MARYLAND COURT OF APPEALS 451

Sold To Thomas Hicks father and Divissor of the Appellant for a Valuable
Consideration on the day of Anno Dom

and Afterw*⁵ the Said Thomas Hicks To Witt on the 24 day of July
Anno Dom Seventeen hundred and Twenty Devised the Same to his two
Sons the Appellants As by his Last Will and Testament duely made and
Recorded in the office for probat of Wills in Lib: A. & D. N^o 2 fo* 311 more
fully appears that Mary and Ann Seward the Daughters and Coheris [sic] of
William Seward Who was Son and heir of George Seward on the 12 Day of
July Anno Dom 1715 Exhibited their bill in Chancery Setting forth that for-
merly to Witt on or about the 23^d Day of Jan^ry Anno Dom 1674 the then
Orators Grandfather George Seward Deced duely paid for purchased and
Obtained his Lordships the then Lord proprys Common Warrant for takeing
up and Surveying One Thousand Acres of Land for his the Said Georges use
and by Virtue thereof had Surveyed for him on or about the 17^th day of Aprill
1675 by Tho^m Pattison his Lordships then Surveyor of Dorchester County
According to the Tenour of the Same Warrant a Tract of Land lying in
Dorchester County called Sector laid out for 769 Acres or thereabouts and
produced a Certificate thereof to be duely made and returned into his Said
Lordships Land office According to the then Condition of Plantations and
that the Same Cert remained on the Records and So recited the Certificate
as by the Said Bill in this Hon^rble Court Appears and further the Said
Complts by their Bills Sett forth that by Virtue of the Warrant of the War-
rant [sic] af^a there was on [sic] other Tract of Land Called Cumberlake laid
out and Surveyed for him the Said George Seward and Certifyed to Containe
One hundred Acres more or less the Cert whereof is recited in the Bill af^d and
further the then Comp^ll Set forth that before the S^d George Seward took out
Patents for the Said Land he was Impoverished by Various Misfortunes and
that he had not Where withall to pay his Just Debts but was forced to depart
this province for fear of falling into the hands of Some Merciless Creditor and
dying in a Goale that the Said George Seward left there a wife and Children
whereof the then Orators father was Son and heir Appearant to the Said
George and further Set forth that the Said George Continued Sometime ab-
sent Useing his Utmost Indeavours and hard Labour abroad to recover his
Circumstances that he might be able to pay what he Owed in this Province
and return home but that before he Accomplished his Designs he died And
further the Said Bill Comp" Set forth that W^m Seward the then Comp" father
and Son and heir of the Said George on Notice of his the Said Georges Death
made Application to his Lordships Land office for Patents for the Said Lands
Pursuant to the Certificates thereof And further Set forth that a Cert Thomas
Smithson of Talbot County and Thomas Smithson of Dorchester County had
prevented the Said W^m by prefering to his [651] Lordship in the absence of
him the Said George a Petition which the then Complainant Set forth by
their Said Bill Contained in any false Suggestions which Said Petition to-