HISTORY OF DELAAVARE COUNTY. 381 



Tlic Indian name of the place now occupied by Chester was 

 Mecoponacka, that of Chester creek, Mecopanackan. 



CHICHESTER. 



Both townships bearing this name will be considered together, 

 as they both constituted but one municipal district for many 

 years after the establishment of Penn's government. In 1722, 

 the terras Upper and Lower Chichester were in use, but they 

 were then assessed together as one township. In 1735, they 

 were assessed separately. 



The original townsiiip was named after Chichester, an ancient 

 city in the county of Sussex, England. That city was formerly 

 called Ciss<mcester, that is, the city of Cissa, because it was built 

 by Cissa, the king of the South Saxons.' On the 20th of April, 

 1682, at the request of the inhabitants of Marcus Hook, Gover- 

 nor Markham granted them authority to change the name of 

 their town to Chichester. This is the first appearance of the 

 name in our records. On the 27th of the 4th mo., (June) 1683, 

 "William Hewes was appointed constable for " Chichester Ubertt/," 

 which probably meant the tOAvnship of Chichester, as it had been 

 laid out by Charles Ashcom. 



^'■Marcus Hook is doubtless a corruption of Maarte-hook, the 

 name of an Indian chief who probably resided at that place. "^ 

 It at first was corrupted to Marrcties Hoeck, and then to its 

 present name, which the authority of two Governors has failed 

 permanently to change to " Chichester." The author has 

 in his possession the copy of a draft of "Chichester Town," 

 made by Jacob Taylor, Surveyor-General. It is without date, 

 but must have been executed in the very early part of the past 

 century — probably in 1701, the time when a grant of privileges 

 from Penn was made to the town. (See Appendix, Note E.) 

 In this early draft are laid down Broad street. Market place, 

 Discord lane ; about a dozen dwellings, mostly fronting the river, 

 and the names of a number of the lot owners. 



Some of the dwellings at Marcus Hook bear the same vene- 

 rable appearance as the oldest in Chester, and are doubtless co- 

 temporary in age. Some late writers confine Finland of the 

 Swedish government to a space between Marcus Hook and Ches- 

 ter, but this space is too limited for the Finnish settlements. 

 They doubtless extended into New Castle County.^ 



The growth of Marcus Hook has been exceedingly slow. 

 Since the Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore Railroad 



1 Phillips' New World of Words. (1671;. 



2 Ferris' Early Settlements on the Delaware, 135. Hudde's Report, 439. Mr. 

 Armstrong regards Marettte and Marcus as distinct titles, neither being a corruption 

 of the other. Sec his Note, Upland Court Rec. 135. 



» See Hudde's Report, 429. 



