Granville District
The Granville District (or Granville's district) was an approximately 60-mile wide strip of land in the
Background
The area that became the Granville District had been a part of the Province of Carolina, which was a proprietary colony under the control of eight Lords Proprietors from 1663 to 1729. In 1729, seven of the eight heirs to the original Lords Proprietors decided to sell their shares back to The Crown.
The eighth share belonged to Lord Carteret, great-grandson of original Lord Proprietor, Sir George Carteret. He surrendered any future participation in the colonial government in order to retain ownership of his share of the colony's land.
Colonial interests
Due to political reversals in
The Granville District
In 1744, Carteret inherited the title, Earl of Granville, and from that time on, the district became known as Granville's district or simply, the Granville District. After the 1753 extension, other area land owners, including governor Arthur Dobbs, began to complain that the line had been run up to 13 and a half miles too far to the south. This caused some resentment of Granville's district because the royal government of North Carolina was still responsible for the security and upkeep of the area, but did not receive any revenue from it.
Irregularities
About 1750, Granville began to become concerned about irregularities in the accounts from his agents in regards to the issuance of land grants. He issued explicit instructions to his agents about keeping records and executing grants. Despite Granville's instructions, complaints (particularly regarding allegations of exorbitant fees) from land holders and prospective purchasers increased throughout the decade. One such problem involved Henry McCulloh, who had received a large royal grant of land, some of which lay within Granville's district. Granville gave McCulloh permission to settle the land. But in 1752, he learned that his agents had issued grants on McCulloh's land. McCulloh and Granville disputed the areas, sometimes threatening legal action. They eventually were able to negotiate a series of agreements.
Problems grow
After Granville's death in 1763, the situation became more muddled. Settlers were unable to obtain clear title to their land. This state of affairs finally led to outbreaks of violence in 1770, known as the
Although Granville's son, Robert Carteret, 3rd Earl Granville, had considered selling the land back to The Crown to dis-encumber himself, he never acted. The situation continued to get worse as records were no longer being kept accurately. When the younger Granville died in February 1776, American revolutionary fervor was already strong and the proprietorship of the Granville district had become identified with British interests.
Confiscated
In 1777, the
Following the war, the Carteret heirs were compensated in part for the loss of their lands.
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