West and Shirley Hundred

West and Shirley Hundred
Name	West and Shirley Hundred
Settlement type	Hundred
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision name	United States
Subdivision type1	State
Subdivision name1	Delaware
Subdivision type2	County
Subdivision name2	New Castle County, Delaware

West and Shirley Hundred is a historic hundred in northern Delaware that served as a cadastral and administrative subdivision during the colonial and early American periods. The hundred has been referenced in records associated with William Penn, Lord Baltimore, New Sweden, Dutch Republic, and later State of Delaware institutions, appearing in legal descriptions alongside Christina River, Brandywine Creek, Wilmington, Delaware, Newark, Delaware, and various colonial land grants. The unit figures in disputes involving Pennsylvania Colony, Maryland Colony, King Charles II, Treaty of Westphalia, and later courts such as the Supreme Court of Delaware.

History

The area encompassing the hundred was shaped by interactions among New Sweden settlers, Dutch Republic traders from New Netherland, and English colonists under William Penn and Lord Baltimore, producing land grants recorded at the Colonial Recorder of Deeds and litigated in Chancery Court and Delaware Court of Common Pleas. Early maps by cartographers like John Smith (explorer) and surveys by Thomas Holme and Mason and Dixon informed boundary claims later referenced in the Treaty of Paris (1763) settlements and post-Revolution legal adjustments involving the Continental Congress and the Articles of Confederation. During the 18th and 19th centuries agricultural patents, disputes over navigation on the Christina River and roads linking Wilmington, Delaware to Philadelphia influenced land use, citing acts from the Delaware General Assembly and rulings by judges such as Nicholas Ridgely (judge) and Edward G. Bradford. The hundred’s administration persisted into the 20th century alongside developments tied to the Industrial Revolution, the expansion of Pennsylvania Railroad, and regulatory frameworks emerging from the New Deal and decisions by the United States Supreme Court affecting riparian rights and property law.

Geography and Boundaries

The hundred lies within New Castle County, Delaware and is bounded by watercourses including the Christina River, tributaries feeding the Brandywine Creek, and marshlands adjacent to the Delaware River estuary; historical surveys referenced the work of Mason and Dixon and the cartography of Thomas Holme in defining lines near Brandywine Hundred and St. Georges Hundred. Topography includes lowland floodplains, piecemeal upland near White Clay Creek, and transportation corridors later aligned with Interstate 95 (Delaware), U.S. Route 13, and historical turnpikes such as the New Castle and Frenchtown Turnpike. The hundred’s perimeter was periodically revised in deeds filed at the New Castle County Courthouse and in plats prepared by surveyors registered with the Delaware Board of Professional Land Surveyors.

Demographics and Settlement

Settlement patterns trace from indigenous presence tied to the Lenape to colonial influxes of Swedes on the Delaware River, English Puritans, Quakers, and later immigrants including Irish Americans, German Americans, and African Americans—the latter significantly represented after migrations during the Great Migration (African American). Population centers formed near Wilmington, Delaware, village sites documented in the Historic American Buildings Survey, and crossroads settlements along routes to Newark, Delaware and Cheswold, Delaware. Census enumerations compiled by the United States Census Bureau show shifts from predominantly agrarian households to suburban patterns associated with commuters to Philadelphia, reflecting influences from industrial employers such as DuPont and rail hubs controlled by Pennsylvania Railroad and successors like Conrail.

Economy and Land Use

Historically the hundred’s economy relied on tobacco, wheat, and mixed farming tied to plantations recorded in probate inventories and transactions involving families like the Read family (Delaware) and Kirkwood family. The 19th century brought industrialization near Wilmington, Delaware with mills on Brandywine Creek supplying firms such as DuPont and benefiting from transport links like the Delaware Canal and railroads. In the 20th and 21st centuries land use diversified into suburban housing developments, commercial corridors anchored by firms in Wilmington, Delaware and logistics centers serving I-95 Corridor Coalition, while conservation efforts engaged organizations such as the National Park Service, The Nature Conservancy, and the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife to protect wetlands, historic farms, and portions of the White Clay Creek Preserve.

Government and Administration

Administration historically referenced the hundred as a cadastral unit within records at the New Castle County Courthouse and legislative acts of the Delaware General Assembly, with enforcement by local constables, justices of the peace, and courts including the Justice of the Peace Court (Delaware). Over time governance functions shifted to municipal authorities in Wilmington, Delaware and county departments such as the New Castle County Department of Land Use and the New Castle County Police Department, and planning responsibilities were taken up by bodies like the Delaware State Housing Authority and regional planning agencies including the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission.

Notable Sites and Landmarks

Notable sites within the historical boundaries include historic mills on Brandywine Creek featured in the National Register of Historic Places, plantation houses associated with families such as the Read family (Delaware), churches like Old Swedes Church and meetinghouses tied to Quakerism, transportation relics linked to the New Castle and Frenchtown Turnpike and the Pennsylvania Railroad, and preserved landscapes forming part of the White Clay Creek State Park and features recognized by the Historic American Buildings Survey. Many sites intersect with broader heritage networks including the Historic Wilmington Preservation Commission, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and interpretive programs run by the Delaware Historical Society.

Category:Hundreds in Delaware Category:New Castle County, Delaware