1684.] HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY. 149 



and was for a long time known, as " Haverford Monthly Meet- 

 ing." These meetings at first were "The Schuylkill," Merion 

 and Haverford ; the monthly meeting being held alternately in 

 private houses at each of those places. The first monthly 

 meeting was held at the house of Thomas Duckett, which was 

 located on the west bank of the Schuylkill, a short distance 

 above the present site of Market street bridge. 



Suitable burial-places for the dead, unfortunately, were 

 among the earliest necessities of the first English settlers. Ac- 

 cordingly, it is recorded, that " att our monethly meeting held 

 at John Bcevan's house at Haverford, the 9"^ of the 8"" moneth 

 [October] 1684, it was ordered as followeth : 



" This meeting having taken to tlieir consideration the ne- 

 cessity of a burying-place, it was ordered that Thomas Ducket 

 and Barnaby Willcocks for Schoolkill, Hugh Robert and Robert 

 David for Merion, George Painter and William Howell for 

 Haverford, should view and set out convenient places for that 

 purpose, respectively, for the meeting they belong to as afore- 

 said," 



At the next monthly meeting, reports were made that burying- 

 places had been laid out respectively for Haverford and Merion. 

 The sites thus selected, Avith some enlargements, constitute the 

 burial-grounds attached to these meetings at the present day. 

 There was more difficulty in having the ground laid out at the 

 Schuylkill ; but it was eventually efi'ected, and its site is still 

 marked by a few dilapidated grave-stones,^ that may be seen on 

 either side of the street that passes under the Pennsylvania 

 Railroad, west of the Schuylkill, which was laid out through it. 



This monthly meeting was attached to the Philadelphia 

 Quarterly Meeting at its commencement, and continues so 

 attached to this day. 



Chichester Meeting was established as a monthly meeting 

 in 1684, the first monthly meeting being held at Chichester 

 on the 17th of the 1st month, (March). At their fourth meeting, 

 a liberal subscription was made to enable a poor man to build a 

 house. 



Christopher Taylor having removed from Bucks County to 

 the island of Tinicum, his age, ability, and learning, at once 

 secured him the position of Presiding Justice of the Chester 

 Court. The names of William Wood and John Harding also 

 appear for the first time as Justices at the Court held in July, 

 1684. 



This Court, " considering the necessity of defraying the 



1 The Schuylkill Meeting was not continued very long ; the burial-place in time 

 became a public grave-yard, and passed out of the hands of the Society of Friends. 



