In 1744, Thomas Cook, deputy surveyor of Lancaster County, assisted by William Richardson, laid off the township of Warrington. The original shape of this township was that of an irregular pentagon, extending northeast and southeast and included the present township of Washington and a small portion of what is now Adams County, with the Conewago Creek as its southeastern boundary. Newberry was to the east and Monaghan to the north.`
The names of many first settlers of this and adjoining townships are found in an article entitled “The Friends of Quakers.” Warrington, like the names of nearly all the original townships of York County, is English. There is a town and township by that name along the Mersey River in Lancashire, England. The Friends of Bucks County, Pennsylvania gave a township the same name, and two or three post villages in the United States also bear it.
Previous to 1770, a small section of Warrington extended south of the Conewago and gave rise to disputes and inconvenience. The Conewago and the Bermudian formed the dividing line between the early settlements of the Quakers and Germans, consequently, a petition, dated the fourth month, twenty-fourth day, 1770, asked the court to establish a definite boundary, conceding the “little” corner to Dover Township. The petition was granted. The small tract mentioned is located a short distance below the “stone bridge”. It included only a few farms at the bend of the stream.
In 1783, there were 230 taxable inhabitants of Warrington Township. This then included the present territory of Washington. Among them were weavers, coopers, wheelwrights, tailors, an inn-keeper, saddlers, potters, carpenters, black-smiths, cordwainers and schoolmasters. Several of the properties are listed under the names of various widows (e.g. Widow Wickersham). Also, there were 70 single men among this group.
In 1803, Warrington was reduced in its limits by the formation of Washington out of the southeastern end of it and as at present form has for its northern boundary the townships or Carroll, Monaghan and a portion of Fairview, with Newberry to the east, Dover to the south and Washington to the west. The surface is undulation and portions of it mountainous.
There is a great variety of soil, some of which is very fertile. It is drained by the Conewago and its branches. The general slope of the land is southward.
