1680/1 – Description of Sussex County Courthouse to be built

Description of proposed Sussex County Court House, dated January 1, 1680/1, describing the proposed construction of the court house, stocks, whipping post, and prison for which the county planned to spend 7000 lbs. of “good, sound, Merchantable Tobacco in Caske”. Luke Watson was appointed to supervise the construction of the log court house.

Transcription:

Att A Calld Court the first day of the Moneth Called Janwary 1680{/1}
{Com[miconers]}
Luke Wattson, John Kiphaven, Woolga Otto Woollgast, William Clark
P[re]sent
The Court house, stocks, and wheeping post and prisson which the Governor of New York ordered to be built for the services of the s[ai]d Countrey is this day ordered to be forth with built sixteene foot square in the Clear beLow, and Twenty foot square in the Clear the upper room,  and to be A Lodg house Raise sixteene foot high, And to be three roomes below, the Ground floore to be Laid with planck or spleet Trees of foure Inches thisck, and the Court house floore to be an Inch and halfe thick, the doors to be made of planck of Two Inches Thick, and A good strong Roofe, Tite and well Covered, Two good windows in the Court house of three foot square Apeece;/ The Loggs for the said house to be Laid non Lesse then Eighte Inches thick, And all the Loggs to be Lett in one in to the other, And a good paire of stairs made up to the Court house, with planck of an Inch and halfe thick, the stairs to be in the out side of the house;/ the Iorn worke and nails to be provided for the said work at the Charge of the Countrey;/ the said house to be finished by the first day of next May;/ Also A good pair of stocks of nine foott Long, And A wheping post at the End of them to be also forth with made and sett up;/ The said house, stocks and wheeping post is taken to be done and performed by Luke Wattson According to the dementions Above Exprassed, for which the Com[m]iconers doe oblidge themselves to pay unto the said Luke Wattson seaven Thousand pounds of good, sound, Marchantable Tobacco In Caske;/ And Samwell Gray have taken the Carting all the said Loggs and woodwork to the place whare the house is to be sett up of Luke Wattson, for which Luke Wattson is to pay the said Samwell Graye Twelve Hundred pounds of Tobacco, good and Marchantable;/ the staires not to be Less then foure foott wide, with Rayls on both sides;/ six Thousand pounds of Tobacco to be Raisd by A rate on the Inhabitents of the said County;/ And the other Thousand pounds with what the nails and Iorn worke shall Cost to be paid out of the fines [illegible]

The 7^th day of the Afors[ai]d Moneth George Young ded Agree and Consent with Luke Wattson to doe halfe the worke of the house, stocks and wheping post within mentioned within the time Exprassed, for which the said Luke Wattson doe promise to pay unto the said Georg Young Two Thousand, nine hundred pounds of Tobacco, sound, good and Marchantable in Caske, or to give the said George Young A recept for the same sum[m]e on the Account of Capt[ain] Dellavall;/ In witnes whareof the said George Yound have sett his hand the day & yeare above wretten
Signed George Young

Reference:

 RG 4000.000 Sussex County Court Record Book, page 5.
Transcript from: Craig W. Horle, ed., Records of the Courts of Sussex County Delaware, 1677-1710, (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1991), p. 91.