By the Indians it was emphatically styled " Wampus's Land," while that portion of the town situated east of the Byram River was called by the first white settlers the "White Fields," -- a name derived from the white Balsam, (Gnaphalium Margaretaccum of Linnaeus.) The whole town (including New Castle) is frequently denominated in the colonial records, the " Liberty of North Castle." The present township was organized on the 7 th of March, 1788.°

From the general tenor of the Indian grant made to Nathaniel Turner of Quinnepeac (New Haven) in 1640, we infer, that the greater part of the lands originally belonged to the Indian sachems, Ponus and Wascussue. At this early period, however, the Indians were in the habit of making repeated and almost unlimited grants of land into the " wilderness," as they termed the interior of the country. Thus, we have Shanasockwell's grant to the people of Rye in 1660, which extended twelve miles north of the Sound; also the same year, the Indian sale to John Richbell, of Mamaroneck, running twenty miles north of the Sound. In 1695 the lands west of the Byram appear to have belonged to the Sachems -- Wampus, Cornelius, Coharnitt, and others ; while the territory west of

o Laws of New York.

New Castle was set off from North Castle 111 1791.

HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER.

the Mehanas River, and south of Catonah's land, (Bedford,) was in a peculiar manner the domains of Serrinqua, or Sorringoe.