The erection of " manors," presided over by so-called " lords," did not affect in the least this elementary free status; the manors being only larger estates, and their lords wealthy proprietors with certain incidental aristocratic functions and dignities which violated in no manner the principle of perfectly free land tenure, New York, under this patent from Charles II., assumed at once the character of a " proprietary province " -- that is, a province owned absolutely by the beneficiary, James, Duke of York, and ruled exclusively by him through his subordinates, subject to the general laws of England. In this character it continued for nearly twentyone years (excepting a little more than one year, when it was again under Dutch sway by virtue of reconquest), at the end of that time being merged in the provinces of the crown because of the accession of James to the throne of England. Richard Nicolls, the duke's first governor, after substituting for the old name of New Netherland that of New York, proceeded to rename the various parts of the province. He assigned the comprehensive designation of Yorkshire to the whole district surrounding Manhattan Island, compris-

HISTORY

WESTCHESTER

COUNTY

ing Long Island, Staten Island, and the present Westchester County; and, following the local style of old Yorkshire, in England, he subdivided this district into three so-called " Hidings " -- the ''East," "West," and "North." The East Hiding consisted of the present Suffolk County; the West Hiding, of Staten Island, the present Kings County, and the Town of Newtown, in the present Queens County; and the North Hiding, of the remainder of the present Queens County, together with the Westchester plantation. The first official (as well as popular) name for our county, of more than mere local application, was " the portion of the North Hiding on the main." But the Long Island jurisdiction extended only to flu1 Bronx, the settlements which later sprang up west of that stream being under the government of Harlem and New York City until Westchester County came into existence, in 1GS3.