First Division of Province Into Counties Begun February 1, 1685

After William Penn had spent nearly two years in his new province and had made a trip of investigation as far interior as the Susquehanna River, held many interviews with Lord Baltimore over the vexed question of boundary, made several treaties with the Indians and placed the government of his province in competent hands, he returned to England, where he arrived during August, 1684.

Charles II died December 12 following, and was succeeded by James, Duke of York, whose accession was greatly dreaded by the Protestants, who apprehended a revival of the persecutions during the reign of Mary. Penn might have taken advantage of these apprehensions to induce more emigrants to settle in Pennsylvania, but he was disinterested and used his influence with the King to grant liberty of conscience to all religionists, and more especially to the Quakers.

Penn stood in high favor with King James long before he ascended the throne, on account of friendship which James had for his father, who had bravely fought under his flag, and this was increased by the son, who by that means succeeded in obtaining from the King’s Council a favorable decree in his dispute with Lord Baltimore over the boundaries of his province.

The lines of separation between the County of Philadelphia and those of Bucks and Chester were confirmed by the Provincial Assembly February 1, 1685.

This was a peculiar situation. Bucks and Chester were laid out with specified boundaries adjoining Philadelphia, and, as a consequence, the County of Philadelphia embraced the whole province between Chester and Bucks and north-northwest and northeast to an indefinite extent. This, of course, meant as far as Penn had purchased the land from the Indians.

During his absence from the province all was not well with William Penn in England or with his followers in the beloved Pennsylvania. Dissensions sprang up between the Legislature and the Executive, and between the members from the territories and those from the province proper, which threatened the loss of all his possessions. Troubles of Penn in America were not all confined to civil affairs, for his religious society was torn with dissension.

In 1685, the Proprietary appointed Nicholas More, a London lawyer, president of the “Free Traders” and a member of the Assembly, to the office of Chief Justice. The Assembly was jealous of its prerogatives and disregarded the fundamental laws of the province in enacting 85statutes without previously publishing them as required to do by the constitution.

Chief Justice More opposed some of the laws of the Assembly, and particularly those which attempted to alter the organization of the courts, and he incurred the enmity of the House, which proceeded to impeach him. He was charged with violence, partiality and negligence, in a cause in which the society of Free Traders was interested. Ten articles were preferred against him, which he refused to answer, though frequently summoned by the Council.

More was saved from conviction by a technicality, but was not protected from punishment. He was expelled from the Assembly, and was interdicted all places of trust by the Council until he should be tried upon the articles of impeachment or give satisfaction to the board. His punishment was not severe because he retained the confidence of the Proprietary.

The anger of the House was extended to Patrick Robinson, clerk of the Provincial Court, who refused to produce the minutes of that court. They voted him to be a public enemy and ordered him into the custody of the Sheriff.

When brought before the House Robinson refused to answer questions and threw himself at full length upon the floor. He was disqualified from holding any office in the province or territories, but this sentence does not seem to have been enforced, for he afterward held the clerkship in the Council and other offices.

Neither More nor Robinson were Quakers. They were charged with enmity to that sect, or, in the language of Penn, “were esteemed the most unquiet and cross to Friends.”

There were other disturbances at this time in the province. John Curtis was charged with “uttering troublesome and dangerous words against the King.”

Charges were made against several officers of the Government for extortion, and gross immoralities were practiced among the lower class of people inhabiting the caves on the banks of the Delaware. These and other things were reported with great exaggeration in England by the enemies of Penn and the Quakers. They prevented emigration and greatly affected the reputation of the Society of Friends and the Proprietary.

In 1686 Penn changed the form of executive government to a board of five commissioners, any three of whom were empowered to act. The board consisted of Thomas Lloyd, Nicholas More, James Claypoole, Robert Turner and John Eckley.

In 1688 the actions of the Assembly were marked by the usual want of unanimity and the objectionable act of laying on its members a solemn injunction of secrecy. This measure was not without an exhibition of undignified violence. Lloyd requested to be relieved from his office, and his request was reluctantly granted, and on his recommendation the 86Proprietary changed the plural executive into a single deputy, and named Captain John Blackwell, formerly an officer of Cromwell, under whom he had earned a distinguished reputation in England and Ireland. He was in New England when he received his commission, dated July 25, 1688.

Governor Blackwell met the Assembly in March, 1689, but through some misunderstanding between him and some of the Council the public affairs were not managed with harmony, and but little was done during his administration, which terminated in December when he returned to England, and the government of the province, according to charter, again devolved upon the Council, with Thomas Lloyd as president.

The revolution in England during 1688, which drove James from the throne, also lost for the Proprietary all his influence at the English court. He was now an object of suspicion. His religious and political principles were misrepresented. He was denounced as a Catholic, a Jesuit of St. Omers, and a self-devoted slave of despotism, and was even charged with conspiracy to restore James. He was freed of all these charges and arranged to again visit his Province of Pennsylvania, and was about to set sail when he was detained by another persecution.

He was charged with being engaged in a conspiracy of the Papists to raise a rebellion, and restore James to the throne. He narrowly escaped arrest on his return from the funeral of George Fox, the celebrated founder of the Society of Friends. Rather than suffer the ordeal of another trial he retired to privacy and his contemplated colony failed and the expense of the outfit was lost.