and Parish Levies now due from any of the Inhabitants of the said County of Granville shall be collected by the Sheriff of Edbecomb County and accounted for in the same Manner as though this Act had not been made.

Signed by,

GABRIEL JOHNSTON, ESQ., Governor.
NATHANIEL RICE, President.
SAMUEL SWANN, Speaker.