The settlement of Guilford County was mostly by Quakers who came out of Maryland and Virginia into North Carolina during the 1730s and formed the New Garden Meeting. They were followed by German Reformed churches and Lutherans from Pennsylvania. The county itself was formed in 1771 from parts of Rowan and Orange Counties and was named after the first Earl of Guilford (Francis North), Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. In 1779 the southern third of Guilford County became Randolph County and during 785 the northern half of its remaining territory became known as Rockingham County. The county seat is Greensboro, North Carolina.