1689.] HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY. 171 



Bartliolomow Coppock was elected a member of the Provincial 

 Council this year. 



Towards the close of the year 1688, Governor Blackwell issued 

 a new commission to the Justices and Sherifts of the several coun- 

 ties. Those of Chester county had continued to act under their 

 old commissions, which coming to the ears of his Excellency as 

 he passed through Chester, he availed himself of the opportunity 

 afforded by the next meeting of Council to reprimand John 

 Simcock, John Bristow and Bartholomew Coppock, jr., who were 

 Justices of the Court as well as Members of Council. After de- 

 bating the matter '' it was thought advisable, and agreed that a 

 General Sessions should l)e called," specially for the purpose of 

 making proclamation of the new Commissions of the Justices of 

 Chester County. This took place on the 19th of the 1st mo., 

 (March) 1689, when the Commissions constituting John Simcock, 

 John Bristow, Bartholomew Coppock, jr., John Biunston, George 

 Maris, Francis Harrison and Nicholas Newlin, Justices, and 

 Joshua Fearn, Sheriff, were read and published in due form. 



Notwithstanding the line run in 1685 between Philadelphia 

 and Chester Counties, put Ilaverford and Radnor in the latter 

 county, the Welsh inhabitants of those townships refused to re- 

 cognize the validity of the division. This led some of the Justices 

 and other inhabitants of Chester County to petition the Governor 

 and Council on the subject. In their '■'' Humble petition,'' they 

 represent the county as " a small tract of Land, not above nine 

 miles scjuare and but thinly seated, whereby y" said county is 

 not able to Support the Charge thereof," and after reciting the 

 division line run in 1685, ask that it may be confirmed, so that 

 " the County of Chester may be in some measure able to defray 

 their necessary Charge."^ 



Nothing could be produced as authority from Penn for estab- 

 lishing the line, except verbal statements made to different persons 

 shortly before he returned to England. The Governor required 

 the persons to whom these statements had been made, to put 

 them in writing ;^ which being done, and Holme's map examined, 

 the Governor and a majorit}' of the Council expressed opinions 

 adverse to the pretentions of the Welsh inhabitants. It was 

 asserted that the Welsh had also "' denycd themselves to be any 

 part of the County of Philadelphia, by refusing to bear any share 

 of the charges, or to serve in the oflBce of jury's, and the like as 

 to y*" County of Chester ; — that the pretence thereof was they 

 ■were a distinct Barrony. w'''' though they might be, yet that 



ral Barronys might be in one and y* same County.' 



1 Col. Reo. i. 263. 



-' These statements were made by John Biunston, Randal Vernon and Thomas 

 Usher. lb. 264. ^ jb. 265. 



