The Rent Rolls were the private sets of manuscript books which the Proprietors of Maryland assembled at various times during the Colonial Period to keep account of land grants and landowners from whom quit rent was due. As a rule, the Rent Roll entries recorded here identify the owner and furnish a precise description of his grant, including date, location, and acreage, and further name a host of persons associated with the grant--former owners, widows of former owners, children, heirs, neighbors, and relatives.