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The roots of present-day Lower Moreland Township can be directly traced to the Founding Father of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, William Penn and to the first Chief Justice of the British Province of Pennsylvania, as it was known at the time, Dr. Nicholas More.  A devout Quaker and ardent advocate of democracy and religious freedom, Penn set sail from his native England on August 31st 1682 aboard the ship, Welcome.  Penn and his followers were en route to a specific parcel of land in North America where they hoped to safely practice their faith and to initiate a new form of governing, The Holy Experiment.  King Charles II of England, actually welcomed the exit and migration of the Quakers from the British Isles. This specific exodus was accompanied by a rather large land grant to the young and very determined William Penn.  The king granted Penn nearly 45,000 square miles of land in an effort to write off an enormous amount of debt owed to his late father, Admiral Sir William Penn.  Upon seeing the heavily wooded territory, initially referred to as New Wales, Penn selected the name, ‘Sylvania’ - Latin for woods.  Out of respect for his loyal and beloved admiral, William Penn Sr., the King officially renamed the territory Pennsylvania - Penn’s Woods.  

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Upon arrival in the thirteen colonies, Penn quickly established himself as a good-natured politician and philosopher, a seasoned real estate and land developer, and an accomplished  city planner and diplomat.  Penn worked diligently to seal some of the very first successful treaties with the local Lenape Indians in the hopes of keeping peace, fostering commerce and spreading his Quaker faith.  In order to make profit and ensure a prolific Quaker settlement on his newly inherited territory, Penn began to sell off large tracts of land. His clients included the established wealthy, fellow entrepreneurs and members of his congregation.   During the fall of 1682, Penn granted his good friend and fellow Quaker immigrant, Nicholas More 9,815 acres of land (Egle).  According to the warrant’s patent presented on November 5th 1682, “More and his heirs [would] pay an annual quit-rent of one shilling per hundred acres to the proprietary [Penn] and his heirs (Tuller).”  History books would coin More’s land purchase

'Moreland Manor,' 'Manor of Moreland,' and 'The Manor.' Officially, Dr. More's property stretched from the Somerton section of present-day Philadelphia near the Poquessing Creek, northeastward through portions of Eastern Montgomery County (Bryn Athyn, Hatboro and Lower Moreland) and Southeastern Bucks County (Upper Moreland).  Nicholas More, the ambitious English medical physician who sailed across the Atlantic with William Penn would come to be remembered not only as the founding father of Lower Moreland Township, but as a trail blazer who served in numerous inaugural positions within the burgeoning Commonwealth, and as a man who was neither afraid to speak his mind nor challenge the established status quo.

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According to historical documents and ancestral recollections, Nicholas More built a countryside Mansion adjacent to the village of Somerton, located in present-day Philadelphia. More called his summer residential mansion, “Green Spring.”  In reality however, More spent most of his time in the city of Philadelphia together with his wife, Mary and their four children.  More’s primary residence was located in present-day Society Hill, on the corner of 2nd and Spruce.  This location enabled More to juggle a myriad of responsibilities and occupations.  More for instance, helped establish the local “Free Society of Traders, "an organization Penn formed to promote economic development in the colony." (More House of Rep).  More's service as the first president of this organization (October 1682 to April 1684), would help springboard him into a prominent position in early Pennsylvania politics.  In 1682, More officiated as “the president or speaker of the first provincial assembly of freemen of Philadelphia .” In 1863, he then went on to serve as the Secretary of the provincial council. More would eventually become a member of the assembly from 1684 to 1685. Having also served as the presiding judge over the courts of Philadelphia during this time, Penn appointed More the first Chief Justice of Pennsylvania.  Unfortunately, More’s inaugural term as Chief Justice was abruptly terminated due in large part to his peppery tongue, bellicose spirit and pugnacious character.  More was impeached on May 15th 1685. The official cause for impeachment was “high crimes and misdemeanors.” Ten charges were brought against him for alleged abuse of power.  The case against More made history, as it represented the very first case of impeachment of a judge on American soil, Whether there was any genuine truth or solid ground to these charges, or whether  they were ignited by jealousy or intrigue, no one will ever know for sure. What is known is the fact that, Penn, who at the time was on travel in England, refused to sign the impeachment papers.  Penn dismissed the charges and remained confident in More’s character, ethics, wisdom, and abilities.  Whether this decision represented a demonstration of Penn’s religious-based leadership under his Holy Experiment, or a genuine confirmation of a fellow government official’s character too remains a mystery. Nevertheless, Penn supported More and help revive both his career and his reputation.  

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In 1686, Penn nominated More for a provincial executive branch position.  More returned to service not only as a local judge but to his previous position as the Chief Justice of Pennsylvania. Penn’s ultimate aim however, was to have More selected as one of five commissioners serving the Province of Pennsylvania’s executive branch. In 1687, Penn officially nominated More to this prestigious five member panel, scheduled to take effect in 1688.  While prolonged disagreements with his Quaker peers continued to threaten More's future prospects on this panel, it was his fading health that forced a change in this trail-blazing politician's final course.  More eventually retreated to his countryside Mansion.  He had built a small prison on the grounds of his beloved Green Spring and established a small court on site to hear the pleas and cases of inmates. More’s rapidly deteriorating medical condition forced him to cease hearing cases and to officially withdraw from the board of Commissioners.  More passed away on the grounds of Green Spring in May 1687. (More House of Rep).

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Upon More’s tragic death, debtors moved in quickly to liquidate his property. Most of the Manor was sold off immediately, save a small parcel of land that his last descendant held on to until1713.  While this final sale marked the end of the Manor of More, it represented ‘a new beginning. It sowed the seeds for what would eventually become Lower Moreland Township. 

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With the sale of private land and the laying of roadways investors and entrepreneurs moved northward from center city Philadelphia. The establishment of the stagecoach line northward from Philadelphia to the former properties of the Manor of More sparked the beginning of local businesses and industries. Inns, restaurants, and small local outfits sprung up on what was considered a day’s travel north along Old York, Easton, Welsh, Horsham and Byberry Roads. Cool summer resorts and imperative local mills sprung up along the Pennypack Creek and waterways in Alnwick Grove.  While the local borough of Hatboro (1715) lays claim as the first important, permanent settlements on the former Manor of More and future Montgomery County, Bryn Athyn and Moreland Township quickly followed suit. Two disputed land surveys emerged when delineating the territory of Philadelphia and Buck County. In 1718, the courts then decided to create Moreland Township from the 6 square mile strip of disputed land.  In 1722, County Line Road was laid parallel to Byberry on the southern tip of Moreland Township.

 

The lucrative transportation system and pristine natural habitat attracted many Philadelphians to the area. A particular religious group, followers of Emmanuel Swedenborg, became permanently and steadfastly tied to the Manor’s former luxurious tract located in present-day Bryn Athyn. As this group developed and sought to expand, it tested the proprietorship of Moreland Township. While Moreland Township withstood this push against its borders, the political consolidation of Philadelphia resulted in the absorption of the Somerton Section. For a few years indeed, both Philadelphia and Montgomery County (established 1854) were home to a Moreland Township. Overtime, the Moreland Township in Philadelphia was absorbed into the city limits and lost its identity. 

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Written by Sophia Zalipsky

 

Works Consulted

Tuller, Roberta. “An American Family History.” Manor of Moreland, www.anamericanfamilyhistory.com/Manor%20of%20Moorland/Manor%20of%20Moreland.html.

Egle, William Henry. An Illustrated History of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: Civil, Political, and Military, from Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time, Including Historical Descriptions of Each County in the State, Their Towns, and Industrial Resources. Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1990.

Fesmire, Sylvia M. Window on the Past: A History of the Huntingdon Valley Area and Bryn Athyn . 1978.

“Nicholas More.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Dec. 2020, en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_More.

The Morelands and Bryn Athyn. Arcadia Pub., 2002.

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