A Quit Rent Roll of 1723

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.

  Very few quit rent rolls have been preserved. This one for Stafford County, in the Virginia State Library, is by no means complete. Neither is the rent roll up to date. I will cite a few examples to illustrate this fact;

 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.

   

D thru H

J thru P

R thru Y

 

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