1698-01-12[Town Meeting, January 12, 1698]
At a general town meeting of the inhabitants of the town of Beverly, January the 12th, 1697/8, it was
voted that no green tree standing on our town common, that are less than eighteen inches in diameter at
the stump, shall be cut down by any person belonging to our town, on penalty of paying a fine of twenty
shillings for each and every tree, that shall be cut down contrary to this order, all pine and hemlock are
excepted in this vote -and further it is voted that every tree that shall be cut down on our town common as
above said, and shall not, within the space of one month after, be wholly cut up and carried away, both
body and branches by the party that shall fall the same, then the person so falling the tree and not cutting
it up and carrying it away, shall pay a fine of five shillings for every such tree excepting pine and
hemlock.
At the same town meeting it was also voted, that no persons in or belonging to our said town, shall
directly or indirectly carry away, sell or in any ways dispose of any wood or timber from our town's
common, to be carried out of our town on penalty of paying a fine of twenty shillings money for the
town's use, for every load or cord of wood or timber that shall be so carried or transferred as above said,
and so proportionally for a greater or lesser quantity.