Ridley Township.

Coppock, Supervisor of y^e Highways for Crome Creeke forthwith Erect a Bridge in y^e King's road over said Croome Creeke."

In 1688 a bridge has been erected over Ridley and over Crum Creek, for at the court held on 3d day of Fourth month, 1688, the judges "Ordered that the Townships of Upper and Nether Providence and Ridley doe for this time repaire y^e Bridge in y^e King's road near Walter Fawsetts & upon Crome Creeke." Respecting this bridge nothing seems to have been done, for on the 15th of First month, 1693, the grand jury reported "that at several time presented the want of a bridge over Ridley Creek and the same being dangerous and detrimental to the County;" and thereupon the court "do find the Supervisors of Chester and the Supervisors of Ridley five pounds." Notwithstanding this pecuniary punishment the bridges do not appear to have been built for some years thereafter, for at the court held on Eighth month 4, 1697, "Walter Faucit in open court have engaged to make a good horse-bridge over Ridley Creek near his house at the King's road, upon the condition that all the Inhabitants of the two townships of Ridley should pay him one shilling per family, for which the court ordered the s^d Supervisors of the two townships to gather the same in their presence within the space of three weeks, and deliver the same to Walter Faucit."

The bridge thus erected seems to have failed to meet the public demand, hence at the court held Aug. 28-29, 1705, the grand inquest "do present the want of a good, lawful bridge over the Swedes Mill Creek, and also over Darby Creek and also over Crum Creek, and to have the Queen's Road made good, laid out according to law through Darby Township, and the Township of Ridley to clear the road and mend the bridges." The new bridges thus provided for were on the present Southern post road, or rather near the line which that road is now laid out. Gabriel Friend was the contractor for the bridges over Ridley and Crum Creeks, for on Feb. 22, 1709, he "petitioned the bench for the remaining part of the money due him, for making the causeway at Ridley Creek bridge and the bridge at Crum Creek. The court order that he shall have an order to receive fifteen pounds late currency of the Treasurer."

The Amosland Road. - The present Amosland road is generally accepted by local historians as comparatively a modern highway, and that the Lazaretto road is the one intended in the following report of the grand jury, arguing that because the present Amosland road does not go to Darby Creek, it is clearly not the one indicated in the old return, which sets forth:

"Upon the 9th day of the 12th month, 1687, By virtue of an Order from the last County Court, given us whose names are hereunto subscribed, being the Grand Jury for to lay out a highway that should serve for Marple, Newtown, Springfield, and the inhabitants that way to the landing place at Amosland, did, upon the above day written, Begin at a roadway on the lands of George Maris, which Road goeth from Chester through Marple to Newtown, Soe from the Road through Bartholomew Coppock's land, near his house, his house being on the left hand, Soe through Robert Taylor's land, straight on through more of George Maris his land, Soe bearing a little on the right hand through George Simcock's land, leaving his plantation on the left, adjoining to Amosland, so unto the King's Road that comes from Darby, marking the trees as we came, so on to the landing-place by the maine creek-side beyond Morton Mortonsen, his house."

This report was signed by William Garrett, Richard Parker, Edmond Cartlidge, Thomas Bradshaw, and Thomas Fox.

The objection that the present Amosland road does not extend to Darby Creek, and hence that highway cannot be the one thus laid out by the grand jury, is not tenable. An inspection of that scarce map entitled a "Plan of the City of Philadelphia and Environs, surveyed by John Hills in the summer of 1801-2, 3, 4, 5, 6-7," and published "May 1, 1808," shows that the Amosland road branched at the point where the present highway diverges due east to cross the Muckinipattus Creek, and that a now vacated road led directly to Darby Creek at a point east of Boon's house. That the present Amosland road is the ancient highway, and that the traditionary name has not been bestowed wrongly, seems evident. Until a better reason than the fact that the modern highway does not extend to Darby is given to take from the traditionary road its honors, the public can safely rely that the historians, not the public, are misled.

The Revolution. - Ridley township being traversed by the great Southern road, necessarily the Continental and British armies marched through its territory repeatedly. When Washington moved to Wilmington to oppose Gen. Howe, his troops marched along the Queen's Highway, and after the defeat at Brandywine the discomfited men gathered along that road, extending from Leiperville to Darby township line, and at Leiperville, after midnight of the day of battle, Washington hastened to the little hamlet, and for the night rested at the house of John McIlvain. After the capture of Philadelphia repeatedly English troops marched along that highway, for much of the provisions used was received at Chester from transports, and had to be guarded en route to the city. Gen. Potter had been ordered by Washington to scour the country between the Schuylkill and Chester, and little was left for the inhabitants' subsistence. On the 19th of November, 1777, Cornwallis with three thousand men marched from Philadelphia, and his men robbed the inoffensive people on the route without mercy, taking food from the indigent widow as remorselessly as from the wealthy husbandman. On Dec. 22, 1777, Gen. Howe made his noted raid to and beyond Darby, from which point foraging parties were dispatched to procure provisions for the men and provender for the horses. Maj. James Clark, Jr., in a letter written to Washington, relates the following incident as having happened at Ridley:

"At White Horse tavern was informed that a party of the enemy, about thirty, were plundering on the Neck. I immediately posted some horsemen on the road, with orders when the enemy came in sight to fire their pieces and retire, and went off the road in quest of the