Yet no building appears to have been begun until 1766, when Beverly Robinson, Jeremiah Drake, Caleb Ward, Isaac Hatfield and Charles Moore were appointed trustees (by certain subscribers, both in Cortlandt' s manor and the lower end of Philipse's upper patent, towards the erecting of a church,) for directing and carrying on a building, and for securing it to the inhabitants as a place of public worship, according to the establishment of the Churcli of England. This edifice, which was subsequently dedicated to the service of Almighty God, by the Rev. John Ogilvie, D.D., on the 9th of August, 1767, is the present perish church of St. Peter's, which stands upon the summit of a high knoll directly east of the late General Pierre Van Cortlandt's residence.

Upon the 18th of August, 1770, the members of St. Peter's church, in the manor of Cortlandt, and the lower part of Philipse's patent, received (in answer to their petition presented on the 21st of March,) the

a County Roc. Lib. n. 329. The original document was In the possession of the late James Brown of PeekskUl.

HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER.

following charter from Governor Colden, erecting them into one body corporate and politic, and confirming them in possession of the above mentioned church, "the ground whereon the same was built, and the cemetery belonging to the same."

ROYAL CHARTER OF ST. PETER'S CHURCH,

"George the Third, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, &c, to all to whom these presents shall come, greeting: Whereas, our loving subjects, Beverly Robinson, Charles Moore, Jeremiah Drake, Caleb Ward, John Johnson , Joshua Kelson, Thomas Davenport and Henry Purdy, on behalf of themselves and sundry inhabitants on the upper part of the manor of Cortlandt, and the lower part of Pbilipse's patent, in communion of the Church of England as by law established, by their humble petition, presented on the 21st day of March now last past, to our trusty and well beloved Cadwallader Colden, Esq., our Lieutenant-Governor and Commanderin-chief of our Province of New York and the territories depending thereon in America, in Council, did set forth that the petitioners have at a great expense and trouble erected a convenient house for a place of divine worship near Peekskill, to be according to the Church of England as by hw established, and being very desirious of promoting the same, and settling a minister among them, did humbly conceive that if our said Lieutenant-Governor and Commander-in-chief would be pleased to take the matter into consideration, and to grant them a charter with such priviliges, immunities and conditions as our said Lieutenant- Governor and Commander-in-chief should see fit, and that the said Beverly Robinson and Charles Moore may be appointed church-wardens, and the said Jeremiah Drake, Caleb Ward, John Johnson, Joshua Nelson, Thomas Davenport and Henry Purdy, vestrymen, in the charter, by the name of the church- wardens and vestrymen of St.