The current boundaries of Chowan County, NC, remain pretty much as they were after Gates County (to the north) was formed from its original boundaries in 1778.

Prior to this date, Chowan had been divided and sub-divided several times, each time diminishing its size from its original designation as Shaftsbury Precinct of Albemarle County, the ancestor county of all of inhabitable North Carolina after the mid-1600s.

Chowan Co., NC, 1998. E. Ross.

Shaftsbury Precinct was one of the three first divisions of Old Albemarle: Shaftsbury, Berkeley and Carteret Precincts. This map drawn by Worth S. Ray shows the shapes of the precincts as they appeared between 1671 and 1684, before they were redefined and renamed.

Shaftsbury Precinct, 1671. W. S. Ray.

In 1701, the remainder of the peninsula south of the Albemarle Sound was given to a new Wickcliff Precinct, shrinking our Chowan Precinct to confines above the Sound. In 1722, it shrank again, as the land west of the Chowan River was made into the new Bertie Precinct. Wickcliff became Tyrrell and Hyde Counties.

After 1722, Chowan County included only its current boundaries plus the land to the north. As shown above, in 1778, its last major county line change occurred when Gates County was formed.

The Moseley Map, showing early 18th century settlers (excerpt).