Very closely connected with Mamaroneck and Scarsdale as parts of the Manor of Scarsdale, was that part of the County lying between that JIanor and Harrison's Purchase on the south, the Manor of Cortlandt on the north, the Colony of Connecticut on the east, and the Manor of Philipseburgh on the west. This immense area containing 70,000 acres of land, was bought from the natives by Colonel Heathcote for himself and associates and granted to him and them in three extremely large Patents, called from their relative situations the West, the Middle, and the East Patents.

In the purchase of the Indian title to these lands, and in the Patents for them express provision was made that the rights of Heathcote under the Richbell patents and deeds, should not be interfered with. Hence their long connexion with his lands now comprised in the towns of Scarsdale and Mamaroneck. These " Great Patents," as they were styled were bounded in part by Scarsdale Manor and are ao intimately connected with its history, that some mention must be briefly made of them and their origin. By its terms the Manor-Grant of Scarsdale embraced White Plains, a part of Northcastle, part of Bedford, and part of Harrisons Purchase, but it expressly provided as to White Plains that it should give its I^ord no other title than that he already possessed by virtue of his purchase of the right title and estate of Mrs. Ann Richbell in the Estate of her husband John Richbell the original grantee from the Indians and from both the Dutch Government and the English Government. These Great Patents were not Manore, though two of them were larger than either of the Manors of Pelham, ilorrisania or Fordham. They were simply Patents for great tracts of land issued according to law to three bodies of grantees as individuals, who each possessed an undivided share, bodies which in modern parlance would be called " syndicates.'' They were based uj^on a license to Colonel Heathcote to purchase vacant and unappropriated land in Westchester county and extinguish the title of the Natives