Lower Chichester Township.

all parts of this Province & Terr'ies: As also to lay out all such streets, highways, lanes, alleys & passages in the s^d town, as to them shall seem meet & convenient to lay out for the accomodation thereof; & more especially, that there shall be one street called ffront street, leading from the upper to the lower part of the s^d town: The whole length of the s^d town; bounded to the north north-west, with a line paralell to the river, at the distance therefrom that W^m Clayton's dwelling house now stands, and in breadth fifty foot: Also, one other street called Broad street beginning at the s^d ffront street, on the east north-east of the s^d House of W^m Clayton, running in a direct line north north-west, one thousand ffeet or thereabouts, to the s^d sixty foot road leading to Chester, & in breadth the same distance that now is between the s^d W^m Clayton's House & the house now of Roger Jackson, for the length of two hundred and fourteen feet; & at the extent of the s^d two hundred and fourteen feet there shall be a Publick Market Place, in breadth one hundred and forty feet, & in length along the Broad street two hundred and thirty feet; & from the s^d market place to the sixty foot road afores^d, the s^d Broad Street shall be in breadth one hundred feet: Also, one other street called New street, in breadth twenty five foot, beginning at the s^d ffront street at the distance of ffour hundred & twenty foot to the east north-east of Broad Street & running in a direct line north north-west, to the s^d sixty foot road: Also one lane, called Market Lane, in breadth thirty foot, beginning at the s^d New street ffour hundred & fourteen feet from the ffront street & running parralell to the s^d ffront street, three hundred eighty-three feet into the Market Place: Also, one other lane called Discord Lane, in breadth thirty foot, beginning at the south corner of the Market Place & running west south-west, paralell to the s^d Front Street, to the outhermost bounds of the town; which s^d street, Market Place, & Lanes, I do hereby grant & confirm for the s^d publick uses forever, together with all other such streets, squares, alleys or passages as now are or hereafter shall be laid out as afores^d, reserving always to all persons whatsoever all the rights & inheritances which they now have or hereafter may have or lawfully claim in or to any lands or lotts within the bounds or limits afores^d, the publick streets, ways, lanes alleys & Market Place only excepted. And I doe further, for me, my heirs & successors, grant to the s^d inhabitants and ffreeholders, to have, hold & keep a free market in the s^d Market Place, on the sixth day of every week, forever, with ffree leave and liberty, to & for the s^d inhabitants & all others who shall resort thither to buy & sell on the s^d sixth day of every week at the said place, all manner of provisions & other necessaries for life, with the right, privilidges ,& immunities whatsoever that to a free market, according to the comon customs & vsages of England do belong: For the better regulation of which Market, I do hereby constitute & appoint Walter Marten clark thereof, to be succeeded, in case of death, removal from the s^d place or other incapacity by such person & persons in the s^d office forever, as two justices of the Peace for the County of Chester, dwelling in or nearest to the s^d town, together with six of the chiefe inhabitants thereof to be chosen in the Market Place by the ffreeholders of the town & township of Chichester, shall appoint, with full power to the s^d Walter Marten & his success^r, to be appointed as afores^d, to discharge all the parts & duties of the s^d office of Clark of the market as ffully & amply, to all intents & purposes, as any other Clark of the Market within this Government may or can: And, for the greater incouragement of trade to the s^d town, by the resort of persons from remoter parts, I doe further grant to the s^d inhabitants, ffreeholders & others, ffull power & liberty to Have, Hold & Keep a Publick Fair, to be held on the nine & twentieth day of September, & on y^e two days ffollowing, in every year, for all lawful wares & merchandizes in the s^d Market Place, and for horses & cattle in the upper part of Broad street, adjoyning the s^d Market Place: Provided, That there shall be no unlawful sports, plays, gaming, revelling, drunkenness, or debauchery, nor any other disorder, nor loose & idle practises, tolerated in the s^d ffair, in any part or place thereof, or in the s^d town, by reason of the s^d fair, at any time whatsoever; nor any ale, wine, rume or other strong liquors, sold in the s^d fair, but in the usuall dwelling houses of the s^d town: And for the better regulation of the s^d fairs and preservation of good order therein, I doe hereby constitute & appoint Waller Marten & Philip Roman, Wardens of the s^d ffair, to be, in case of death, removall from the s^d place, or other incapacity, succeeded by such two persons in the s^d office, forever, as two Justices of the Peace of the county of Chester, dwelling in or nearest to the s^d town, with twelve of the chiefe freeholders of the town & township of Chichester, (to be chosen as afores^d) shall think fitt to appoint, and upon the decease, removall or other incapacity of any of the s^d Wardens to act any further in the s^d office, no fair shall be held in the s^d town till a successor or success^r to the s^d warden or Wardens be duly chosen, according to the tenor of these p'sents, anything herein contain'd to the contrary notwithstanding; And I doe hereby grant to the s^d Wardens & to their successors to be elected as afores^d full power forever to exercise within the s^d fairs every year, during the time they shall be kept, all necessary jurisdiction & authority for suppressing of vice, maintaining good order, & regulating all other things whatsoever within the s^d town, to the s^d fairs immediately relating:
"In Witness Whereof, I have caused these, my Letters to be made Patent; Witness myself, at Philadelphia, the twelfth day of September, in the thirteenth year of the reign of William the Third, over England, Scotland, Ffrance, and Ireland, King, &c.; & the one & twentieth of my Govermt over this Province of Pennsilvania, Annoq. d'm. 1701.

On one occasion, at least, the good people of Marcus Hook attempted to give vitality to this charter; hence sixty years after it was granted a meeting of the residents was held April 29, 1760, whereat John Wall and John Crawford were chosen successors of Walter Martin and Philip Roman and John Flower, clerks of the market, after which date the old charter has lain accumulating the dust of a century undisturbed. The powers of the people in their collective characters in those days certainly was much overestimated, for in Lower Chichester,

"At a town meeting held this 17th March, 1770, it is unanimously agreed by us present that every freeholder not attending at the two annual elections & not showing a sufficient reason shall be subject to pay into the Overseers of the Poor the sum of one shilling to be applyed as will be thought most proper & any of the officers not attending shall be subject to the payment of two shillings to be employed as aforesaid And farther it is agreed that the publick expennses at Town Meeting shall be regulated & fixed for the whole year to any sum not exceeding Ten Shillings in Regard to the Poor by the Overseers by them to be allowed in their accounts.
"Present - Jacob Worril, Richard Riley, Samuel Lamplugh, John Crawford, Wm. Dockerty, Arch'd Dick, Adam C. Clayton, Isaac Lawrence, Jno. Flower, Joseph Marshall, Rich'd Clayton, Benj. Miller, Joseph Clayton, Samuel Armor."

In the last century Marcus Hook was noted for the number of vessels built there. Acrelius, in 1755, made particular mention of this industry, while in 1748, Peter Kalm, the Swedish naturalist, who remained for a brief season at Chichester, records that "they build here every year a number of small ships for sale, and from an iron work which lies higher up in the country they carry iron bars to this place and ship them." The furnace mentioned was the famed Sarum Forge, on Chester Creek, near the present Glenn Mill. In 1753, William Howell, of Marcus Hook, was a leading shipwright at that place, and in that year sold a lot of ground to Charles Norris, on the southeast side of Discord Lane, extending to high-water mark on the Delaware.¹ In 1800, Samuel Trimble was also a ship-builder there.

The ancient town continued to remain prominent as a ship-building locality until the tonnage of vessels in recent years had increased so greatly that its lack of large yards, capital, and other facilities restricted the industry to small coasting crafts. As late