Craven County, South Carolina was one of the three original

counties A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

established by the

Lords Proprietor A lord proprietor is a person granted a royal charter for the establishment and government of an English colony in the 17th century. The plural of the term is "lords proprietors" or "lords proprietary". Origin In the beginning of the European ...

of the English colony of Carolana in 1682 to include the colony's lands stretching from Awendaw Creek north to the western shore of

Winyah Bay The Winyaw were a Native American tribe living near Winyah Bay, Black River, and the lower course of the Pee Dee River in South Carolina. The Winyaw people disappeared as a distinct entity after 1720 and are thought to have merged with the Wacc ...

and inland.Frederick A. Porcher: "Historical and Social Sketch of Craven County, So. Ca." in ''The Southern Quarterly Review'', April, 1852; reprinted in Thomas T. Gaillard: ''A Contribution to the History of the Huguenots of South Carolina'', New York, 1887. New York: Knickerbocker Press, 1887. 52 pp. In 1685, the original county of Berkeley was expanded to include the southwestern part of Craven County, and in 1691, land was added to Craven County from the previously unorganized land to its northeast. In 1706, the Lords Proprietor established the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

Parish system in South Carolina, reducing counties to geographic designations with no administrative functions; the southwestern half of Craven County was organized into St. James Santee Parish,Anne Baker, Leland Bridges, and Roy Williams III: ''St. James Santee, Plantation Parish, History and Records, 1685-1925'', Spartanburg, S.C.: The Reprint Company, Publishers, 1997. and in 1721, Prince George Parish was organized for the former northeastern half of Craven County, extending into the unorganized territory to the north and east of the county. In 1734 Prince Frederick Parish was organized from northwestern Prince George Parish, extending into the unorganized territory to the northwest of the county. In 1735 their common boundary was redefined and Prince George Parish reduced in extent when the border with the

Province of North Carolina Province of North Carolina was a province of Great Britain that existed in North America from 1712(p. 80) to 1776. It was one of the five Southern colonies and one of the thirteen American colonies. The monarch of Great Britain was repre ...

was established. In 1769,

judicial districts The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

incorporating the parishes were established in the colony; St. James Santee Parish was taken into Charlestown District, and Prince George Parish into Georgetown District. In 1785, the new State of South Carolina established counties within the judicial districts, with Washington and Marion counties taking in St. James Santee Parish of Charleston District, and Williamsburg and Winyaw (later spelled Winyah) counties taking in Prince George Parish of Georgetown District.Thomas Cooper: ''The Statutes at Large of South Carolina', Volume 4, Containing the Acts from 1752, Exclusive, to 1786, Inclusive''. Columbia, S.C.: A. S. Johnston, 1838. Vol. 4, pp. 662-663. These counties did not immediately become functional, and the judicial districts retained their administrative functions. The 1868 South Carolina State Constitution gave the state districts the uniform designation of county, by which they are still known. In 1882, a new Berkeley County was formed from upland Charleston County, taking in land formerly in Marion and Washington counties; Charleston County retained the coastal lands originally included in Craven County. In 1893, Charleston County expanded northwestward into Berkeley County. The original Craven County's lands now lie in parts of Berkeley, Charleston, Georgetown, and Williamsburg counties.

References

{{coord, 33.73, -79.46, display=title 1682 establishments in South Carolina Former counties, districts, and parishes of South Carolina