The Mayor
A 160,000-acre tract in the Province of New York, confirmed by royal charter in 1715.
Livingston Manor was a 160,000-acre (65,000 ha) tract of land in the Province of New York granted to Robert Livingston the Elder during the reign of George I of Great Britain. Located between the Hudson River and the Massachusetts border, the Livingston Manor was located in an area that later became a portion of Columbia County in the state of New York. The roots of Livingston Manor lie in a patent obtained in July 1686 by Robert Livingston the Elder for land he had previously acquired from the resident Native Americans in the colonial Province of New York. The Manor itself was a 160,000-acre (65,000 ha) tract of land patented by Livingston through the influence of 5th Governor Thomas Dongan, and confirmed by royal charter of George I of Great Britain in 1715, creating the manor and lordship of Livingston.
Lore & Background
The lords of the manor were Robert Livingston the Elder (1654–1728), who served from 1715 to 1728; Philip Livingston (1686–1749), who served from 1728 to 1749; and Robert Livingston (1708–1790), who served from 1749 to 1790. The first division of the estate occurred in 1728 upon the death of Robert Livingston the Elder, who stipulated that his third son, Robert Livingston (1718–1775), be granted 13,000 acres (5,300 ha) from Livingston Manor's southwest corner, a tract which Robert christened Clermont Manor. In 1790, upon the death of the last lord of the manor, Robert Livingston, the remainder of Livingston Manor was divided among the heirs of his four youngest sons, rather than continuing to pass down through primogeniture. Robert's eldest living son, Peter R. Livingston (1737–1809), had made many unwise financial decisions and was perennially in debt, and it was feared the estate would end up claimed by his creditors were it passed on to him.
Reader's Guide
Livingston Manor was located between the Hudson River on the west and the Massachusetts border on the east, approximately 20 miles wide and approximately 12 miles long north to south. The Manor encompassed the area that would later become the towns of Livingston, Germantown, Clermont, Taghkanic, Gallatin, Copake, and Ancram, located in Columbia County, New York. Although an English-deeded tract, some sources list Livingston Manor with the patroonships of New Netherland.
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