Newtown Township.

the township was laid out with a "townstead" in the centre. The lots in the village were distributed to the purchasers of land in the township according to the number of acres bought by each settler. The name of the district is derived from the fact of the central town plot, and for a like cause Newtown township, Bucks Co., received its name.

At the southwest end of the township, extending eastward to the original Newtown Street, was a tract of five hundred acres surveyed to Robert Dutton Jan. 18-19, 1681. Dutton appears never to have lived on this estate, which subsequently passed, April 6-7, 1723, to Robert Tippring. Prior to the Revolution much of the property was owned by the Hunter family, and the stream which ran through the land took its name Hunter's Run from that fact. Immediately north of this estate was a plot of five hundred acres, surveyed April 10-11, 1682, to Joshua Fearne, who also never settled on the land. David Sowter purchased two hundred and forty-five acres in the following July, and John Fincher a like number of acres on March 14, 1699. One hundred and seventy-two and a half acres were patented to Ellis Hughes on March 8, 1702, directly north of the Fearne tract, which was purchased by Daniel Williamson on Tenth month 19, 1707. Immediately above this was a tract of four hundred and fifty acres, surveyed to Thomas Rudyard Fourth month 18, 1684, and on Ninth month 24, 1692, the estate was conveyed to Daniel Williamson, who had probably settled on the land prior to that date. He was repeatedly a member of the Assembly, and in 1727 he died while representing Chester County in that body. His dwelling was on the Ashland farm, now the residence of William P. Thomas. Still continuing along Crum Creek, immediately above the Williamson estate were two hundred and seventy acres taken up March 21-22, 1681, by Henry Maddock and James Kennerly, neither of whom ever resided on the land. On Tenth month 10, 1698, it was conveyed to William Lewis. He was a Welshman, emigrating with his wife from the parish of Illan, Glamorganshire, about 1693, settling first in Haverford. He subsequently removed to this estate in Newtown, and there, in 1708, his wife and he within a few days of each other died. His three sons, Lewis, Evan, and William, all settled in the township, and were assessed there in 1715. On the Lewis lands the present West Chester road enters the tract at the northwest corner and diagonally crosses the estate to its southeastern corner, while Preston's Run traverses its entire length in a due easterly direction. Above this tract, on Tenth month 7, 1683, Luke Hanck had surveyed to him one hundred and eighty acres, which property subsequently passed into the Reese family, from which fact the stream of water flowing in an easterly course through it was named Reese's Run.

Above this land were one hundred and eighty acres, surveyed to Michael Blunston, of Darby, Tenth month 7, 1683, which land subsequently passed into the ownership of William Lewis. Thomas Rudyard located six hundred and fifty acres, extending along Crum Creek to the Chester County line, on July 13-14, 1681. John Reese purchased the property in 1698/9, and later one hundred acres at the southwestern end of the Reese land were purchased by William Lewis, Jr., and Evan Lewis, another son of William Lewis, the settler, bought the remainder of the land. Lewis Run waters this tract. At the northeastern end of the township two hundred and seventy acres were taken up by William Wood, of Darby. Immediately south of this plot, extending from Newtown Street road to Radnor line, were ninety acres patented to Joseph Humphrey Eleventh month 17, 1684, who never settled on the land. South of this tract was a plot of one hundred and eighty acres, surveyed to William Hudson Tenth month 29, 1683, which subsequently passed to John Farmer; and finally, on April 10, 1700, James Price purchased one hundred and forty acres of this land and settled thereon, calling his estate "Penffmon." He was probably a Welshman, and possibly one of the sons of David Price, of Radnor. Below the Price estate was a tract of four hundred and fifty acres, patented Sixth month 2, 1684, to Philip England. The most, if not all of this property, ultimately came to William and Edward Thomas prior to 1715, and Thomas' Run traverses the estate in an almost due westerly direction. Two hundred and seventy acres immediately south of the England land was surveyed to John Banbridge, Ninth month 28, 1683; Saw-Mill Run traverses this estate through its entire length from east to west. Below Banbridge's ground Edmund Cartledge took up one hundred acres, which was surveyed to him Fifth month 26, 1683. He was a resident of Darby, and never settled on the Newtown land. Joseph Potter, March 16, 1682, had ninety acres surveyed to him just below the Cartledge property, which on First month 20, 1693, was conveyed to George Thomas, and he also purchased the one hundred acres surveyed to John Blunston, Second month 10-11, 1682. This property subsequently belonged to Morgan James, who was complained on for stopping a public highway through this land. Below the Blunston estate was one hundred and twelve acres, which George Willard received on Ninth month 6, 1692, it having been granted to John Hough in 1688. Two hundred and forty-five acres to the south of this plantation was taken up by Thomas Holme, the provincial surveyor, which subsequently was conveyed, Feb. 1, 1694, to Richard Bonsall, who never located thereon. The main stream of Fawkes' Run, and almost the entire south branch of that water-course, is on this estate. Seventy acres to the south of the Bonsall tract was taken up by Rees Saint, Fourth month 7, 1687, and two hundred and seventy acres, the remaining land at the southeast end of the township, was surveyed to George Wood, Ninth month 30, 1683. Seventh month 5, 1796, the estate was sold to John Peirson.

The town lots or the townsteads being divided into