Daniel's "Palace": Greycourt Inn
(Which stood for 116 years: 1716-1832)
(at Graycourt in Orange County, New York)
New York Historic Markers:
Location: ON NYS 94 ABOUT 1 MI. N.E. OF CRAIGSVILLETOR
"Daniel Crommelin 1716 Charles Crommelin"
September 23, 2003
I send you a number of Internet websites that pertain more to Daniel than to Charles. This is in regards to Gray Court, his residence in Orange County, New York. I send these because Charles had some involvement with the property as well. That aspect of Charles' life or interest in Gray Court is not well documented. It is thought that Charles may have spent some time on Long Island near NYC. On the Internet, there are many references to the Crommelins of Long Island over many periods of time. But trying to prove that Charles was there at some point is difficult.
I assumed incorrectly regarding the origin of the name Gray Court. I have found no description of it except on a website where it is described as a "palace". I had assumed it was constructed of stone. More research on this is needed. The original foundation stone of the Crommelin palace is preserved which tells us, at least, that the foundation was made of stone.
The stone which bore the date of this building, marked “D. C. 1716. C. C.” [presumeably "Daniel Crommelin 1716 Charles Crommelin"] is preserved by being set in the west end of the old stone Bull house at Hamptonburgh. That house survives.
The wedding of William Bull and Sarah Wells took place in Daniel Crommelin's "Palace" on August 24, 1718.
Daniel and an Irishman named William Bull
Reference 1
Reference 2
Reference 3
Reference 4
Reference 6
Sincerely,
Jay Robbins
From : Clifton Patrick
Sent : July 19, 2004 6:50:58 AM
Subject : Map showing Gray Court, site of Daniel Crommelin's "Palace"
Greetings Milfred Crommelin,
Your Crommelin website is excellent! Congratulations!
A minor correction as to the "Map showing Gray Court, site of Daniel Crommelin's "Palace" "
Sincerely,
Clifton Patrick
Town of Chester Historian
119 Brookside Ave.
Chester, NY 10918
direct phone/fax 845-469-7645
[Click to enlarge.]
Origin of the Name "Gray Court"
It is commonly believed that the name "Gray Court" was derived from the French town of "Gricourt" (near St. Quentin) in memory of Daniel's mother, Rachel Tacquelet. She had connections with that town because her father, Guillaume Tacquelet, was the (feudal) Lord of Gricourt. Furthermore, since Daniel was born in St. Quentin, he might have had some fond recollections of that village.
Originally the Daniel's settlement was named "Greucourt" (The Annals of Newtown in Queen's Co. N.Y. by James Riker; p 145.) The Grey Court House, as it was commonly called, stood near Chester, N.Y. " on the north edge of the Greycourt meadows" ( Eager's History of Orange county, N.Y. pp 471- 477 ; where an absurd explanation of the name is offered).
Gricourt, now a village of eight hundred inhabitants [Note: this book was published in 1885] was a hamlet of less than three hundred inhabitants in 1696. It stands within four miles from St. Quentin. (Melleville, Dictionnaire historeque de departement de l'Aisne, I. 432)
Daniel's maternal grandfather, Guillaume Tacquelet,
was the feudal lord of Gricourt, France near St. Quentin.