9& HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER. 



er, our said Captain General and Governor-in-chief of our Province of New York 

 and the territories depending thereon in America, and Vice-Admiral of the same, 

 our Lieutenant and Commander in-chief of the militia and of all the forces by- 

 sea and land within our Colony of Connecticut, and of all the forts and places of 

 strength within the same, in council at our fort in New York, the 17th day of 

 June, in the ninth year of our reign, Anno Domini, 1697. Benjamin Fletcher, 

 by his Excellency's command. David Jamison, Secretary - * 



The following receipt for manorial quit-rent is endorsed, on the 

 Royal Patent: 



Received in quality, as Receiver General of this Province, this 16th day 

 of August, 1720, of Mrs. Gertrude Van Cortlandt, executrix of Stephanus 

 Van Cortlandt, deceased, the sum of eight pounds proclamation money 

 in full of quit-rents, for all the lands lying within the Manor of Cort- 

 landt, to the 25th day of March last, pursuant to the within patent, as 

 witness my hand. J. BYERLY, Collector. 



Stephanus Van Cortlandt, first lord of the Manor of Cortlandt, was the 

 son of the Hon. Oloff Stevensen Van Cortlandt, immediately descended 

 from one of the most noble families in Plolland, their ancestors having 

 emigrated thither, when deprived of the sovereignty of Cortlandt. h 



The orthography of the surname is properly Corte-landt; the first 

 syllable Corte or Korte, meaning in the Dutch language short; the 

 second, landt, (land) literally the short land, a term expressing the pecu- 

 liar form of the ancient Duchy of Courland in Russia. 



Courland in Russia, (says Schieutzler, ) formerly constituted a portion 

 of Livonia, but was conquered by the Teutonic Knights in 1561. 

 It subsequently became a fief of Poland. After the fall of the power it 

 remained for a short time independent under its own Dukes, but in 

 1795 it was united to Russia. d 



In the early part of the seventh century, we find the Dukes of Cour- 

 land engaged in the Military service of the United Netherlands. The 

 Ducal troops are said to have rendered great assistance in the reduc- 

 tion of the towns of Kaverden and Minden. 



The coat armor of the Van Cortlands as recorded in the Hall of 

 Records at Amsterdam in Holland, and as given by Burke and likewise 

 as brought by the family to this country in 1637, are the following: — 

 Arc. the wings of a wind-mill soltier-ways sa, voided of the field, five 

 estoiles or etoiles gu. — Crest — surmounting the helmet of a King or 

 Prince of the Blood Royal; an estoil or etoile gu. between two wings 



a Book of Fat. Alb., No. vii., 1G5, 



b Burke's Landed Gentry of England, vol. iv., 241. 



c The use of the letter K in this word is modern, the C ancient. 



d Schuitzler, La Kussia, p. 585. 



