William Penn indenture, 1682, August 21.

ArchivalResource

William Penn indenture, 1682, August 21.

William Penn indenture, 1682, August 21.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/463296423

An indenture signed by James, Duke of York and Albany, granting what is now the northern part of the state of Delaware to William Penn, August 21, 1682. In the indenture, James grants to Penn "the town of New Castle ... and All that tract of Land lying within the compass or Circle of twelve miles" from there, in exchange for five shillings a year, to be paid at the feast of St. Michael the Archangel. According to an inscription on the back, the indenture was recorded in Patent Book no. 1, page 480, in the Rolls Office in Pennsylvania, on February 7, 1783. This indenture, however, had almost immediately been superseded by another one dated August 24, 1682 (which is in the Delaware Public Archives), which granted the same territory, but contained additional clauses not found in this one dated August 21. It is not known why two such similar grants exist, but this earlier one may have been a draft document, even though it is signed. Or perhaps, after signing this copy, James or Penn, or both, realized that some things were left out and so the August 24 document was drawn up. It is also not known who kept the indenture or why it was recorded in the Pennsylvania Patent Book. (The August 24 indentures granting Pennsylvania and Delaware to Penn had been retained by the Penn family in England until the early 19th century.) More information about William Penn's grant from the English crown may be found in the article "William Penn Indenture" by E. Richard McKinstry, which appeared in Winterthur Magazine, fall 2001.

1 box (1 item) : ill. ; 35 x 59 cm.

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