72 The Story of The Bronx 



instrumentality Westchester was made into a borough-town, 

 was a native of Derbyshire in England. His ancestral home 

 was in the Hundred of Scarsdale, where is laid the earlier part 

 of Scott's Peveril of the Peak. There is a story that a young 

 lady to whom Caleb was engaged jilted him and married his 

 elder brother, afterwards member of Parliament, governor of 

 the Bank of England, and Lord Mayor of London at the same 

 time that Caleb was Mayor, of New York. The Colonel came 

 to this country in 1692, and being possessed of great wealth 

 which he had acquired as a merchant, he took a leading part 

 from the start in all affairs, civil, political, mercantile, religious, 

 and military. He bought land in Westchester and in other 

 parts of the county beyond New Rochelle and in the interior, 

 which was afterwards formed into the manor of Scarsdale. 

 At the time of his death in 1720-21, he had filled many of the 

 high offices of the colony, having been surveyor-general of 

 customs for the Eastern District of North America, judge of 

 the Court of Admiralty for the Provinces of New York, New 

 Jersey, and Connecticut, one of His Majesty's council for the 

 Province of New York, mayor of the city of New York (171 1- 

 17 14), and colonel of the militia of Westchester County. It is 

 to this last position that he owes his usual title of "Colonel" 

 Caleb Heathcote. His manorial residence was on Heathcote 

 Hill overlooking the harbor of Mamaroneck. 



The borough-town of Westchester remained such until 

 the formation of the townships in 1788. Its representatives 

 in the Provincial Assembly were Josiah Hunt, Lewis Morris, 

 Sr., Gilbert Willett, Lewis Morris, Jr., Peter De Lancey, 

 Lewis Morris, Third, John De Lancey, and Isaac Wilkins. 

 They were all men of wealth, education, and influence, and 

 extensive landowners. Their names are familiar to-day in 

 many of the names of local features: Willett's Point, Hunt's 



