Here's some info that I found on-line relating to early Anne Arundel County
and it's subdivisions known as Hundreds. I recommend Warfield's book, although
I've was warned many years ago that there maybe some inaccuracies regarding
family information. Despite this potential shortcoming, I have found it of value
as I research the Rawlings family.
Anne Arundel County was first settled 350 Years ago during the winter of
1649/1650 at Providence, which was across the Severn River from Annapolis by
Puritans & Independents from Virginia who resisted Gov. Berkleys demands for them
to attend services at the Church of England. One account of the early
settlement of Anne Arundel Co is the historical novel Providence Ye Lost Towne At
Severn In Mary Land by James E. Moss. this book while written as a novel, is about
actual people, and events surrounding the founding of Anne Arundel County as
researched by the author and includes a number of factual indexes.
Unfortunately this book is now out-of-print. Another good source of history and
biographical information on Anne Arundel County is J. D. Warfield's The Founders of
Anne
Arundel and Howard Counties Maryland, published in 1905
Anne Arundel County was formed in the summer of 1650, the third county formed
in Maryland and was named in honor of Lady Anne Arundel, wife of Cecilus
(Calvert), Lord Baltimore. There were two types of subdivisions found in the
County and its records in its early history. The first were hundreds. The concept
of a hundred is old and dates to the Roman occupation of England. A Hundred was
said to be an area that could raise a force of 100 soldiers However, Hundreds
in Maryland seemed to primarily been used for tax collection and land rent
purposes. The second subdivivion occurred in 1692 when Parishes for the Church
of England were established in Maryland.
There were Five hundreds in Anne Arundel Co in 1707.
Herring Creek Hundred was the southern-most part of the County
West River Hundred lay to the the north Herring Creek Hundred, around the
West River,
South River Hundred, was the area between West River Hundred and the South
RIver.
Middle Neck Hundred took in the area between the South River and Severn River
Broad Neck and Town Hundred. was area east of the Severn River and included
the original settlement of Providence.