Virginia Randolphs -- Arms and English Descent; Wm. and Mary Qrtly., Vol. 1, No. 3

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Virginia Randolphs -- Arms and English Descent

   R. A. Brock

   William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Papers, Vol. 1, No. 3.
   (Jan., 1893), pp. 158-159.


                   VIRGINIA RANDOLPHS -- ARMS AND ENGLISH DESCENT.

   A letter recently received from an esteemed correspondent, Rev. Henry Isham Longden,
Shangton Rectory, Leicester, England, gives some interesting facts as to the English descent
of Virginia families.  Data collected by the erratic John Randolph of Roanoke has furnished
the basis of all later deductions from the emigrant ancestor of the so-widely distinguished
Randolph family, Colonel William Randolph of "Turkey Island".  His record, preserved in a
MS. memorandum book, in the possession of Mrs. Cynthia B.T. Coleman, Williamsburg, Virginia,
thus commences:  "There was found among the papers of Sir John Randolph of Virginia an
antique black-letter pedigree as follows:  William(b) son of Robert(a) and Rosa (Roberts)
Randolph, died 1670, aged 88 years; married Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Smith.  Of their
issue was Thomas(c), the poet and William(c).  The last married, fourthly, Dorothy, daughter
of Richard Law, and widow of Thomas West.  Of the issue of William(c) and Dorothy Randolph,
was William(d), born 28th November, 1623, the emigrant to Virginia'".

   This statement it appears is somewhat inexact.  Mr. Longden writes:  "Among the many
treasures in the library of my cousin, Sir Charles Isham, Bart, at Camport, I have found a
MS. visitation, which demonstrates that there are mistakes in the received pedigree of the
Randolphs of Virginia.

   "There were, as you know, two emigrants, Henry Randolph and William Randolph.  In the
Visitation it appears that Henry was the uncle of William, and the baptism of the former is
given as 27th November 1623.  Thomas Randolph, the poet, was half-brother of Richard
Randolph, and Richard was the father of William, the emigrant to Virginia.  Another brother
of the poet was William, who died 1689, and on his will I find a seal, with these arms,
(tinctures of course not being given) [a diagram thus

Page 159.

to be described:  a cross four mullets pierced in its extremities].  I know that five mullets
ought to be there, but on this seal there are but four and some other device in the centre,
which I could not make out.  There was also a crest, upon a helmet over the coat of arms,
being the head of some animal.  This I apprehend to be the oldes instance of a wax impression
of the Randolph coat and crest now preserved."

   The Randolph arms are:  "Gules on a cross argent, five mullets pierced, sable.  Crest -
An antelope's head erased or."  A well preserved impression in wax of their arms appears on
a document in the records of Henrico County, Virginia, executed by William Randolph, in 1698.
He succeeded Captain Henry Randolph, as clerk of Henrico County, in 1673.  As testified by
himself, Feb. 3, 1705, in proving the will of William Byrd of "Westover" (the first of the
name in Virginia), he was born in 1651.  He died April 11, 1711, and, according to his
Epitaph, was "of Warwickshire".  Possibly, the earliest preserved example of an engraved
armorial book-plate of a native Virginian is that of Sir John Randolph - the arms being as

described above.  John Randolph "of Roanoke", in early life, and Ryland Randolph used book-
plates with the same arms.  The first, however used latterly a book-plate which violated the
laws of heraldry, in that the field was or (gold) and the cross argent (silver) -- thus
placing metal on metal.

   I await with interest further promised communications from Mr. Longden, as to the 
Radolps and Ishams, he being of the latter lineage.          R. A. BROCK.