New York Colony Council British Delaware River Settlement Administrative Records

Chronological by date.

When the English took over New Netherland in 1664, New Amstel in Delaware was dealt with separately. The colony was renamed New Castle, but transition from Dutch to English institutions took several years. In the meantime, Dutch officials maintained their civil power but were subordinate to the English commander. In 1672, the government in New York ordered that New Castle be converted into a bailiwick and English laws be established in settlements on the Delaware. New Castle became the principal court in Delaware and courts were also established at Upland and Whorekill. Two additional courts, also subordinate to New Castle were added in 1677 and another in 1680. The Delaware region was controlled by the central government in New York for nine years. Although the Dutch recaptured their former colony in 1673, they lost it again in 1674 under the Treaty of Westminster. When the Duke of York regained control, he ordered that the "Duke's Laws" be extended to all settlements in New York including those in Delaware. A copy of the laws did not reach the Delaware region until 1678.

Three governors administered affairs from Fort James in New York City between 1664 and 1682: Richard Nicholls (1664-1667), Francis Lovelace (1667-1673), and Edmund Andros (1674-1680). Matthias Nicholls held the position of provincial secretary under all three governors, maintaining correspondence and papers for future reference.

The records in this series document English colonial New York's judicial and administrative interaction with the Delaware region while that region was in possession of the Duke of York. Records include correspondence, reports, petitions, accounts, survey-returns, and copies of local court proceedings sent to the English central government at Fort James in New York City. More than two-thirds of these records relate to court cases on appeal or suits outside the responsibility of local courts in the Delaware region. The series also includes copies of outgoing letters, orders, warrants, instructions, commissions, and patent records retained by Provincial Secretary Matthias Nicholls.

Known as the "Delaware Papers" of the English period, this series originally constituted volumes 20 and 21 of the New York Historical Manuscripts in the New York State Library. While the bulk of the original records are in English, certain documents are in the Dutch language.

Volume 21, pages 104-105, listing of households in various settlements on the Delaware River, is published in Peter S. Craig, "1671 Census of the Delaware," Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine, 40:3 (Spring/Summer 1998), 197-231, 40:4 (Fall/Winter 1998), 314-60.

Item list: E.B. O'Callaghan's Calendar of Historical Manuscripts in the Office of the Secretary of State (1866).

Translated in: Delaware Papers (English Period): A Collection of Documents Pertaining to the Regulation of Affairs on the Delaware, 1664-1682, ed. Charles T. Gehring ("New York Historical Manuscripts: Dutch," vols. 20-21) (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1977).

Copies of letters, orders, warrants, commissions, and passes for the Delaware region were recorded in the "General Entries Book" and documents received from various jurisdictions in Delaware were grouped together as "Delaware Papers."

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of the material.