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Home : Quarterly Archives : Volume 27 |
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Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society |
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Source: October 1989 Volume 27 Number 4, Pages 123–130 A Tory "Memorial" "One of the greatest difficulties with which the American cause had to contend during the entire period of the Revolutionary War," Futhey and Cope observed in their History of Chester County, "was the fact that a portion of the people were either apathetic or disposed to favor the British interests. This was the case in the central and eastern portions of Chester County, where, the truth of history compels us to say, there were large numbers of persons inimical to the American cause, many of them active in their hostility. ..." One of these persons was Richard Swanwick, who aided the British in their evacuation of their camp in Tredyffrin and guided them over the Schuylkillin their approach to Philadelphia in September 1777. Because of this activity, his estate was "forfeited" in October 1777, and in April 1778 was "noted to be sold" by the Council of Safety in Lancaster. After the war, the British government decreed that persons who had suffered hardship as a result of their loyalty to the Crown during the War of Independence were entitled to claim compensation for their losses. These claims or "memorials" are filed in the British Public Records Office located in Kew, England. This transcription of the memorial of Richard Swanwick was made from a copy originally prepared by Bart Anderson, a former Executive Director of the Chester County Historical Society. He made his copy directly from the primary source in the Burney Collection of the British Museum, located in the British Public Records Office. To the Commissioners appointed by Act of Parliament for enquiring into the Losses & Services of the American Loyalists. The Memorial of Rich. Swanwick late of Chester County in the Province of Pa. -- Sheweth That the Memorialist from the first appearance of the Rebellion in America distinguished himself by his utmost exertion in favor of his grievious King and native Country, which occasioned the Memoralist often to be in danger of his Life, which the wounds and bruises he has received sufficiently testify. The Memorialist was put into Lancaster Gaol in the aforesaid province ford rinking the King's health & Success to his arms, many terrors as well as promises were held out to him to induce him to a Public Recantation or draw him into Office under Congress, All of which he steadfastly refused maintaining from first to last a constant uniform allegiance to the best of Kings in the worst of times - When the British Army commanded by Sir William Howe landed at the head of the River Elk in the Province of Pa. Justice Boyd issued a warrant against the Memorialist by which he was taken before the said Justice & required to take the Oath of Abjurnation of the King & an oath of Allegience to the States of America, which the Memorialist refusing was committed to the Staunton Gaol in Virginia. On his way he escaped from the Constable & joined the British Army at the Brandywine in the year 1777 leaving the Family but his property was altogether sold or destroyed. The day after the Battle of Brandywine, Joseph Galloway Esq. came to the Memorialist in the name of Sir Wm. Howe who requested the Memorialist's Services in pointing out the roads & obtaining intelligence of the force and situations of the American Army but more especially in describing a private Ford over the River Schuylkill, which was the more essential service, as the Americans had cut down trees made works & pointed cannon to make the public known Ford impassible. The Memorialist conducted the British Army over the River Schuylkill at the Fatland Forge [Ford?], the place he recommended & pointed out to the Commander in Chief; from thence he became a Guide to the army on their way to Philadelphia having brought the troops over the Schuylkill without loss or danger & rendered many other services to the General officers too universally known to stand in need of a more parlar description saving that the Memorialist begs the Humble Board to consider that he was called upon by the Right Honble Earl Cornwall is as a guide to go with his Lordship commanding a detachment of Troops out of Philadelphia intending to destroy a Bridge the Americans made over the River Schuylkill. The Memorialist and the unfortunate John Roberts were the only persons his Lordship chose for Guides for this service, poor Roberts after a long imprisonment was hanged for this parlar service. The Memorialist was on many other occasions employed by the General Officers for the King's service, of which he voluntarily rendered the army having never received any pay or reward save at one time 100 Dollars being 22.10 Sterling paid him by order of Sir Wm. Howe for a secret service. The Memorialist begs leave to have Sir Wm. Howe, Earl Cornwallis & Major Genl. Patterson called upon to prove & substantiate these services if any further proof need be had, as their certificates to this effect are already assayed to the Memorialist formerly given unto the Right Honble the Lord of the Treasury now herewith sent to the Honble Commissioners to refer to. It being soon known & spread amongst the Americans what services the Memorialist had rendered the British Army, especially in conducting the mover the Schuylkill, a party of the militia commanded by Major Cuthberts on were sent on or about the 7th of October 1777 to destroy & take away the substance of the Memorialist from his plantations in the Township aforesaid. The Memorialist's Wife having through fear and precautions caused a chest containing the Memorialist's plate, the Chief of his Deeds & papers of value to be buried underground for their better security - the militia tortured the Memorialist's Negro man into confessing where the chest was buried where through pain and fear the negro confessed whereby the Memorialist lost the chief of his Deeds and papers of value together with his stock, furniture and every moveable part of his personal Estate which were taken to Lancaster in the aforesaid province and lately [later?] sold agreeable to the resolve and orders of Congress. Soon afterward a Law passed at Lancaster to presenting the Memorialist as guilty of High Treason after which an order of Congress was made to Banish the Wifes of Loyal Men out of Pennsylvania, and the Memorialist's wife and daughter were obliged to go into the lower Counties of the Delaware where the Charitable Contributions of Loyal persons, and the Aid of a Dutiful son of 10 years, were their only support & substance. In this deplorable situation, bereft of Family and Substance, the Memorialist applied to Sir William Howe to find him some office under Government, upon which the Commander in Chief sent him to the Adjutant General Patterson & he was appointed Superintendent of Forage & Assistant Commissary of Horse, under the Command of General Cleveland, succeeded by Major General Patterson commanding the Royal Artillery in the name of the Commander in Chief - The Memorialist was then promised that he should not be left there but further provided for in a manner suitable to his Losses & his Services in which hope the Memorialist cont'd to collect Forage in the Vicinity of Philadelphia, that taken from persons under the Denomination of Rebels was not to be paid for, many were of that description & the forage unpaid for which alone would expose the Memorialist to actions for debt and danger of his life were he ever to return to that Country, altho he acted by order of his Commanding officers - The aforesaid appointment in hay & Forage was half a Guinea a day with Camp Equipage & some other privilege which, whilst it continued, afforded the Memorialist bread, but upon the evacuation of Philadelphia the Memorialist was discontinued in his office as the Honble Board will see by the Letters of his Dismissions with much approbation of his Services and conduct. The letter is herewith sent that the Commissioners may judge if the hardships here complained of, for it was surely a great Injury to the Memorialist to hold an employment only for a few months which exposed the Memorialist's suffering Family to the accumulated resentment of the Rebels --and it surely was a great hardship to be deprived of his Bread without having any other appointment, and so far from having done any fault, his Conduct while in office is greatly applauded, his pay however ceased Oct 1778 and the Memorialist was then left unsupported by an office under Government to the time of the Memorialist's arrival in England January 1782, it would have amounted to 592 Guineas. Major General Tryon, Governor of the province of New York, made the Memorialist one of the public notaries of New York, a good and respectable office in that country, the Commissions here with set forth the business of it but this, whatever advantage it might have been to the Memorialist, is lost to him by the peace. The Memorialist arrived in Great Britain January 1782 where he hath continued ever since having - 100 Sterling per year from the 5th January 1782 given by the Lords of the Treasury, out of which he has not been able to remit one single penny for the support of his unhappy wife and children who during this Contest have been obliged to their own Industry for maintenance and support. The Ship your Memorialist came Passenger in floundered at Sea, and his Life was miraculously saved. The Memorialist was possessed of considerable real and personal Estate in the Province of Pennsylvania worth at a reasonable computation the Sum of 8025.7 Sterling which has been wholly sold, confiscated or destroyed by Plunder, the Memorialist having brought nothing with him but the clothes on his back R. Swanwick A schedule of the Seizures and Confiscations of the real and personal Estate of Richard Swanwick, late of the Province of Pennsylvania October 1777 seized by Major John Cuthbertson commanding a party of Militia under the United States of America
London 3rd February 1784 R. Swanwick Evidence and certification: A native of England - went to America in 1770 or 1771 - in 1773 he was appointed Commissioner of his Majesty's Schooner King George in the Service of the Revenue. Produces his appointment dated 29th of March 1773 signed by Chas Dalton & Benjamin Hallowell Says he refused to resign the association in 1775 when called upon so to do and [at] all other times and paid Fines for his refusal. Produces a paper signed Hugh Hamilton, Collector of Fines, whereby it appears that 3.10 was levied on him as a Fine for being a non-? , dated August 16, 1777. Says in the summer of 1775 a Mob Rose upon him & for his attachment to the British cause carted him and left him nearly dead. In 1776 he was put in Lancaster Gaol for Drinking the King's health, and made his Escape from there. He continued until the British arrived, living upon his Estate called Clifton Hall on the Schuylkill at 20 miles from Philadelphia. He made many attempts to join the British but was unable to join them till just before the Battle of Brandywine - from which time he has continued with them. Being questioned whether he has a son with Mr. Morris of Philadelphia - Says his Son John Swanwick he bound apprentice to the House of Williams and Morris of Philadelphia in the Month of May 1776. Says always considered Mr. Morris as being in his Heart a Friend of the British. His son was the leading partner in that House. Says as proof of his opinion of Mr. Morris's Loyal principles, he made several offers with Sir Wm. Howe privity [privately?] to have him brought over to the British. His son was a youth of 16 years of age at the time he was bound apprentice, and he chose that House as thinking it the principle House on the Continent. [Concerning property of] 200 Acres of Land and Buildings in Charlestown Township Chester County - Says he has not the Title Deeds the Land being mortgaged, they are in the hands of the Mortagee. He bought the Place in the beginning of 1777 of John Kitles for ог1800 Currency whereof ог150 remr on the Estate, and he thinks that he paid the remains and ог300 to Kitles. Kitles did not make him a regular conveyance, but signed an agreement for making a bounty which is recorded at Chester. The money which was paid was paid in Congress paper. He swears his Opinions to be that the Estate was worth ог1000 more than the ог1500 due upon it. [Alexander Stedman testifies he knew Swanwick and that he was a friend of Col. Moore - was considered a wealthy man in Chester County [Andrew Allen testifies he knew the Schuylkill estate & that Swanwick had made money in the custom house & put it out in land. [John Hatton testifies he] knows the claimant and believes him to have been a Loyalist from the beginning. To the Claims of Richard Swanwick, Earl Cornwall is Sworn Says he [Swanwick] joined the Army under Sir Wm. Howe at the Head of Elk, and was very useful to him at Blockland Ford And afterwards served with Lord Cornwall is on a foraging party in the company of one Roberts as Guide. The other man, Roberts, was afterward taken by the Enemy & hanged on this account. For those interested in further reading about the American Loyalists during the Revolutionary War, here is a bibliography selected from the card catalogue of the Free Library of Philadelphia. Beriton, William Allen : Whig-loyalism; an aspect of political ideology in the American Revolutionary era Farleigh-Dickinson University Press, 1969 231 p. Berkin, Carol : Jonathan Sewall; Odyssey of an American Loyalist Columbia University Press, 1974 xi, 200 p. Borden, Morton [comp., with Penn Borden] : The American Tory Prentice Hall, 1972 Bradley, A. G. : Colonial Americans in Exile; Founders of British Canada 1932 Bradley, Arthur Granville : The United Empire Loyalists; Founders of British Canada London, T. Butterworth, 1932; AMS Press, 1971 288 p. Brown, Wallace : The Good Americans; The Loyalists in the American Revolution Morrow, 1969 302 p. Brown, Wallace : The King's Friends; The composition and motives of the American loyalist claimant Brown University Press, 1965 411 p. Calhoun, Robert McCluer : The Loyalists in Revolutionary America, 1760-1781 Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1973 580 p. Callahan, North : Flight from the Republic; the Tories of the American Revolution Indianapolis, Bobbs-Merrill, 1967 208 p. Callahan, North : Royal Raiders; the Tories of the American Revolution Indianapolis, Bobbs-Merrill, 1963 208 p. Chidsey, Donald Barr : The Loyalists; the story of those Americans who fought against Independence Crown Publishers, 1973 Cooke, Jacob : Tench Coxe and the early Republic Chapel Hill, N.C., University of North Carolina Press, 1978 xiv, 573 p. Crary, Catherine S. : The Price of Loyalty; Tory writings from the Revolutionary era McGraw Hill, 1973 481 p. Curwen, Samuel : The Journal of Samuel Curwen, loyalist [ed. Andrew Oliver] Harvard University Press, 1972 2 v., 1083 p. Eddis, William : Letters from America [ed. Harold C. Land] Belknap Press of Harvard University, 1969 237 p. Einstein, L. D. : Divided Loyalists, Americans in England Fanning, David : The Narrative of Colonel David Fanning (a Tory in the Revolutionary war with Great Britain) ... Sabin's reprints, second series no. 1 Ferling, John E. : The Loyalist Mind; Joseph Galloway and the American Revolution University Park, Pa., Pennsylvania State Press, 1977 157 p. Flexner, James Thomas : States Dyckman, American Loyalist Boston, Little Brown, 1980 238 p. Hancock, H. B. : The Delaware Loyalists Delaware Historical Society papers, new series, v. 3 Hancock, Harold Bell : The Loyalists of Revolutionary Delaware Newark, Del., University of Delaware Press, 1977 159 p. Johnston, Arthur : Myths and Facts of the American Revolution ... 1908 Jones, E. A. : The Loyalists of New Jersey, their memorials, petitions, claims, etc. New Jersey Historical Society Collections, 1927 Katcher, Philip R. N. : Rebels and Loyalists, the Revolutionary soldier in Philadelphia Philadelphia, Atwater Kent Museum, 1976 79 p. Leder, Lawrence H. [ed.] : Loyalist Historians Harper & Row, 1971 206 p. Leventhal, Herbert : A Bibliography of Loyalist Source Material in the U. S. in Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society, v. 85, pt.' 2 pp 405-460 Lynn, Kenneth Schuyler : A Divorced People Westport, Conn., Greenwood Press, 1977 113 p. Main, Jackson Turner : Rebel versus Tory; the crisis of the Revolution, 1773-1776 Chicago, Rand McNally, 1963 53 p. Mooney, James Eugene : Loyalist imprints printed in Philadelphia, 1774-1783 in Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society, v. 84, pt. 1 pp 103-218 Myers, T. B. : Tories or Loyalists in America, being slight historical tracings from the footprints of Sir John Johnson and his contemporaries in the revolution 1882 Nelson, William H. : The American Tory Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1961 194 p. Norton, Mary Beth : The British American; the loyalist exiles in England,1774-1789 Boston, Little Brown, 1972 333 p. Oliver, Peter : Origin and Progress of the American Rebellion; a Tory view [ed. Douglas Adair and John A. Schutz] San Marino, Ca., Huntington Library, 1981 173 p. Ryerson, Adolphus Egerton : The Loyalists of America and their Times from 1620 to 1816 Haskell House, 1880 [2d ed.] 2v. Sabine, Lorenzo : American Loyalists; or biographical sketches of adherents to the British Crown in the war of the revolution 1947 Sabine, Lorenzo : Biographical Sketches of Loyalists of the American revolution, with an historical essay Boston, Little Brown, 1964 Sabine, Lorenzo : A historical Essay on the Loyalists of the American revolution Springfield, Mass., Walden Press, 1957 114 p. Smith, Paul Hubert : Loyalists and Redcoats; a study in British revolutionary policy Chapel Hill, N.C., University of North Carolina Press, 1964 199 p. Van Tyre, Claude Halstead : The Loyalist in the American revolution Macmillan, 1902 360 p. Wright, Esmond [ed.] : A Tug of Loyalties; Anglo-American relations, 1763-1785 London, Published for the Institute of U. S. Studies, 1975 vi, 92 p. Wright, Esther Clark : The Loyalists of New Brunswick Frederickton, 1955 365 p. Zimmer, Anne T. : Jonathan Boucher, Loyalist in exile Detroit, Wayne State Press, 1978 395 p. |
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