East and West Marlborough Townships
The Pennock Family
The Pennock family began with Christopher Pennock of Cork, Ireland who spent time in prison for practicing the Quaker religion. He then married the daughter of a wealthy Quaker, George Collett, who owned an estate in the Clonmel countryside. In 1683, George Collett purchased 5,000 acres of land in the province of Pennsylvania for £106. It was an opportunity for Christopher and his family to start their new lives in the new colony. Unfortunately, his wife was not satisfied with the new life in Philadelphia, so she and her children returned to Ireland. When George Collett died in 1698, his eldest son Joseph (1677–1771) had Christopher take over his property in Pennsylvania. But Christopher died in 1701, prompting Joseph to come to Pennsylvania to take over the PA property. That was when he built an estate in West Marlborough Township that is known today as "Primitive Hall." The building dates to 1738 and appears to have been built not simply as a dwelling but as a kind of community center where people were welcomed to stay. The Pennock Family would become famous as the founders of the iron industry.
James Fitzpatrick, aka Sandy Flash
As the Doan Gang roamed the roads in Bucks County during the American Revolution, Chester County was home to James Fitzpatrick (1748-1778) of West Marlborough Township. His criminal life became the stuff of legend as written by Kennett Square native Bayard Taylor in his book The Story of Kennett. In the spring 1776, James was enlisted in the militia. After being wounded he deserted while fighting in New York. He returned to Pennsylvania, was caught, and after promising to remain a soldier, he deserted again.
"This may have prompted him to seek favor in the British side such that when the Howe Brothers landed near Elkton, Fitzpatrick may have helped provide the reconnaissance from which the British made their successful flanking movement at the Battle of Brandywine. Fitzpatrick never was one to like authority so he decided to remain in Chester County when the British left to return to New York in 1778."
- Mark Ashton, Chester County: A Modern History
Fitzgerald's crime spree began in 1778 and included robbing tax collectors and others who were acting for the American Army. He roamed between the Schuylkill River and the Octorara Creek from a base called Hand’s Pass, near modern Coatesville. He was eventually captured at his home and was sent to trial. He was sentenced to be hung.
W. Plunket Stewart's Hunt Country
Baltimore native W. Plunket Stewart (1878-1948) was so fond of hunting that he and his brother Redmond formed the Green Spring Valley Fox Hunting Club in 1892. His motivation to come to Philadelphia came when he married the daughter of A.J. Cassatt, president of the Pennsylvania Railroad. After moving to Haverford, Stewart became a partner of the Philadelphia banking firm Cassatt & Company. During his free time, he enjoyed polo, racquets, golf, and of course hunting with his foxhounds. He was so devoted to fox hunting he relocated to Chester County and purchased first the Chesterland estate and later the Brooklawn estate, both in West Marlborough Township. His "hunt" was stewarded by his daughter Georgiana Hannum after his death and remains active today.
The Invention That Changed Farming
In 1822 Jeremiah Bailey of Marlborough patented a Grain and Grass Cutting Machine which drew attention both in America and Great Britain. It could harvest 10 acres a day when powered by a horse. Three years later Ezra Cope and Thomas Hoopes, Jr. patented an improved mower. Chester County was home to many similar labor saving inventions that vastly improved crop propagation and harvesting.
Bibliography
Burt, Nathaniel. The Perennial Philadelphians: The Anatomy of an American Aristocracy. (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1963).
Dixon, Mark E. The Hidden History of Chester County: Lost Tales from the Delaware and Brandywine Valleys. (Charleston: Arcadia Publishing, 2011).
Futhey, John Smith and Gilbert Cope. History of Chester County, Pennsylvania: With Genealogical and Biographical Sketches. (Philadelphia: Louis H. Everts, 1881): 336-337.
"History." Cheshire Hunt Conservancy. Accessed May 4, 2025. https://www.cheshirehuntconservancy.org/pages/history.
Massey, George Valentine. The Pennocks of Primitive Hall. (West Chester: Chester County Historical Society, 1951).
Official Documents, Comprising the Department and Other Reports Made to the Governor, Senate, and House of Representatives of Pennsylvania, Volume 8. (Harrisburg: E.K. Myers, 1893): 77-83.
Splain, Shelby Weaver. "Just Listed! January – June 2022." Pennsylvania Historic Preservation (blog). July 20, 2022. https://pahistoricpreservation.com/just-listed-january-june-2022/.