EAST AND WEST FALLOWFIELD TOWNSHIPS

extracted from THE HISTORY OF CHESTER COUNTY PA, by Futhey and Cope

Fallowfield is supposed to have been named in honor of Lancelot Fallowfield, of Great Strickland, in Westmoreland County, England, who was one of the first purchasers of land from William Penn. John Salkeld, a noted Quaker preacher who came from that part of England, bought the right of Lancelot Fallowfield, and took up land in that township in 1714, and may have suggested the name. In 1718 the name appears in the assessment - Thomas Wooddell, Geo Lenard, Robert Holly. After this, Sadsbury and Fallowfield formed one assessment till November 1728, when the boundaries were defined by order of court - NW with East Sadsbury, eastward with the settle limits of Bradford, southward with Marlborough to the NE corner of Penn's Manor, then west 800 perches, and NW to Octorara Creek, then up the same to the line of Sadsbury.

In 1731 petitions were addressed for a division of the twp by the north branch of Doe Run, now called Buck Run, but it was not till 1743 that the division was accomplished....at the time of this division we find among the inhabitants of the eastern part the names of Bledlock, Bentley,Dennis, Fleming, Filson, Hanna, Hayes and Mode.....and in the western part the names of Adams, Cochran, Moore, Parke and Wilson. A part of West Marlborough was later added to East Fallowfield.

There was much difficulty about the line between West Fallowfield and the townships southward and in 1748 it was run at different times and by different surveyors.

In 1841 the line between Fallowfield and Upper Oxford was run by order of court with the view of ascertaining its exact location, changing a considerable strip of land which had before been supposed to be in Upper Oxford but found to be in West Fallowfield.

In 1853, West Fallowfield was divided and the eastern division called Highland township. Highland township thus intervenes between East Fallowfield and West Fallowfield.

This page was updated on February 28, 2009