Werner then of Historic Annapolis, Inc. discovered that on October 3, 1697 Richard Hill
acknowledged that the County had released to him his house in Annapolis called the old Court
house. (Provincial Court Deeds, W.R.C. No. 1, f. 815, Ms. Land Office). This house appears
to have been one of Richard Hill's standing on Lot no. 79 "wherein the records and provincial
Court are now kept." The lease of this house is dated March 5, 1695 (Ibid. f. 740). According
to the report of a legislative committee of March 23, 1697/8, "The records of Anne Arundel
County Court are Lodged in the Stadt house att Annapolis and the County Courts are kept in
that house" (Md. Archives, XXII, p. 102-103).

This discovery makes it possible to establish the following chronology for the period
between the abandonment of the county seat at Londontown and the taking up of quarters
in the State House. The lease between Richard Hill and the State would indicate that the Court
moved into his house around March 5, 1695 and that it remained there until around October
3, 1697. Surely the court must have moved into the State House at this time, and if this is
true we have a more precise date for its completion than any we have had heretofore (see
Morris L. Radoff, Buildings of the State of Maryland at Annapolis, Annapolis, 1954, pp. 7-9).

Only one significant lacuna still remains in the history of Anne Arundel Courthouses:
where was court held in Annapolis between the founding of the County in 1650 and the move
to the Ridge circa 1679?

Anne Arundel County Circuit Court

LAND RECORDS, 1653--. Beginning in 1922, mortgages are recorded in separate volumes,
but numbered as part of Land Records series. Original volumes predating 1699 were
destroyed in the State House fire of 1704. A special commission was established to re-
record conveyances brought before it for such purpose. The five volumes thus created
represent only a partial restoration of the original records. Liber N. H. No. 1, 1778-1784,
has special section in rear devoted to Land Commissions, 1716-18. Most volumes are
indexed. C.H. 1855--. L.O. 1949--, microfilm. H.R. 1653-1855; 1653-1949, microfilm.

INDEX TO LAND RECORDS, 1653-1935. Liber index. C.H. 1653-1839, 1896-1935. L.O.
1653-1839, microfilm. H.R. 1653-1895; 1653-1851, microfilm.

INDEX TO LAND RECORDS, 1839--. Cottco Universal. C.H. 1839--. L.O. 1839-1939, micro-
film. H.R. 1839-1939, microfilm.

LAND COMMISSIONS, 1724-94. 1716-18 in Land Records. Each volume indexed by name
of petitioner. H.R.

[COMMISSIONS TO DIVIDE ESTATES] (LAND COMMISSIONS, GUARDIANS FOR
INFANTS), 1791-1805, 1811-29. H.R. has card index, 1791-1805. H.R.

DOCKET OF TAX SALES, 1889--. Each volume indexed by name of delinquent taxpayer.
C.H.

TAX SALES RECORD, 1871-76, 1889--. Record of proceedings in sales of property of
delinquent taxpayers. Some volumes indexed by name of taxpayer. C.H.

RECORD BOOK SHERIFF'S LAND SALES, 1867--. Full record of proceedings in the sale
of land and other property under lien by the sheriff. Each volume indexed by name of
defendant. C.H.

INQUISITION JUDGMENT RECORDS, 1886--. Record of proceedings in land condemna-
tion cases. Indexed by names of plaintiff and defendant. C.H.

PLATS, c.1900--. Earlier plats in Land Records. C.H.

47