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MARYLAND HISTORICAL MAGAZINE

documents of title were in evidence—Alexander Mountney's original patent from
1663 and a deed from Samuel and Ann Wheeler to David Jones in 1685. These
indicia of ownership, however, were unconnected to Blunt. In the final analysis
the strength of Todd's tide to Mountney's Neck was that he took possession, and
no successors in interest to Mountney or Jones were forthcoming.22

The patent to Bold Venture was of then-recent origin. Its one hundred sixty
acres were in the shape of a boot, with the legging slipped in between Mountney's
Neck and Cole's Harbour and the foot submerged beneath the waters of the
Northwest Branch. It had been granted to John Oulton in 1695 and, as was often
the case, its boundaries overlapped those of its neighbors. Mountney's Neck was
originally described as having a width of one hundred perches, but apparently the
surveyor laid out a tract with a width of one hundred forty perches. With the
legging of Bold Venture the surveyor purported to reclaim this "surplusage" for
Oulton, and then some.23 Todd's claim to Bold Venture was at best dubious. The
historical record indicates that Captain John Oulton was still very much alive and
still interested in the patent; in 1707 he would obtain a warrant of resurvey for the
tract. No evidence has been found to link Oulton to James Todd.24 By 1701 James
Todd had pretensions to nine-hundred-odd acres of land lying to the north of the
harbor basin. The patents he may or may not have consolidated are roughly
plotted in Map 2.

Todd immediately began to sunder that which he had brought together. In
March of that year he transferred approximately three hundred acres to John
Hurst. The parcel was said to consist of one hundred thirty-five and one-half acres
of Cole's Harbour which lay to die east of die Jones Falls plus a waterfront pordon
of Mountney's Neck estimated at one hundred sixty-four and one-half acres. The
deed to Hurst carved his parcel by metes and bounds out of Cole's Harbour and
Mountney's Neck widiout reference to Bold Venture.

In June 1701 James Todd transferred the residue of Todd's Range, Mountney's
Neck, and all of Bold Venture to Charles Carroll. Since die Hurst claim was prior
and more explicit, Carroll presumably had no rights in the fast land portions of
Bold Venture waterfront; Carroll's Bold Venture rights if any were in the sub-
merged pordon.25

This division, which laid the groundwork for die subsequent parceling out of
eighteendi-century Baltimore, is depicted in Map 3. Carroll's portion of Todd's
Range was destined to become the location of Baltimore Town and die Hurst tract
to become die site of Jones Town, commonly called Old Town.

Charles Carroll the Settler. Charles Carroll, an Irish Catiiolic gentleman, had come
to Maryland in 1688 to serve as die proprietor's attorney general. In 1689, soon
after his arrival in Maryland, he lost his job and political rights to the Protestant
government. Thereafter he devoted his considerable energies and ambitions to
getting rich as a land speculator. In tiiese speculations he was probably aided by
his father-in-law, Henry Darnall, who operated Lord Baltimore's land office.
Darnall himself had been richly rewarded over die years with eighteen thousand
acres of Maryland land.26

I

Parceling Out Land

459

1701.

Map 2: Contiguous tracts claimed by James Todd in

Charles Carroll the Settier showed vision in his selection of die parcel he bought
from Todd—over the next century it would become a shipping and manufacturing
center—but in die short term the holding produced litde, if any, return on the
investment. In 1711 Carroll did manage to sell thirty-one acres to Jonathan
Hanson, who built a strong dam across die falls and put up a substantial mill that
came to be called Hanson's Improvement. Other than Hanson die only inhabitant
on die lands on the west bank appears to have been Carroll's overseer, John
Flemming, who, farther to die west, lived on and cultivated a quarter section of
tobacco until about 1718.27 Hanson's Improvement and Flemming's homestead

are indicated on Map 3.

Carroll die Settler continued to speculate in Maryland land. In diis he was
immeasurably aided when, in 1712, he succeeded his deceased fatiier-in-law as die
Lord Proprietor's land agent. That same year Charles Calvert, still residing in
England, sent Carroll instructions ordering him to crack down on die speculation
in warrants and other practices which deprived the proprietor of his revenues.
Reports are diat nothing happened.28

Charles Carroll of Annapolis. Charles Carroll the Settler died in 1720, leaving a
wife and four children: Charles Carroll of Annapolis (his legal heir), two daughters,
and another son, Daniel Carroll. The Setder's estate was approximately ninety
thousand pounds sterling and included sixty tiiousand acres of land which passed
to die brothers as tenants in common. Among die landholdings was die claim to
the approximately five hundred acres on die nordi shore of the Patapsco Basin. In
1723 Charles Carroll of Annapolis attained majority and assumed control of the