The
Lenni Lenape Indians were the earliest occupants of Upper Chichester. They erected several semi-permanent villages in the area tied to fishing and hunting cycles with some farming. The Upper Chichester area was claimed by
New Sweden in 1643 and the Dutch in 1654, but both nations were primarily interested in trading with the Lenni Lenape Indians. The first European settlers to Upper Chichester were in 1681 under the Penn's Grant of land to
William Penn from
King Charles II. The first purchasers under Penn's authority were fourteen English and Welshmen, mostly
Quakers. Upper Chichester Township was originally part of the section of Chester County called
Chichester. Chichester comprised the area now known as Upper and Lower Chichester. It is named after the town
Chichester in
West Sussex, England from which many of its settlers came from. Upper Chichester Township, at the time called "Chichester Liberty," is considered by most to be one of the first settlements within the land grant of Pennsylvania. Among the earliest settlers of the township was Walter Martin, the founder of
St. Martin's Church, in the late 17th century. The road from Chichester to Aston traversing the township almost due north, was laid out 1688, while the Upper Chichester road was laid out on October 25, 1687. At the southwestern limit of the territory was a tract of , which was located September 5 and 6, 1681. The "
Twelve-Mile Circle" (the circular northern boundary line of the state of
Delaware) traverses this tract. The division of Chichester into Upper and Lower Chichester was made early in 1700 to facilitate public business. In 1753, an effort was made to have the division officially recognized. The movement was, however, met by sturdy opposition from the leading citizens and land-owners of Lower Chichester, stating that the township as it currently stood was convenient enough and did not need any separation. They further argued that recent work to mend the highways in Lower Chichester, and the need to provide for several poor in the township were more important uses of funds than the cost of the survey. The matter was permitted to drag along for six years, during which time the reasons for the official recognition of the separation of the two townships became apparent to all. In August 1759, a petition to formally separate the two townships was presented, bearing the signatures of almost every freeholder in Upper and Lower Chichester as well as those in
Nether Providence. Edwin Booth, a significant land owner within Upper Chichester Township, is the namesake for the town of Boothwyn within Upper Chichester Township Boundaries. Local Pennsylvania Amish market "Booth's Corner" also inherit's his name and rests on the upper left corner of Booth's former land holdings. Upper Chichester became a first class township on December 30, 1941. The
Chichester Friends Meetinghouse is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places. ==Geography==