A Quit Rent Roll of 1723
Taken
from the Register of Overwharton Parish, Stafford County, Virginia
A thru C
The Quit Rent system in Virginia was most
complex and cannot be dealt with here. The agents of the Proprietors of the
Northern Neck of Virginia appointed subordinate agents or collectors in the
various counties; to collect the quit rents and many of them appear to have
conducted that business very haphazardly. It was a source of constant complaint
and dissatisfaction. Finally, after the death of Colonel Robert Carter in 1732,
who had been sole agent of Lord Fairfax for the proceeding ten years, the
Proprietor sent his first cousin, William Fairfax, Gentleman, to Virginia to
inquire into his business there. In May 1735 the Proprietor himself, Thomas,
Sixth Lord Fairfax, came to Virginia to personally attend to his complicated
business and this resulted in a detailed survey of his Northern Neck domain in
1737.
In 1723 Colonel William Fitzhugh (circa 1685-1713) had been dead ten years. Richard Hews (Hues) died testate in Northumberland County in 1714 and bequeathed this land in Stafford County to his step-son, John Johnson. The latter had also died testate in 1721 and bequeathed the land to his half-sister, Mary Ball (circa 1708-1789) (who married Captain Augustine Washington on March 6, 1731) and in whose name it should have been listed in 1723. By her last will and Testament Mrs. Mary (Ball) Washington bequeathed this 600 acres on Accakeek Creek to her son, General George Washington and some few years later he gave it to his nephew, Robert Lewis, Esq., who sold it. Major Lawrence Washington (1659-1698) by will bequeathed to his only daughter Mildred Washington “all my land in Stafford County, lying upon Hunting Creek… by estimation 2,500 acres to her and her heirs forever.” Mildred married John Lewis (169?-1718) and shortly after his death, Colonel Roger Gregory of King and Queen County and thus this land should have been in the name of Mildred Gregory on the 1723 quit rent roll. In 1726 Colonel and Mrs. Gregory conveyed this property to her brother, Captain Augustine Washington and the Mount Vernon mansion stands upon this tract.
Space will not permit further discussion of the imperfections of the quit rent
roll for 1723. It appears to be the earliest quit rent roll for Stafford County,
which has been preserved and is presented in an attempt to supplement the sparse
recordings in the early years of The Register of Overwharton Parish.
The ancestry of
James Carter (1684 – 1743), who compiled this quit rent roll, is to be found
in Mr. Chester Horton Brent’s excellent work, The Descendants of Hugh Brent
and Some Allied Families, page 60 (1936) and in Doctor Joseph Lyon
Miller’s work, The Descendants of Captain Thomas Carter (1912). The
manuscript was originally sent to Colonel Robert Carter (1663 – 1732) in
Lancaster County, Virginia.
Persons
Names |
Number
of Acres |
Property
Altered; Amounts Paid; Why Not Paid and General Remarks |
A |
|
|
John Adams |
361 |
Sold Henry Washington 300 Acres |
William Allen |
1,175 |
Paid 283 lbs. Tobacco |
David Anderson |
300 |
Lawfully demanded |
Francis Awbrey |
421 |
Lives in Westmoreland County |
Robert Alexander |
4,675 |
Paid
£ 4.13.6 |
Isaac Allerton |
1,052 |
Reputed to belong to Han: Lee |
Wansford Arrington |
2,178 |
Lawfully demanded |
John Allen |
150 |
Paid 36 lbs. Tobacco |
John Allen and William Hackney |
1,013 |
Paid 122 lbs. Tobacco in part; due 122
lbs. Tobacco |
B |
|
|
(Mutilated – several lines lost) |
|
|
James Bland |
320 |
(Mutilated) |
John Bland |
125 |
(Mutilated) |
James Butler |
550 |
Paid 132 lbs. Tobacco |
Daniel Bourn |
350 |
Paid 84 lbs. Tobacco, Thomas
Kitchen’s orphans land |
Richard Byram |
200 |
Pays in King George County |
Thomas Barton |
500 |
Paid 240 lbs. Tobacco; Paid 2 years |
Robert Brent’s orphans |
5,810 |
Paid 3, 899 lbs. Tobacco in part for 3
years; due 353 lbs. Tobacco |
Jane Brent, widow |
2,143 |
Land Unknown |
Alexander Beach |
400 |
Can’t hear of him |
Captain Briscoe |
1,500 |
Can’t hear of him |
William Brent’s orphans |
6,752 |
Paid 1,620 lbs. Tobacco |
Joshua Butler |
100 |
Not demanded |
Ann Brent, widow |
637 |
|
Major William Buckner |
800 |
|
(Mutilated – several lines lost) |
|
|
___man’s orphans |
203 |
Land unknown |
Peter Byram |
190 |
Paid
48 lbs. Tobacco |
John Brown |
200 |
|
William, Benitt |
291 |
Paid 150 lbs. Tobacco. Paid 2 years and
sold part to Col. Mason |
Thomas Barbee |
260 |
Paid 124 lbs. Tobacco; paid 2 years |
John Berryman’s orphans |
840 |
Paid 202 lbs. Tobacco. Pays for but 840
acres |
John Baker |
100 |
Lawfully demanded |
John Ball |
670 |
Paid 162 lbs. Tobacco |
(mutilated) Brahine, Clk. |
1,689 |
Taken away by Col. Lee’s survey |
(mutilated) Bradford |
230 |
Paid 156 lbs. Tobacco. Paid 3 years |
Maurice Biven |
100 |
Paid 48 lbs. Tobacco. Paid 2 years. 120
acres recorded in Brent Town |
Thomas Botts |
198 |
Paid 48 lbs. Tobacco |
Widow Bland |
200 |
Can’t hear of her |
Widow Broadwater |
1,350 |
Paid 324 lbs. Tobacco |
C |
|
|
(Mutilated – several lines lost) |
|
|
Crawford |
? |
Paid 3 years |
David McGill |
2,200 |
Paid 528 lbs. Tobacco |
Dennis Conyers |
840 |
Paid 202 lbs. Tobacco |
Captain Henry Conyers |
1,975 |
Paid 948 lbs. Tobacco. Paid 2 years,
and John Mauzey’s land included |
Sarah Colbert |
109 |
Not demanded |
Benjamin Coleclough |
100 |
Paid 24 lbs. Tobacco. Sold part to John
Allen |
Thomas Chapman |
150 |
Can’t hear of him |
George Calvert |
417 |
Promised payment |
John Calvert |
100 |
Paid 72 lbs. Tobacco. Paid 3 years |
Francis Coffer |
520 |
In dispute with Colonel Mason |
John Chadwell |
300 |
Paid 244 lbs. Tobacco. Paid 2 years |
George Crosby, Sr. |
222 |
Paid 153 lbs. Tobacco |
(Mutilated – several lines lost) |
|
|
Alexander Cummings |
50 |
Paid 24 lbs. Tobacco. Paid 2 years |
Idem in King George County |
220 |
Paid 108 lbs, Tobacco. Paid 2 years |
Ralph Cotten |
460 |
Promised payment |
James Cordoner |
450 |
In dispute |
John Catlett |
358 |
Promised payment |
Sarah Conway |
1,350 |
Promised payment |
John Cornwall |
170 |
Can’t hear of him |
Jos. Chapman |
795 |
No such land to be found |
Thomas Carpenter |
346 |
No such land to be found |
Jos. Chapman |
150 |
Paid 108 lbs. Tobacco. Paid 3 years |
Char; Corbin |
300 |
Part of James Butler’s land. Lives in
Westmorland County |
Marquis Calmeus |
700 |
Part of Stephen Fuller’s land |
John Champ |
200 |
Paid 192 lbs. Tobacco. Paid 4 years |
Jos. Combs |
243 |
Paid 59 lbs. Tobacco Land that was
Michael Judd’s |
John Creel |
100 |
Part of William Spiller’s land |