The Monmouth Patent

The beginning for Monmouth County, New Jersey came by way of the Monmouth Patent. The Monmouth Patent was an annexation of Dutch territory by Great Britain.

With this territory – once New Amsterdam – now part of the British Empire, conveyances of land to settlers from Great Britain took place.

In April of 1665 Great Britain’s deputy-governor for New Amsterdam granted patents for a triangular parcel of land in today’s Monmouth County. This was the Monmouth Patent.

Early families to acquire land through the Monmouth Patent were the Bowne family, the Holmes family, the Cotterell family and the Stout family.

The Holmes family’s tract of land stretched north of Ramanessin Brook to Hop Brook Farm – the Holmes Tract.

John Bowne’s tract of land touched the northernmost boundary of the Monmouth Patent triangle.

Eliezer Cotterell was the recipient of two land conveyances – 100 acres and 130 acres.
Richard Stout acquired a tract of land within the triangle east of Ramanessin Brook – the Richard Stout, Senior Tract.

Another Monmouth Patent land conveyance was the Bray Tract. Named for a Baptist minister, John Bray.

The Bray Tract consisted of 50 acres stretching from the easternmost point of the Monmouth Patent triangle – at Bray’s Brook – to the east side of Hop Book.