Places of Interest

A Piece of our history: The Welsh Tract

 

Connect with History

The Philadelphia area abounds with buildings, statues, memorials, and places of interest. If you love Welsh-American history, or just want to know more about it, you will not be disappointed in Philadelphia! (Return often, we keep adding more sties)

Specific Sites:

Site	Location	Importance
Arch Street Presbyterian Church Capel Dewi Sant	18th and Arch Streets Philadelphia, Pa	Spritual Home Gamanfa Ganu Venue
Deshler-Morris House	Germantown Avenue Philadelphia, Pa	Robert Morris Residence
Fort Saint Davids Plaque	East River Drive and South Ferry Road Philadelpha, Pa	Marks Early Welsh Settlement
Harriton House	500 Harriton Road Bryn Mawr, Pa	Historic Tobacco Plantation Early Welsh Mansion
Humphreys Shipyard (Philadelphia Naval Shipyard)	South End of Broad Street Philadelphia, Pa	Welsh Industrial Site
The Grange Estate	43 Myrtle Avenue Havertown, Pa	Historic Welsh Mansion
Pennsbury Manor	400 Pennsbury Memorial Road Morrisville, Pa	William Penn's Estate (Aided Welsh Quakers)
The Paul Robeson House	4951 Walnut Street Philadelphia, Pa	Civil Rights Activist (Aided Welsh Miners)
The Robert Morris Mansion	Independence National Park Philadelphia, Pa	Welsh Business Leader Financier of War of Colonial Independence Signer of the Declaration of Independence
The Robert Morris Sidewalk Medallion	Corner of 6th and Chestnut Sts Philadelphia, Pa	Robert Morris Commemoration
The Robert Morris Statue	Independence National Park Philadelphia, Pa	Robert Morris Commemoration
The Welsh Flag	16th and B. Frankling Parkway, Philadelphia, Pa	Symbol of Wales
The Welsh Society Plaque	East Side of City Hall 13th and Market Sts. Philadelphia, Pa	Commemorates the Welsh as a founding nationality of Philadelphia

Suggest a site: Contact the Web Publisher at Welsh_Site@Mac.com

General Areas:

Many of the Towns and Regions near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania bear Welsh Names; some of them date back to the 1600's when William Penn set aside land for Welsh Quakers, forming "The Welsh Tract" or "Welsh Barony"

Welsh Place Names Near Philadelphia

Ardmore	Bala	Berwyn (Reeseville)
Bryn Athen	Bryn Mawr	Colwyn
Cynwyd	Gladwyne	Gwynedd
Haverford	Havertown	Jenkintown
Llanerch	Merion	Narberth
North Wales	Penllyn	Pencoyd
Radnor	Saint Davids	Tredyffrin
Uwchland

 

The Welsh Tract

 

What was it? Where did it start- and where did it go? Above all, why isn't it? The Welsh tract, also known as The Welsh Barony, was a gleam in the eye of William Penn when he directed his Surveyor-General that " . . . about forty thousand acres, may be layed out contiguously as one Barony...upon the West side of Skool kill river..." This direction was aGiven at Pennsbury, the 13th of First Month, 1684." Penn had promised the Welsh purchasers their own domain, in the area that now includes the townships of Haverford and Radnor, Delaware County, and Merion, Tredyffrin, Whiteland, Willistown, Easttown, Goshen and part of Westtown in Mont gomery and Chester Counties. The Welsh moved in and began to settle. Set up their Quaker Meetings. And almost immediately began to suffer en croachments on their lands. The Welsh petitioned the authori ties against these intrusions. Penn's deputies, who "well weighed the mater (sic), truly considered the case, and rightly understanding the Govern ment's intention in granting the war rant," issued their mandate on 25th day of Fifth month auly), 1687, forbid ding such intrusions. Difficulty didn't stop there, how ever. Further complaints about incur sions brought a clear statement from Penn himself: "...whereas I formerly granted a Warrant for forty Thousand acres for the Welch people, to Lye Con tiguous on the west side of the Schoolkill, and that I am informed In cursions have been made upon those lines contrary to equity...Look into the same, and to do Justice to both the Welch and the Surveyor General." But when the division line was run between Philadelphia and Chester County (which then included Delaware County), the boundarv ran right through the Welsh Tract, separated the settlements of Haverford and Radnor from those of Merion, and brought the Welsh settlers to a boil. They petitioned the Proprietary and Governors of State & Property to rec ognize their right to remain au tonomous. They pointed out that many of their people "understand not the English tongue & soe were inca pable of giving due services to English Judicatures." They also reminded that William Penn was "plesed to give his most Soleme word (before they re moved from the land of their nativity) That they...should have forty thou sand acres of Land contiguously layd out as a Barony, and that they should not be obliged to answer nor serve in any Cort whatsoever, but should have Corts & magistrates of their owne..." The petitioners asked that "...what has been so as aforesaid granted by parol (editors note: 'parol' equals 'word or promise') may be Confirmed unto them & other purchasers & In habitants of the said Tract & their heires by Grant Charter or Ordi nances. . ." The petition was signed by 21 Welshmen:

Thomas Ellis	Griffith Owen	John Bevan
Hugh Roberts	Henry Lewis	William Howell
John Evans	Robert Davies	Francis Howell
William Jenlcirls	John Humphrey	Samuel Rees
Moris Lewelin	John Roberts	David Meredith
Richard Orme	Rees Peter	Hugh Jones
David Evan	John Jarman	Phylip Evan

The Proprietary apparently ignored their petition-at least an an swer has never been found. The Welsh dug in. But in January of 1689 Chester County, pleading that they were other wise too small and too thinly settled to support an effective government, peti tioned for enlargement which would include the area of the Welsh Tract. The following day Thomas Lloyd and John Eckley appeared on behalf of the Welsh, and claimed that the proprietor had given them grounds to expect they should be made a county palatine; but having no written evidence thereof, the Governor and Council voted to con firm the division line between Philadelphia and Chester Counties. The Welsh Barony was not to be. At the June court of 1689 William Howell of Haverford was commis sioned as a justice, and William Jenkins of Haverford served as a juror. At the December court John Jerman was at tested constable for Radnor. This was the first official recognition that the Welsh were subject to the jurisdiction of Chester County. The Welsh then seem to have given up the idea of a Barony, and with as good a grace as possible submitted to the authority of Chester County. Thus "The Welsh Barony" faded into legend. Would it have made any difference, had the Welsh succeeded in maintaining their autonomy? Perhaps. Local use of the Welsh language might have persisted longer, had the courts and officials used exclusively Welsh. Would other immigrant groups have been slower to settle in an area known to be entirely Welsh in population, in language, and in governance? Possi bly. But eventually the Welsh lan guage must have faded, even as the population of Quakers diminished and their political influence grew less. So either way, today it would still linger only as a memory, that shining wisp of Welshness that was once to be "The Welsh Tract."

Submitted by David Eynon