Upper Chichester Township.

Upper Chichester. The township, however, did not adopt the law, but under that of 1836 organized public schools. The following is a list of those persons who have discharged the duties of school directors therein:

1837, George Martin, Salkeld Larkin, Abraham Johnson, Jeremiah C. Brown, John B. McCay, William H. Grubb; 1838, George Martin, William Smith, Jonathan Dutton; 1839, William Booth, Robert R. Dutton, Andrew Hance, Robert B. Craig; 1840, Joseph Henderson, Joseph Pennell; 1842, Jonathan Dutton, Andrew Home; 1843, John Stevenson, George Harvey; 1844, John M. Broomall, Jonathan C. Larkin; 1845, Jonathan Dutton, George Broomall; 1846, Harry B. Grubb, Stephen Madgin; 1847, John B. McCay, Jonathan C. Larkin; 1848, George Broomall, William Grubb; 1849, Robert McClintock, Joseph Casey; 1850, Andrew Hance, Jonathan C. Larkin; 1851, Robert M. Brown, Larkin R. Broomall; 1852. Samuel Wells, William H. Grubb; 1853, William Cloud, William H. Grubb; 1854, William H. Grubb, Larkin R. Broomall; 1855, Caleb E. Thomas, David Boyd; 1856, Harry B. Grubb, Jeremiah C. Brown; 1857, William H. Grubb, David Boyd; 1858, John E. Warne, Thomas Roberts; 1859, George Broomall, Jeremiah C. Brown; 1860, George Broomall, David Boyd; 1861, James Larkin, David N. Larkin; 1862, Abram Ward, Robert M. Brown; 1863, Clark W. Hance, James Craig; 1864, James Larkin, Thomas B. Jones; 1865, Davis 0. Barlow, Joseph R. Johnson; 1866, Clark H. Hance, Lloyd Norris; 1867, James Larkin, Nathan Pennell; 1868, David H. Dalton, Andrew Osborne; 1869, Melchior Ebright, John Todd; 1870, Nathan Pennell, Alvanza W. Jester; 1871, Thomas Harvey, C. W. Hance; 1872, Thomas Harvey, William McCay; 1873, Joseph Newlin, John B. McCay; 1874, Samuel Vernon, Mrs. D. H. Dutton; 1875, Clark W. Hance, Pennell Eyre; 1876, James McClintock, Joseph Newlin; 1877, Charles W. Todd, William G. McCafferty; 1878, David Dutton, John B. McCay; 1879, Joseph Newlin, E. B. Jester; 1880, Andrew Osborne, William G. McCafferty; 1881, David H. Dutton, John B. McCay; 1882, E. B. Jester, Lewis Fraim; 1883, Lewis Fraim, Andrew Osborne; 1884, John B. McCay, Sr., William O'Donnell.

James Annesley, Earl of Anglesey. - Of all notable cases which have been presented to judicial tribunals for adjudication it is doubtful whether any can be found in the records of civilized nations which presents more romantic incidents than those set forth in the trial of fact between James Annesley vs. the Earl of Anglesey, in the Irish Exchequer Court, in 1743. The circumstances of this cause have not been overlooked by the novelist, and on them Smollett founded "Roderick Random," Sir Walter Scott "Guy Mannering," and, in more recent times, Charles Reade "The Wandering Heir." The case is reported in Howell's "State Trials," Burk's "Celebrated Trials connected with the Aristocracy," and in other authoritative works. It has been alleged that the incidents in the case, so far as this territory is concerned, are disproved, because the records of Chester County are silent as, to James Annesley's imprisonment in the jail at Chester or the trial of the fugitives with whom he was captured. The objection, however, is untenable. The crime was one punishable with death, and the county courts were prohibited from trying such issues, hence no mention of the case would appear on the records of our county, such entry being made only on the docket of the Supreme Provincial Court, and the minutes of that tribunal have not been preserved (so far as known), excepting in a book, covering about ten years prior to 1728, of trials held in Chester County by the supreme judges. The volume is in the office of the prothonotary of Delaware County, at Media. Annesley, for a period of his term of service as a redemptioner, was a resident of Chichester, hence we present a brief account of his extraordinary adventures as found in a recent publication:¹

"Arthur Annesley, Viscount Valencia, who founded the families both of Anglesea and Altham, was one of the stanchest adherents of Charles II., and had a considerable hand in bringing about his restoration to the throne. Immediately after that event his efforts were rewarded by an English peerage, his title being Baron Annesley, of Newport-Paguel, in the County of Buckingham, and Earl of Anglesea. Besides this honour he obtained the more substantial gift of large tracts of land in Ireland. The first peer had five sons. James Annesley, the eldest son, having married the daughter of the Earl of Rutland, and having been constituted heir of all his father's English real property and a great part of his Irish estates, the old earl became desirous of establishing a second noble family in the sister kingdom, and succeeded in procuring the elevation of his second son, Altham, to the Irish peerage as Baron Altham of Altham, with remainder, on failure of male issue, to Richard, his third son.

"Altham, Lord Altham, died without issue, and the title and estates accordingly devolved upon Richard, who, dying in 1701, left two sons, named respectively Arthur and Richard. The new peer, in 1706, espoused Mary Sheffield, a natural daughter of the Duke of Buckingham, against the wishes of his relatives. He lived with his wife in England for two or three years, but was at last obliged to flee to Ireland from his creditors, leaving Lady Altham behind him in the care of his mother and sisters. These ladies, who evidently hated her, set about ruining her reputation, and soon induced her weak and dissipated husband to sue for a divorce, but, as proof was not forthcoming, the case was dismissed. Thereupon his lordship showed a disposition to become reconciled to his wife, and she accordingly went over to Dublin in October, 1713, and through the good offices of a friend a reconciliation was effected, and the reunited couple, after a temporary residence in Dublin, went to live at Lord Altham's country-seat of Dunmain, in the County of Wexford. Here, in April or May, 1715, Lady Altham bore a son, which was given to a peasant woman, named Joan Landy, to nurse. At first the young heir was suckled by this woman at the mansion, and afterwards at the cabin of her fattier, less than a mile from Dunmain. In order to make this residence a little more suitable for the child it was considerably improved externally and internally, and a coach-road was constructed between it and Dunmain House, so that Lady Altham might be able frequently to visit her son.

"Soon after the birth of the child Lord Altham's dissipation and his debts increased, and he proposed to the Duke of Buckingham that he should settle a jointure on Lady Altham, and for this purpose the pair visited Dublin. The effort was unsuccessful, as the estate was found to be covered by prior securities; and Lord Altham, in a fury, ordered his wife back to Dunmain, while he remained behind in the Irish capital. On his return his spite against her seemed to have revived, and not only did he insult her in his drunken debauches, but contrived an abominable plot to damage her reputation. Some time in February, 1717, a loutish fellow named Palliser, who was intimate at the house, was called up to Lady Altham's apartment, on the pretence that she wished to speak with him. Lord Altham and his servants immediately followed; my lord stormed and swore, and dragged the supposed seducer into the dining-room, when he cut off part of one of his ears, and immediately afterwards kicked him out of the house. A separation ensued, and on the same day Lady Altham went to live at New Ross.

"Before leaving her own home she had begged hard to be allowed to take her child with her, but was sternly refused, and at the same time the servants were instructed not to carry him near her. The boy therefore remained at Dunmain under the care of a dry-nurse, but, notwithstanding his father's injunctions, was frequently taken to his mother by some of the domestics, who pitied his forlorn condition. When he came to an age to go to school, he was sent to several well-known seminaries, and was attended by a servant both on his way to them and from them; 'was clothed in scarlet, with a laced hat and feather,' and was universally recognized as the legitimate son and heir of Lord Altham.

"Towards the end of 1722, Lord Altham - who had by this time picked up a mistress named Miss Gregory - removed to Dublin, and sent for