Norfolk County USGenWeb Archives History....Henry Woodhouse; Wm. and Mary Qrtly., Vol. 1, No. 4, 1893 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/vafiles.htm ************************************************ Transcribed by Kathy Merrill for the USGenWeb Archives Special Collections Project Henry Woodhouse Edward W. James William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Papers, Vol. 1, No. 4 (Apr., 1893), pp. 227-232. HENRY WOODHOUSE. BY EDWARD W. JAMES Captain Henry Woodhouse was the Governor of the Bermudas from October, 1623, to January 13th, 1626-7, and was present "At a Counsell Table 1 March, 1626-7". He was in the expedition to Re' and Rochelle, 1627-28. Was recomended by the Lords of the Admiralty to be Captain of Tilbury Fort, and was master of the muster of Suffolk County, England. He said that King Charles, in 1631, promised him the governorship of Virginia, and in 1634 and in 1635, he petitioned the King to fulfill his promise, and at one time it was thought he had done so. A friend of Governor Winthrop of Massachusetts wrote from London, "that there were ships and soldiers provided, and given out as carrying the new Governor, Captain Woodhouse, to Virginia". Among the papers in Her Majesty's Public Record office, London, is the following: "To the King's most Excellent Matie, The humble peticon of Henry Woodhouse, Humbly sheweth that whereas your matie hath been graciously pleased neere four yeares past to promise your Peticoner the Governor's place of Virginia, the settling of wch Plantacon hath bene of suche long continuance that yor peticoner starveth with the ex- pectation, and having lost L600 of his arrears, and L60 of yearly intertainment in Suffolk, never having received one penny for his employment of the Isle of Rey and Rochell." "Hee, therefore, humbly prayeth your Matie will graciously declare your pleasure, and make your peticoner enjoy the happiness of your Maties favour by giveing your warrant for the drawing of his Commission whereby your Peticon shall avoid further troubling of your Matie who is absolutely undone without yor Maties immediate dispatch. And hee shall (as in duty ever bound) daily continue his prayers for your Maties long and most prosperous raigne." In 1634, he took a lease for six shares of land in Hamilton Tribe, Bermuda, for 99 years, of his nephew. Sir William Killigrew, the dramatist, dated October 29th, at a rental of one hundred oranges, one hundred lemons and one hundred potatoes, to be paid at the Feast of the annunciation of hte Blessed Virgin Mary. In 1637, Sir William Killgrew reclaimed the land as the rent had not been paid, but requested his agent to grant Woodhouse another lease at a higher price -- "Three hundred of Page 228. the largest and best oranges, one hundred of the best potato roots, and one hundred of the best lemons". Woodhouse declined the proffer, and his name does not again occur in connection with the Bermudas. His course while Governor has been severely censured by Lefoy, who says he was tyrannical and arbitrary, but he has been defended by William Frith Williams, who says he was compelled to enforce the law. In 1630-1, the ladies of Southampton Tribe caused such a disturbance by quarreling about the right of precedence in being seated in church that the Governor and Council had to be called in to settle the dispute. "At a Councell Table held at St. Georges the 17th day of ffebruary, 1680-1, upon Mr. Paynters motion unto the Govrnor and Councell to be assistant unto him for settinge of peace amongst the woemen of ther Tribe who weare discontented for their seating and place- ing in the Church of Southampton Tribe it was Taken into consideracon and thought ex- pedient that ther should be a generall remove of them for the peace and quiettnes of them all in that maner that is hereunder prescribed. Howbeit it is referred unto the minister and Vestry of the said church to take yt into consideration, And if they find any dif- ficulty therein to make ther report theron to the Gouvnor and Councell who wil be ready to assiste them for the redressing of all such inconvenences as may therby arise amongst them. The upper seat to be ffree and kept for marriages. Christeninges and for churching of weomen accordinde to the ffirst institution In the first seate Mrs. Paynter, Mrs. Stirke, Mrs. Elfrith, Mrs. Dell, Mrs. Leycrafte, Mrs. Woodhouse." Capt. Woodhouse on the 7th of August, 1628, purchased of John Gearing of London two shares of land in the Bermudas, and on the 27th of July, 1632, gave them to his son Henry, who, born in 1607, settled in Virginia in 1637, and received a grant of 500 acres of land for the importation of Henry Woodhouse, Mary Woodhouse, Eliz: Woodhouse, Hen. Brightman, Lam Wilson, Jacob Bradschaler, Jon Symons, Tho. Symons, Kaemn of Camena, Thomas of Poluxon, was a member of the House of Burgesses in 1647 and 1652, County Commissioner from 1642 to 1653, member of the vestry, of Lynhaven Parish in 1640, and died in 1655. He left four sons, Henry, Horatio, John and William, and several daughters, Elizabeth who married Giles Collins; Mary, Edward Attwood; Rache, John Totne; and one who married Hercules Low, and one by the name of Judith, who may have been Mrs. Low. In the name of God Amen, I Henry Woodhowse doe make ordeyne Constitute and appoynt this to be my last will and testamt, ffirst and principally I bequeath my soule unto Allmighty God my maker and Page 229. Jesus Christ my Redeemer by whose death and passion I hope to have remission of all my sinnes, and my body to be buried. I will and bequaeth unto my wife Maria Woodhouse one third pte of all my moveable estate that I am Estated in, and I doe likewise will that my wife shall enjoye the use of my plantacon untill my Sonne Henry Woodhouse shal be Twenty yeeres of age, or longer if shee sholde continue A widowe. I doe will and bequeath unto my sonne Henry five hundred acres of land whereon now I doe live. I doe will and bequeath unto my sonne Horatio Woodhouse two hundred acres of land lyeing by A Creeke comonly called by the name of Gregories Creeke. I doe will and bequeath unto my sonne John Wood- howse two hundred and Seaventy foure acres of land lyeing and being at a place called the head of the dammes. There be two shares of land in Bermudes wch I solde unto my brother in lawe Mr. Charles Sothren but if in Case the said Charles died without Issue of his body lawfully begotten then the said land to returne to me & my heires, wch said land I will and bequeath unto my sonne Willm Woodhouse(1) being so returned to mee. I doe likewyse will that after my debts are paied out of my whole estate that then my wife to have hir third pte of hte estate, and hte remaynder to be equally devided amongest my children as they shall come to age, my sonnes at twenty and my daughters at Sixteen. I doe bequeath unto my daughter Elizabeth Collins, and Judith five shillings A peece or the worth of it. I doe desire my loveing wife, my friends Mr. Lemuell Mason and Thomas Allen to see this my last will and Testamt pformed. But in Case any of my Children sholde die before they come to age then my will is that theire part soe dieing be equally devided amongest the lieing, onely the land, and that to goe by Sucession first unto the heires males, I doe likewise give unto my wife all that little plate I have. Except to each of my Children by this wife one Silver Spoone. In pformance hereof I have hereunto Sett my hand this Sixteenth of July One thousand Sixe hundred ffifty five. Signed in the prSence of HEN: WOODHOUSE. Tho: Allen, the mke (E) of Joane Henley Jurat in Cur p Tho: Allen tant 15th Novembris 1655. Test Wm Turner Cl: Cur: The oath of Joane Henley taken before us the 8th of december 1655, John Martin Robert Powis, that the will above recorded is the last will & Testament of Mr. Henry Woodhowse. __________________________________________ (1) The land which the Ex-Governor bought in 1628, and gave to his son Henry in 1632, the latter sold his brother-in-law, Charles Sothren, to be returned to him if he died without heirs, in 1640, and in his will left the same to his son William if it was re- turned. This land was in the possession of Sothren in 1663, and I am unacquainted with its final disposition. Page 230. John Bacon = Cecilly Hooe or Howe.(1) John = Helen Gedding. 1st wife Helena = John = Julia, daughter of Bardwell. daughter of Sir George 2nd wife Tillots of Rougham _________________________________________________________________________________ John = Margery Thorpe daughter and heir of John, son of William and grandson of Sir William Thorpe by the daughter and heir of Sir Roger Bacon, a celebrated Commander in the wars, temp. Edward II, and Edward III. _________________________________________________________________________________ Edmund of Drinkstone = _________________________________________________________________________________ John = Agnes Cokefield _________________________________________________________________________________ Robert = Isabella, daughter of John Cage of Pakenham in Suffolk. _________________________________________________________________________________ Jane, daughter of William = Sir Nicholas = Ann, daughter of James Esq - Alderman = Margaret, daughter of Wm. Fernley of West Crestling the Lord Keeper Sir Anthony Cook of London, died June Rawlins of London and Suffolk, 1st wife. 2nd wife. 15,1573 widow of Richard Gould- ston, Salter. __________________________________________________________________________________ Anne-Sir Henry Woodhouse Francis Baron Sir James of Friston Elizabeth Bacon, daughter Verulam Viscount St. Hall, Suffolk, Knighted at of Francis and Anne Bacon Albans and Lord Chan- White Hall in 1604, died at of Hessett. cellor of England Finsburg, London, Jan. 17th, 1618. __________________________________________________________________________________ (1) The article "The Bacons of Va", commences with John Bacon who married Cecilly Hoo or Howe, and Mr. Brown in his notes does not question its being correct. The family is said to be descended from Grimbaldus A Norman gentleman, but the line of descent from him to John is so uncertain that is best to build it in abeyance. Page 231. John Woodhouse, Esq: = Alice, daughter of William Croft, Esq. Sir Thomas(1) = Margaret, daughter 1st, Ann, daughter of = Sir William = 2nd Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Woodhouse of William Hub- Henry Repps of 2nd son Philip Calthorp, widow of Sir of Waxham, bard. thorp Market, Esq. Henry Parker died s.p. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Sir Thomas married Anne, daughter 1st Ann, daughter = Sir Henry 2nd son - 2nd, Cecilly, daughter of Thomas and co-heir of John Wooton of of Sir Nicholas died 1624 Gresham, Esq. Tudenham Esq. and died s.p. Bacon _______________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Gresham Woodhouse, Esq. 1st Sir William = Francis, daughter of 2nd Henry 2nd Ann = Sir William Heyden Sir Robert Jermyn Governor of Mary = Killigrew Mary = Sir Ralph Shelton. of Rushbrook the Burmudas Vere = Godfrey ____________________________________________________________________________________ Thomas Esq. Henry of Virginia Elizabeth = Sir Francis Stoner. son and heir. Ann - Hungate, and afterwards to Sir Julius Caesar. Page 232. Sir Hen. Woodhouse = Ann d. of sir Knight Nic Bacon | Lord Keeper. ___________________________________________ _____________________________ (1) Sir Wm Woodhouse(2), Henry (4) Thomas Knight | (3) Francis Woodhouse. 3 Sonne m. Elizabeth d. of ------ Winde of Norf. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ The arms given in Blomefield's History of Norfolk County, England of the Woodhouse family of Waxham and Hickling are: Quarterly, azure, and ermin, in the first quarter a leopard's head, or. The arms in Burke, which agree with those now in the possession of the elder branch of the family in Princess Anne County are: Quarterly erm. and az., in the 2nd and 3d quarters a leopard's head or: Crest - a griffin segreant or. Authorities used: History of the Bermudas, Lefroy; History of the Bermudas, Wm. Frith Williams; Virginia Carolorum, E.D. Neill; Genesis of Settlement in the United States, Alex- ander Brown; History of Norfolk County, England, Blomefield; Letter from Charles P. Keith, Philadelphia; Dictionary of National Biography edited by Leslie Stephen; Calendar of State Papers, (English) Domestic Series; Calendar of State Papers, (English) Colonial Series, America and the West Indies; Burke's General Armory; "The Bacons of Va., and their English Ancestry", by Charles Hervey Townshend, Esq., of New Haven, Ct.; and notes by John Coffin Jones Brown, Esq., of Boston, in the N. E. Historical and Genealogical Register for April, 1883, and the County records of Norfolk County, Va.