Memorandum of agreement between Samuel Hoare and the Pikeland Company
Permanent ID:
10826Date:
November 24 1762Image Description:
Memorandum of agreement between Samuel Hoare and the Pikeland Company dated November 24, 1762. The memorandum was a key document in the case of Pike v. Hoare, a case centered on Samuel Hoare's claim of ownership of over 10,000 acres of land in Chester County called "Pikeland." Acting as the executor of Richard Pike's estate, Hoare negotiated sale of the land to Pike's tenants, who formed the Pikeland Company in order to negotiate with Hoare. Seventy-four tenants are named in the 1762 memorandum and unanimously accepted Hoare's offer to acquire the entire acreage in Chester County, as well as tracts in Bucks County and Blockly Township, for 14,500 pounds.Samuel Pike, the legal heir of Richard Pike, subsequently challenged Hoare's claim as an executor of Richard Pike's will and started ejectment proceedings against Hoare's tenants. Hoare (via his agents in Chester County) petitioned against these ejectments and contracted with agents T. [and] W. Lightfoot, who were given the power to sell the property, draft and execute deeds, and accept payment for the land. They in turn parceled off thousands of acres of land to tenants, who agreed that Hoare had ultimate property rights. The case was a complex one, but an important element of the claim against Hoare's ownership relates to the fact that Hoare ultimately did not receive payment for property sold to tenants because many sales happened during the Revolutionary War, when transmission of money to England was prohibited.