Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1890-08-15
A SCRAP FROM EARLY TIMES,
HOW NEAR BRATTLEBoRo CAME
To Land Troubles with mn EarIs
Daughter aud 10 Beiug HIer Home.

To Land Troubles with an Earl.
Daughter aud to Being Ber Home.
The troubles which the patent to Col.
Howard gave to the settlers of Vernon and
the east part of Guilford suggest how near
those of Brattleboro, Dummerston and Put
ney came to like disturbance Stephen Fox
became the Earl of Leicester and his broth
er Henry, Lord Holland, in England. Lady
Susanna Fox, eldest daughter of the Earl
of leicester, was married to William
O'Bryen, "a play actor, in London, April7,
1904, and came with him TO America How
her marriage was viewed by her family is
shown 10y this letter from her uncle to Mr..
Grecnville
"KISGsGArE, October Il. l76i
Dear Sir. You very kindly encouraged me ~
apply to you when was personally concerned. |
cannot be more so in anything than In the success
Of my endeavors to assuage the incurabe wound
given to my brother by his daughter. Mr.. OBry-
en- is gone with her TO New York and the keep
ing him there In credit is all that can be done
whilst We If possible forget them here. hear
there is a complaint made against Mr.. Lambert
Moore who may possibly in consequence of it be
removed, in that case beg you to make MIR.
OBryen Comptroller Of Customs in his room. |
will b. security that the public shall not suffer.
His Majesty has shown so much compassion on
this unhappy occasion that hatter myself he will
have no objection. Let me intreat you then dear
Sir to propose it as most essential and lasting
obligation to a whole family ever to be most
gratefully acknowl lcdged by your most ob'dt
&c Sc HOLLAND"
Mr.. Moore was not removed and this
scheme for providing for Mr. O'Bryen and
his wife failed As a substitute the King
in Council on July 20, 1854, the day on
which be fixed the boundary between New
York and New Hampshire at the west bank
Of Connecticut river, issued a mandamus
| for %, 900 acres Of land for the Earl of II
chester and 20, 900 acres for Lord Holland
for the benefit of Mrs. O'Bryen, 10000
acres for Mr. Clotworthy Upton and 20. 200
acres for Mr.. Walter Patterson, to be laid
out in the Province Of New York They
asked to have them located on the Mohawk
river. This could not he done, because the
lands there were already taken up. Lieut.
| Gov Golden wrote to the Lords Of Trade
on the Sth Of June, 1863 in answer to in
| quiiies on the subject IL did not in the
| least suspect that the Earl Of Leicester,
/ Lord Holland and Mr.. Upton could have
any thoughts Of this land, and therefore |
assured Mr. O'Bryen when he mentioned
/ lands near Canoiohary that he must he un-
der some mistake hecause all the lands on
| both sides the Mohawk river are already
/ granted ~ Then their attention was turned
| to the lands on Connecticut river, aud on
! Sept 20, l1Gj, Walter Patterson in behalf
Of the Right Honorable Stephen Fox Earl
| Of leicester the Right Honorable Henry
/ Fox, Lord Holland Charles Lee Esq
/ Cotworthy Upton and himself petitoned
that the 10000 acres of land which His
| Majesty in Council had been "graciously
pleased to order to he granted to each of
them in the Province Of New York" be 10
Gated, %, 600 acres in Fulham, now Dunn
merston, and Putney; 10000 acres in Brat
teboro aud Guilford. 20, 900 acres in Hert
ford now Hartland, and Hartford; and 20,
600 acres in Fairlee, and between there and
Newbury. He procured a surveyor to make
these locations for him and Aug. | 4, 1866,
Mr. O'Bryen entered a caveat against grant
ing lands located 10y Mr.. Patterson for the
Earl Of Leicester and Lord Holland till he
should be first heard This letter from
| Governor Morse shows how the locations
were made
Fr GEoRGE New York 10th June 1867
NJ LII Many applications were made
| by persons soliciting grants in the usual way
the Connecticut River whose chief plea was that
the lands still continued unimproyrd there and Of
course if any charter had been granted they had
become forfeited. 1t was no difficult matter to
get the better Of these sort Of sutors because
when the Grant was refused To be made out the
contention was at an end; but several gentlemen
/ who had obtained orders under His,Majesty' sign
manual for Large tracts Of Land were not so
| easily managed and insisted that they had the
| right to make a location wherever the Lands ap-
| prared to be- uncultiyated Mr. Patterson who
| was agent for the Earl of Leicester LII Holland
/ aud some more persons having taken surveyor
| with him, who had already imposed ON every
who had tired him, located five of these orders
| each for 4l.OOl acres in the midst Of the Town
ships and shortly after mis- return 10 this town set
out for England having first told me that he hoped
would make no objection to his Locations
which assured him should not do if they did
not interfere with the property Of other per
sons Some few months after when
the Inhabitants Of those quarters came up to
this town To lay their claims before the council
] these locations ul MI Patterson were utClartu 10
BE- very improperly placed they would be pre-
judicial to the Rights OF several Persons claiming
under the New Hampshire charters which were
| then confirmed.
My La
Nr Ldshps
Most obdt and humble Serv't
II. MOORE
To the RI Honorable
THE Earl. OF SHELBURNE"
Brattleboro was one of these townships.
Samuel Wells of Deerfeld, afterwards Judge
Wells purchased some of the lands in Brat
tleboro under the New Hampshire charter,
and settled ON them where the Asylum Re
treat is in July, 1862. He afterwards built
the house now standing there. The town
ship was granted by Gov. Moore of New
York to him and his friends, who immedi
ately decided to him, July %, 1866 These
difficulties prevented grants in confirmation
of the locations for the use of Mr. and Mrs.