194 HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY. [1697. 



to the Bench. The order of the Court is that he shall pay five 

 pounds for a fine and all charges, and never practice the arts, 

 but behave himself well for the future, and he promised to do so, 

 whereupon he is discharged for this time." 



Two young men were presented at the next Court " for run- 

 ning a horse race on the first day of the week." They each 

 got ofi" with a fine of 5 shillings, thus proving that the practice 

 of Cieomancy in those primitive times was a twenty fold greater 

 ofi"ence than Sunday horse racing. 



" John Simcock brought in his account. — The County of 

 Chester debtor to John Simcock, for balance of his account to 

 the year 1695, the sum of £28 2s. John Simcock debtor to 

 the sale^ of the old Court house, the sum of £57. — By balance 

 remains due John Simcock £28 18s." This must have been the 

 Court-house erected in 1685, the expense of which does not as 

 yet appear to have been fully liquidated, as William Clayton 

 makes complaint that " there is due to him £18. Is. ^d. for his 

 father's salary and work on the old Qourt house.'' Nor is this 

 remarkable, as by a presentment of the Grand Jury, it is shown 

 that taxes laid on large tracts of land in 1685, for the erection 

 of the Court-house and prison, were still due. 



In 1696 a road was laid out " from David Meridiths planta- 

 tion to Haverford Meeting house." This road passes White 

 Hall and west of Haverford College. The Court orders Ellis 

 Ellis, Supervisor of Haverford, to cut and clear the road way, 

 "that leads to the limestone hill from Darby through Harford." 



The several meetings composing Chester Quarterly Meeting, 

 subscribed £85 8s. 45. towards building a meeting-house in the 

 city of Philadelphia. The meetings composing Haverford 

 Monthly Meeting also subscribed, but the amount is not given. 

 The minutes of that meeting show that the location of the meet- 

 ing-house to be built in Philadelphia was " in y*^ second street 

 near the market place." 



The following minute from the Haverford Records, is the 

 authority upon which the Friends' meeting at Newtown was 

 established : 



" William Lewis and some other friends having proposed to 

 this meeting, to settle a meeting at Newtown, they are left to 

 their freedom therein." It is dated 11th mo. 14th 1696 0. S. 

 Before the close of the year, Thomas Jones was ordered by the 

 meeting " to acquaint friends of Chester Meeting, that the 

 meeting lately settled at Newton is done w**" ye consent of this 

 meeting, in order to have their approbation therein." 



1 The sale of the old Court-house, as mentioned at this time, appears to have been 

 informal. It was sold subsequently in pursuance of an act of Ast^embly to John 

 Simcock, but before the conveyance was made, he died, which made it necessary to 

 procure another act of Assembly to confirm the title in Ralph Fishburu, his son-in- 

 law and devisee. 



