LONDON BRITAIN TOWNSHIP
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London
Britain Township
81 Good Hope Road; Landenberg, 19350
P.O. Box 215; Kemblesville, 19347
610-255-0388
Email: carolyn.londonbritaintwp@comcast.net
Avon Grove School District
A considerable part of this township was
included in the survey made for the London Company. If the reader will
take up the map of Chester County, and extend the east and west lines of
Londongrove township about as far south as Kimbleville, and connect them by an
east-and-west line, he will have the east, west and south lines of the London
Company's tract, and can readily see the portion of London Britain included in
it. An addition was made to the east side of the township by a portion
taken from New Garden, but the date when this was done has not been observed.
Settlements were made at an early date by Welsh Baptists in the southern part of
the township, and a church was established among them. The oldest
tombstone in the graveyard bears date 1729. John Evans, who came from
Radnorshire, in Wales, about the year 1700, was prominent among these settlers,
and his son, of the same name, who died in 1738, held large tracts of land,
together with fulling-mills and grist-mills, on White Clay Creek. An
Indian village was formerly on the creek, near Yeatman's mill.
The following petition will explain the organization of the township:
"To the worshipfull the Justices for the County of Chester
on Delaware now in Court sitting:
"The Humble petition of the Subscribers Sheweth, Whereas finding the
township of New London too Large for us or the officers to serve therein, being
never bounded on the Western Side Thereof, we your petitioners Humbly pray that
it may be Devided as thus: beginning at the west side of John Evans and
soe to Run a Direct Corce froward on the north Side of thomas Evans', and north
of John James' and soe to the north side of Thomas Morris' and thence to the
Line of the manner, and soe joyning on the Line of the manner to the Line of New
Castle, and soe to the aforesaid begining; and if you will be pleased to Grant
of itt thus and call it by the name of London Brittain, --The officers being
alsoe named on the back Side of this petition, for the Enshewing yeare,--And in
your Granting o the Same your petitioners Shall be ever bound in Duty for to
pray &c.
"John Evans, junr.
Lewis Jerman
Richard Whitting
Owen Edward
David Davis
David William
Thomas Morgan
Philip Rees
Evan Hary
Rice Evan
Philip Dougless
John Evans, senior
Thomas Price
Owen Thomas
John Devonald
Thomas Morris
Thomas Evan
David Evan
John James
Samuel Evan
John Jones
Jinkin John
"Constable, Richard Whitting.
"Supervisor of the High ways, John Devonald.
"Overseers of the Poor, John Evans, Thomas Morris.
Endorsed, "May, 1725: allod ye within peticon & refers ye settling of
ye bounds of the said Township to next Court."
In May, 1775, the following petition was presented:
"The Petition of the
inhabitants of London Britain Township in said County most Humbly sheweth that
whereas the Honourable John Penn, Esquire, Governor and Commander in chief of
the Province of Pennsylvania, and the three lower Counties on Delaware, by his
proclamation dated the fifteenth of September last, and likewise the eighth of
April in this present year, hath established and Confirmed the Western
boundaries between the Provinces of Pennsylvania and Maryland, and therein
required all persons Concerned to take due Notice thereof and act Agreeable
thereunto by the Confirmation of which line more than the one third of the
township of London Britain aforesaid will be Included and taken into the
Province of Maryland, whereby said Township will be rendered very small not
having more than twenty five freeholders therein: By which means the
Inhabitants of said Township will be reduced to great hardships in maintaining
the publick highways, supporting the poor and serving in the different offices
of Constable Overseers of the poor and highways, from their fewness in
number. And your petitioners beg leave to show that New London, the
adjoining Township is large, and from its present location having a long slip of
land that runs down between the Township of London Grove and London Britain
aforesd. until it Intersects the line of Newgarden Township, which piece or
parcel of land your petitioners apprehends might be very Commodiously annexed to
the said Township of London Britain, and which would nearly make up the number
of Inhabitants to said township that it will loose by the settlement of the
Provincial lines as aforesd. And your Petitioners begs leave further to
shew that the division line between the township of New Garden and London
Britain aforesaid is not sufficiently ascertained so as to prevent future
disputes arising between said Townships. Your petitioners pray your Honors
would be pleased to appoint Commissioners to run a line, beginning in the
western division line aforesaid, between the Provinces aforesaid, at or near the
house of John Robinson, which was formerly in the township of Newlondon, now in
the Province of Maryland, from thence running a North Course untill it
Intersects with the township of London Grove aforesaid; then along with the said
line of London Grove untill it intersects with the reputed line of New
Garden,--that the division line between the said Township of New Garden and
London Britain may be so directed as to include the plantations of Evan Evans
and Peter Evans in said Township of London Britain as heretofore always held and
deemed from their first settlement untill it intersects the line of New Castle
County; and your petitioners as bound in dutty will pray, &c.
" James
Kennedy
Wm. Price
William
Alexander
David Furey
Thos. Lunn
Benjamin Whitting
John Whan
William Brice
John
Alexander
John Beard
John
Williams
Morris Thomas
Isaac
Johnson
John Ross
John Dunsmoor
Thomas Patten
Wm.
Hutchison
Wm. Hopes
John Whitting
George Patton
Henry Smith."
The court appointed Thomas Woodward, Levis Pennock, and Joseph Musgrove to make
a survey and ascertain the line of New Garden and London Britain. The
following is the first assessment of
the township in 1725.
LONDON
BRITAIN TAXABLES, 1753.
Land-Owners, 1774:
Evan Evans, Esq., Hannah McEchram, Charles Black, John Whitting, John
Williams, Benjamin Whitting, Charles Hughes, Catherine Crawford, Henry Smith,
John Ross, James Reed, John Dunmore, William Hopes, Thomas Lunn, William Mecklen,
John Beard, Margaret Crow, Morris Thomas, Murtough Menaugh, James Kennedy,
Andrew McClelland, Robert Allen, John Chambers, James Taylor, William Alexander,
John Alexander, John Reed, Elijah McCray, William Scott, John Rankin, John Whan,
Moses Scott, Rees Price, Isaac Johnston, Thomas Jordan, John Sutton, Andrew
Bingham, John Murphy, John McCoy.
SOURCES:
History of Chester County, Pennsylvania; Futhey
& Cope; Louis H. Everts; Philadelphia; 1881.
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