FAGG'S MANOR


from THE HISTORY OF CHESTER COUNTY PENNSYLVANIA, by Futher and Cope


About the year 1702 some surveys were made to the west of the London tract, as Londongrove was then called, for Letitia Penn and her brother William. This land, however, was so far beyond the regular settlements that nothing could be done towards selling it to actual settlers, and so it remained for many years. There were 2 tracts of 5000 acres each, although there is some evidence that Leticia's, which lay nearest to the London tract contained at first 7125 acres. Her tract was called Fagg's Manor in honor of Sir John Fagg, and the name has been handed down to the present time, being more particularly kept alive by the Presbyterian church, which is situated near the NW corner of the manor.

After a time the land became exposed to the encroachments of irresponsible squatters who destroyed the timber in order to raise a little grain, but made no great improvements. (this is noted in contemporary papers and letters.)

The manor was resurveyed by warrant dated 5th April, 1737 and a patent for the same signed by Thomas Penn the following May.

The land in Fagg's Manor was divided among the settlers into many tracts and the divisions numbered on a plan of the whole, but with a few exceptions, the settlers did not pay for the land or get deeds for the same for several years after, and in the meanwhile the improvements passed from one owner to another, so that the deeds in many cases were not granted to the original settlers. Owing to the very great irregularity in shape of the surveys, and the uncertainty in regard to the township lines, it would be difficult to give with any certainty the exact locations of the early settlers.

There seems to have been an intention to make a township of the manor, and in 1734 there was even a separate assessment made, in which the following names appear....

for this list of names, click here





This page updated on February 28, 2009