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Originally all of Caroline County which lies north and west of Choptank
River lay within the bounds of Kent.
When Talbot County was organized from
Kent about 1662 this territory was included. Again in 1707 this
part of Caroline was again transferred when Queen Ann County was formed.
Within 23 years after surveys began
on Kent Island, Thomas Skillington of
Talbot had a survey made on the east side of Choptank River in the
Frazier Flats section. This was about March 4, 1663. Shortly
thereafter surveys were made on Fowling and Hunting Creeks as well as
farther on up the river. Cedar Point the site of Melvill's
Warehouse and the first Court House was surveyed for John
Edmondson of Talbot in 1665. Likewise were
surveys made about the same time in the Oakland neighborhood then
designated as the "Forest of Choptank" and the Marshy Hope section
between Smithville and Federalsburg. As indicated elsewhere lands
were taken up slowly north east of the Choptank because of the
uncertainty of the state boundary line.
On all lands granted in Maryland by
the Lord Proprietor to settlers in his province under his "condition of
plantation," he reserved an interest in each grant and stipulated an
annual land rent to be paid by the grantee for two purposes; the first
was to make the freeholders feel a bond of allegiance to his Lordship,
and the second though small in separate changes, yet large in aggregate,
- was his source of personal revenue. The rent was about one
shilling (25c) per year on each 50 acres of land granted. These
rents called quit-rents were exacted by the Lord Proprietor's government
and paid until 1776.
Patent or Land Grant, or How Land Was Originally
Given Out by the Proprietor
Charles, Absolute Lord and Proprietor of the Provinces of Maryland and
Avalon, Lord Baron of Baltimore, Etc. To the Persons to whom this
Present shall come, Greetings in our Lord God Everlasting. KNOW
YE, that Whereas in pursuance of our Instructions to our Governor and
Judge in Land Affairs for the Granting of our Back Lands on the Borders
of our Province, bearing date the fourteenth of June, Seventeen hundred
and thirty three, and Registered in our Land Office, Henry
Ennalis, deputy surveyor of the county of Dorchester, that by his
certificate returned into our Land-Office certified, that he hath laid
out for a certain.......Moore, of said county, a tract of land in
said county, on our said borders containing one hundred and thirty acres
of said county, a Tract called Calf Path,.........and for which land the
said........Moore has paid the sum of Two pounds,
and nine pence half penny sterling.
We therefore hereby Grant unto him, the said........Moore all
that the aforesaid Tract or Parcel of Land called Calf Path, lying and
being in the county aforesaid, and on our said Borders, beginning, (then
following a description of land) according to the certificate of
surveyor thereof, taken and returned into our Land-Office, bearing date
nineteenth day of October seventeen hundred and forty three, and there
remaining, together with all Rights, Profits, Benefits and Privileges
thereunto belonging, Royal Mines excepted. TO HAVE AND TO HOLD the
same unto him, the said.......Moore, his heirs, and assigns,
forever, to be holden of us and our heirs, as of our Manor of Nanticoke
in free and commons Soccage, by Fealty only for all manner of service.
Yielding and paying therefore,
yearly, unto us, and our heirs, at our receipt at our City of St.
Mary's......the rent of five shillings, three pence and half penny
sterling, in silver or gold; and for a lne [sic] upon every alienation
of the said land, or and Part of Parcel thereof, one whole years rent,
in silver or gold, or the full value thereof, in such commodities as we
and our heirs, or such officer or officers as shall be appointed by us
and our heirs, from time to time, to collect and receive the same, shall
accept in discharge thereof, at the choice of us and our heirs, or such
officer or officers aforesaid, before such alienation, and the said
alienation entered upon record either in the Provincial Court, or County
Court where the same Parcel of land lieth, within one month next after
alienation, then the said alienation shall be void and of no effect.
GIVEN under our Great Seal of our
said Province of Maryland, this eighteenth day of March, Anno Dom.
seventeen hundred and forty six.
WITNESS our trusty and well-beloved Samuel Ogle,
Esquire, Lieutenant General and chief Governor of our said Province of
Maryland, Chancellor and Keeper of the Great Seal thereof.
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